17 : IMPRESS-K VAN’T KATTENHEYE Z : SPITS Thibeau : :
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Fontainebleau, France – April 26, 2026 – The Printemps des Sports Équestres came to a spectacular conclusion on Sunday afternoon as Thibeau Spits (BEL) and Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z won the €308,600 GL events Grand Prix CSI 5*. The young Belgian rider recorded a major win against top-level competition in this Grand Prix held in the Main Arena (Terrain d’Honneur) at the Grand Parquet de Fontainebleau, cheered on by the passionate spectators who were treated to a thrilling show.
The sun was out and so were the fans, who filled the stands and created a warm and vibrant atmosphere. Indeed, with every round, the riders were cheered on, the audience encouraging them to push back the limits.
And in the prestigious Main Arena (Terrain d’Honneur) of the Grand Parquet, the starting line-up for the Grand Prix was more than worthy of the fervour in the stands. Fifty of the world’s best riders, representing 16 countries on four continents, were gathered for the weekend’s showcase event. With just a few months to go before the world show-jumping championships in Aachen,this competition was like a full-scale dress rehearsal.
For the occasion, Grégory Bodo (FRA) had designed a carefully-planned course that left no room for improvisation.
39 : CONNER JEI : FUCHS Martin : :
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The tone was set from the very beginning. The layout, which included a number of obstacles from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, meant the riders and horses needed to ride precise lines, remaining focused and responsive throughout. The difficulties included the wall representing the round stained-glass window of Notre-Dame de Paris, followed by a line leading to the triple oxervertical-oxer, before heading for the wall of Provence lavender fences, as well as the double verticals in the colours of Saur, placed just after the river. However, the bar that fell most often was Number 2, a vertical obstacle in the turn that was clearly more demanding than it first appeared.
France’s Mégane Moissonnier (FRA), who started in eleventh place, managed to combine both precision and speed to register the first clear round of the class with Crooner Tame, after a thrilling ride that had the public holding their breath.
49 : FORBAN DE BELIARD : DEMONTE Marie : :
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The response to her performance came shortly after, as Scott Brash (GBR), no less, showed Mégane Moissonnier (FRA) that he still had a trick or two in his bag. Riding his magnificent Hello Mango, the world number one produced a real demonstration, in a time close to that of the French rider, suggesting the jump-off would go down to the wire. Then, Thibeau Spits (BEL) with Impres-K van’t Kattenheye, Julien Épaillard (FRA), the newly-crowned French Pro Élite champion, Nicolas Sers (FRA), Martin Fuchs (SUI) on Conner Jei, Belgium’s Pieter Devos (BEL) on Casual DV Z and Marie Demonte (FRA) with Forban de Béliard, bringing the number of riders in the jump-off to six.
Six Riders! 4 Men & 2 Women – One Ambition: To Win the Thrilling Class!
Mégane Moissonnier (FRA) was first to start in the jump-off and took every chance, squeezing every turn as tightly as she could while maintaining a fast pace. Unfortunately, the French rider’s hopes were dashed by two fallen bars, but she still managed to put pressure on her rivals, because the options taken by Equita rider forced Scott Brash (GBR) to use a similar strategy. Indeed, the options were so demanding that the world number one found himself in the rare position of having a refusal and then knocked off two bars.
17 : IMPRESS-K VAN’T KATTENHEYE Z : SPITS Thibeau : :
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Thibeau Spits (BEL), who started third, chose to ride tights lines without pushing too much on the pace and recorded the first double clear round of the afternoon; the only one!
39 : CONNER JEI : FUCHS Martin : :
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Although the Swiss rider Martin Fuchs (SUI), with Conner Jei, managed to shave 1.32 seconds off the time, a bar on the second part of the last obstacle deprived him of victory. A similar fate befell Pieter Devos (BEL) , who made two mistakes.
49 : FORBAN DE BELIARD : DEMONTE Marie : :
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France’s Marie Demonte (FRA) was last to take to the arena, all smiles as the crowd cheered her on. She was more hesitant in her approach to the jump-off and received four penalty points for a fallen bar. Finally, her time was slower than that of Martin Fuchs (SUI) and she finished third on the podium.
This wonderful podium rounded off two weeks of top-level sport at the fifth Printemps des Sports Équestres.
