The new generation of sires emerges in the Belgian Cycle

The Belgian Cycle for young show jumpers is an interesting barometer for the future every year. The competition not only highlights which young horses stand out consistently, it also shows which stallions give a preview of tomorrow’s breeding. Which names appear among the youngest age groups? Which stallions reappear year after year? And which riders are becoming true specialists in training young horses?

The results for the four-, five-, six- and seven-year-olds already show a clear pattern: alongside the established names, a new generation of sires is steadily moving to the front. At the same time, some stallions continue to appear across multiple age categories.

Fourteen champions among the four-year-olds

Fourteen horses were crowned champion among the four-year-olds. The list is very diverse, both in terms of sires and riders. Notably, Niki Geenens appears twice in first place, with White Sock van de Oudeveldhoeve and W Shaniks Wild Surprise.

There are also interesting signals on the sire side. Several young stallions, or stallions still active in sport, are already producing champions. That makes this generation of four-year-olds particularly interesting from a breeding perspective: the stallions delivering their first successful offspring now may become the new mainstays of breeding in a few years’ time.

Geenens’s double victory stands out, but the spread among sires is at least as interesting. Nixon van 't Meulenhof, Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve, Eldorado van de Zeshoek and Orak d'Hamwyck are names also strongly represented in older generations, while other stallions are making a clear first impression here.

23 champions among the five-year-olds

The list gets even longer among the five-year-olds, with 23 champions. Again, there is no absolute dominance by a single sire, but several recurring names stand out.

Orak d'Hamwyck T&L produced two champions, while Amadeo van 't Vossenhof, Grandorado TN N.O.P., Sea Coast Don't Touch Tiji Hero, Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve and Nixon van 't Meulenhof also reappear.

On the riders’ side we see familiar faces as well. Michael Wattiez, Jordy Oostvogels and Valentijn de Bock appear multiple times, and Niki Geenens adds another championship to her name.

Orak d'Hamwyck is particularly notable here with two champions. The double representation from Amadeo and Sea Coast Don't Touch Tiji Hero is also interesting. This confirms the picture from the four-year-olds: alongside the big established names, stallions still relatively early in their breeding careers are increasingly prominent.

This also fits a broader trend within the Belgian Cycle. Analyses of previous editions showed young sires like Nixon van 't Meulenhof emerging strongly. In 2025 Nixon was, for example, the most common stallion across the entire Cycle, with 74 offspring.

The six-year-olds make the differences clearer

In the six-year-old class we look at the top twenty. Here the results begin to tell more about which bloodlines maintain themselves not only among the youngest horses but also over a slightly longer term.

First place goes to Unesse van 't Zijp (Armitages Boy) with Brent de Smit. Second is Oilily KN ter Beuken Z by Minute Man with Tim van den Broeck. Third place is shared by Charrief van de Molen Z (Chekter) with Charlotte Degeest and Colando van de Hoeve Z (Classic Orange Z) with Daisy Bruyninx.

Following them are Non Ho L'Eta DH Z by Nono vd Withoeve with Marnick Spits and El Capone van het Horzelend Z by El Barone 111 Z with Tim van den Broeck.

Notable is the mix of new names and recurring sires. Classic Orange, Chekter, Karaldo VDL and Chiantis Champion are relatively unfamiliar names in Belgian breeding. At the same time El Barone 111 Z, Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve and Orak d'Hamwyck reappear.

The full top twenty:

A pattern among riders also emerges. Tim van den Broeck appears several times in the top results, while Brent de Smit, Charlotte Degeest, Lars van Rossem and Niki Geenens also show up repeatedly. These are riders who clearly have a feel for young horses.

Seven-year-olds: Nixon sets the tone

Among the seven-year-olds the dominance of certain sires becomes even clearer. At the top is Noxx van de Molen Z, a son of Nixon van 't Meulenhof, ridden by Charlotte Degeest. In second place is Otje, also an offspring of Nixon, ridden by Xander Lamberts.

That sets the tone immediately: Nixon van 't Meulenhof appears no fewer than five times in this top twenty. Besides Noxx and Otje, the list includes Theo de Mariposa with Tim van den Broeck, Tirenice vd Duvelshoeve with Lars van Rossem and Too Nice Horta, also with Lars van Rossem. Tacito van 't Gobenhof is another Nixon son, placed sixteenth.

Nixon’s performances are not a fluke. The stallion was successful himself as a young horse and is now active at the highest international level. His breeding results among young horses have also become increasingly visible in recent years.

The top twenty among the seven-year-olds:

Amadeo van 't Vossenhof also appears multiple times. Among the riders Charlotte Degeest and Tim van den Broeck are particularly prominent. The Van Rossem family is also hard to ignore in the results: Steven Van Rossem is third with Clinto, while Lars Van Rossem rides two horses in the top ten.

From young promise to established sire

Looking at the four age categories together, it becomes clear how rapidly Belgian breeding evolves. Among the four-year-olds we receive the first signals of a new generation of stallions. In the five-year-olds some names begin to manifest again. By the time the horses are seven, certain sires are clearly recognizable as producers of quality.

Nixon van 't Meulenhof is the most pronounced example of recent years. The stallion recurs across different age categories and is particularly strongly represented among the older young horses. That matches previous analyses of the Belgian Cycle, in which Nixon also emerged as one of the most notable sires.

But Nixon is by no means the only name to watch. T&L stallions Orak d'Hamwyck and Amadeo van 't Vossenhof, Grandorado TN N.O.P., El Barone 111 Z and several other younger stallions appear repeatedly.

That may be the most interesting aspect of these results. The Cycle not only shows which horses perform well today, it can also offer a preview of the stallions who will shape breeding tomorrow.