2025 Equestrian Jumping European Championship: athletes to watch
With 18 nations in the team competition and only three medals up for grabs, the margins in Casas Novas will be razor-thin.
Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat is the man everyone will be chasing. The reigning European champion and Paris 2024 individual silver medallist made history in 2023 with the lowest score ever recorded at a European final (in show jumping, a lower score means fewer mistakes). Now ranked sixth in the world, he returns with Albfuehren’s Iashin Sitte, aiming to add yet another gold to a career already sparkling with Olympic and team titles.
On his heels are German powerhouses Christian Kukuk, the Olympic champion in Paris 2024, and teammate Richard Vogel, riding United Touch, a pair that’s already tasted victory on Spanish soil at the Nations Cup Final in Barcelona. Ranked fourth and tenth in the world, respectively, Kukuk and Vogel headline a team targeting both individual and team podiums, despite narrowly missing out at their home event in CHIO Aachen last week. Kukuk, Vogel, and fellow teammate Sophie Hinners all reached the jump-off in the Grand Prix, though minor faults kept them outside the top five. Still, the consistency is there, and expectations are high.
Guerdat’s compatriot Martin Fuchs, the 2019 European champion and current world number seven, arrives with momentum after his recent victory at the 2025 Grand Prix in CHIO Aachen. He’ll be riding Conner Jei, the horse he hopes will carry him to a sixth European Championship medal.
Also riding a wave of success is Great Britain’s Ben Maher on Point Break, the highest-ranked rider in the field at world number two. Already a European silver medallist and Olympic champion, Maher comes into A Coruña in top form after a win in Aachen and is hungry for that elusive continental gold. Alongside him, teammate Scott Brash adds further depth to the already impressive British squad.
From across the Irish Sea, Team Ireland brings serious firepower with four riders ranked inside the world’s top 20. Cian O’Connor, an Olympic bronze medallist, leads a team full of Olympians, including Daniel Coyle, Darragh Kenny, and Bertram Allen, all strong contenders capable of delivering clean rounds when it counts.
France’s fan favourite, Julien Épaillard, fast, fearless, and fresh off a World Cup Finals win in Basel with his horse Donatello d’Auge, returns to Casas Novas as a serious podium contender. Belgium, too, arrives with a well-rounded squad featuring the likes of Gilles Thomas, Pieter Devos, Nicola Philippaerts, and Thibault Spits, a mix of seasoned competitors that could shake things up in both the individual and team standings.
Spain’s top medal hope lies with Mariano Martínez Bastida, a speedy and stylish rider known for thrilling the home crowd. Meanwhile, Dutch fan favourite Maikel van der Vleuten arrives with serious championship pedigree, including two Olympic bronzes and a team silver, and rising star Kim Emmen hopes to continue to make waves on the international stage.
Sweden may be without their biggest names, Henrik von Eckermann, Peder Fredricson, and Malin Baryard-Johnsson, but don’t count them out just yet. In a surprise move, Chef d’Equipe Henrik Ankarcrona has opted to field an all-women’s team in A Coruña to give more riders valuable championship experience ahead of next year’s Olympic qualifier. The defending team champions will now be led by Petronella Andersson and Wilma Hellström, with Amanda Landeblad, Erika Lickhammer, and Angelie von Essen rounding out the line-up.
With team medals decided on Friday and the individual title on Sunday, consistency across all rounds will be key for those looking to leave A Coruña with gold around their necks.