17 : IMPRESS-K VAN’T KATTENHEYE Z : SPITS Thibeau : :
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What they said:
Thibeau Spits (BEL), winner of the GL events Grand Prix with Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z:
“I didn’t really know what to expect. After Paris, my horse took a bit of a break for breeding, so he was a bit tense and not very concentrated. I was already happy that we managed to qualify for the Grand Prix. But today he was calmer. He is also the kind of horse that knows exactly what he has to do. He jumped magnificently. I didn’t know if my jump-off would be fast enough with the riders that were to come after me. Fortunately, I managed a double clear round. Of course, the world championships remain the goal for this year and results like today give you confidence. So, I think I’ve got a good chance of being there and doing well.”
Martin Fuchs (SUI), second in the GL events Grand Prix with Conner Jei:
“Of course, I always prefer to win, but second place is still good, because it’s not often that you come second with four penalty points in the jump-off. Well done to Thibeau. I love the way he rides and his horse. They are a great couple. I love to see young people like him succeed. I used to be the youngest, but now I’m almost twice his age (laughs). It’s good to see this new generation pushing us to do better and putting on a great show like Thibeau did today.
Marie Demonte (FRA), third in the GL events Grand Prix with Forban de Beliard:
“It’s been a wonderful day. It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but it’s a great team victory. I’ve had this horse since he was 6 years old. We’ve always believed in him. Edouard Coupérie gave me the opportunity to go and prepare him in Ocala and Wellington, where he jumped in some big competitions. He arrived here having not competed for a month, so he’s pretty fresh. All the experience he gained over there, he showed today in the Fontainebleau”.
Grégory Bodo (FRA), CSI5* course designer:
“I was really looking forward to coming back to the Grand Parquet in this beautiful green setting. The arena lived up to all our expectations. The ground is so firm under foot it’s incredible. What we wanted for this first international event in the Main Arena was for the horses to be able to express themselves in a reassuring and safe environment. We wanted to progressively make things harder as we moved towards the 5* Grand Prix, without going over the top. Half the starters in this class received 4 penalty points but there were no retirements, which is rare. I think the riders enjoyed riding in the Main Arena, and we also enjoyed watching them in the Grand Prix.”
Sylvie Robert, President of GL events Equestrian Sport
“I would like to thank the International Equestrian Federation, the French Equestrian Federation and the Chairman of the GL events Group for their confidence. I would also like to thank the riders who treated us to some great sport with an absolutely incredible line-up, and all the partners and organisations with whom we work hand in hand to make this event possible. We’re delighted to be finally back in the Main Arena at the Grand Parquet. This iconic arena was brought back up to the highest modern sports standards thanks to the expertise of the Normandie Drainage and Natural Grass teams, under the supervision of Michel Poncelet. We saw that the horses jumped incredibly well, so we’re delighted to be able to provide such good conditions. My heartfelt thanks go to all my teams, who did a remarkable job to ensure that this amazing event could be held in such excellent conditions. We’ll see you next year. And I’m pleased to confirm that the dates have been fixed for the event here until 2030.”
17 : IMPRESS-K VAN’T KATTENHEYE Z : SPITS Thibeau : :
” data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/jumpernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026.04.26.99.99-Fontainebleau-CSI-5-GP-Cel-Thibeau-Spits-Impress-K-vant-Kattenheye-2.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/jumpernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026.04.26.99.99-Fontainebleau-CSI-5-GP-Cel-Thibeau-Spits-Impress-K-vant-Kattenheye-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1″ alt class=”wp-image-221805″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/jumpernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026.04.26.99.99-Fontainebleau-CSI-5-GP-Cel-Thibeau-Spits-Impress-K-vant-Kattenheye-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/jumpernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026.04.26.99.99-Fontainebleau-CSI-5-GP-Cel-Thibeau-Spits-Impress-K-vant-Kattenheye-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/jumpernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026.04.26.99.99-Fontainebleau-CSI-5-GP-Cel-Thibeau-Spits-Impress-K-vant-Kattenheye-2.jpg?resize=150%2C100&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/jumpernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026.04.26.99.99-Fontainebleau-CSI-5-GP-Cel-Thibeau-Spits-Impress-K-vant-Kattenheye-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/jumpernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026.04.26.99.99-Fontainebleau-CSI-5-GP-Cel-Thibeau-Spits-Impress-K-vant-Kattenheye-2.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w” sizes=”auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>
Final Results – €308,600 GL Events Grand Prix CSI 5*
1) Thibeau Spits (BEL) & Impress K van’T Kattenheye Z – 0 / 0 – 41.27
2) Martin Fuchs (SUI) & Conner Jei – 0 / 4 – 39.95
3) Marie Demonte (FRA) & Forban de Béliard – 0 / 4 – 47.49
Source: Press Release (edited) from Eloise Lepine for Les Printemps des Sports Équestres
Photos: © PSV Photo / J. Morel
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