The European studbooks from France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany remain at the forefront and closely follow one another compared with other breeding countries. These statistics hold whether in terms of prize money won in international competitions or the number of horses competing on the international circuit.
By prize money and number of horses in competition, the Selle Français leads.
With 5,016 horses competing internationally in 2026 and already €11,826,729 in prize money, the Selle Français tops the studbook rankings ahead of two Belgian studbooks, the BWP and the Zangersheide studbook.
Top 10 studbooks by earnings
| Place | Studbook | Earnings | # Horses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SF (Selle Français) | €11.826.729 | 5 016 |
| 2 | BWP (BWP) | €10.069.488 | 2 800 |
| 3 | Z (Zangersheide) | €9.896.945 | 4 541 |
| 4 | KWPN (KWPN) | €9.662.078 | 4 181 |
| 5 | OS (Oldenburger Springpferd) | €7.096.545 | 2 127 |
| 6 | Holst (Holstein) | €5.543.420 | 1 896 |
| 7 | Westf (Westfalen) | €3.393.790 | 843 |
| 8 | Hann (Hannover) | €2.977.989 | 1 004 |
| 9 | ISH (Irish Sport Horse) | €2.829.326 | 765 |
| 10 | SWB (Swedish Warmblood Association) | €1.545.023 | 483 |
Certified by Hippomundo © 2026
The BWP takes second place in the ranking with about half the number of horses compared with the studbooks following it, the Zangersheide studbook and the Dutch KWPN studbook, both having more than 4,000 horses competing internationally this year. Among the top representatives of the BWP this year are:
- Otello De Guldenboom (by Tobago Z) - HR 126 - ridden by Daniel Deusser (GER); notably 2nd in the World Cup Final in Fort Worth (USA) and also 2nd in the Bordeaux World Cup leg this year.
- Hello Jefferson (by Cooper van de Heffinck) - HR 125 - ridden by Scott Brash (GBR); stood out this year in both Doha CSI5* GPs (QAT) in January.
- Pallieter Vd N.Ranch (by Cornet Obolensky) - HR 112p - ridden by Italian rider Piergiorgio Bucci. The pair won this year the GP of the CSIO5* Rome and the GCT GP at the CSI5* Mexico City (MEX).
Another interesting studbook in this top 10 is the German Westfalen studbook. With only 843 horses on the international scene, it ranks 7th ahead of the Hanoverian studbook with its 1,004 representatives.
In the studbook rankings by country, Belgium is neck-and-neck with Germany.
As seen earlier, Belgium has two of its main studbooks on the podium and Germany has four studbooks in the top 10. In the country ranking, Belgium totals €21,436,297 in earnings and Germany €21,389,720.
Top 10 breeding nations by earnings
| Place | Country | Earnings | # Horses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgium | €21 436 297 | 7906 |
| 2 | Germany | €21 389 720 | 6 776 |
| 3 | France | €12 006 285 | 5 198 |
| 4 | Netherlands | €9 738 395 | 4 270 |
| 5 | Ireland | € 3 181 965 | 884 |
| 6 | Sweden | €1 545 068 | 484 |
| 7 | United Kingdom | €1 205 034 | 981 |
| 8 | Italy | €525 129 | 605 |
| 9 | United States | €360 875 | 33 |
| 10 | Mexico | €314 269 | 121 |
Certified by Hippomundo © 2026
The top four countries in this ranking dominate the international sport in terms of earnings and number of horses. The difference is particularly striking when comparing the number of horses born and competing internationally between the Netherlands, 4th with 4,270 horses, and Ireland, 5th with 484 horses.
See the studbook rankings by country
These four countries will continue to compete throughout the year to showcase their breeding programs and promote their nation through their respective studbooks. At the end of the year, we will again be able to see which studbook has stood out.
