They never faltered. Having led the seven-year-old World Championship since its very beginning on Thursday afternoon, firm favourites Tara van het Leliehof and Lara de Liedekerke-Meier (BEL) held their nerve to the very end, rounding off the Mondial with a superb clear round to secure victory. By adding no penalties to her dressage score, the daughter of Pegase van’t Ruytershof, who also won the six-year-old World Championship last year, achieved a remarkable double. Only four horses had accomplished this feat before her: Galan de Sauvagère (Nicolas Touzaint, FRA) in 2000 and 2001, Ténarèze (Thomas Carlile, FRA) in 2013 and 2014, Lagona OLD (Anna Lena Schaaf, GER) in 2021 and 2022, and Golden de Beliard (Thomas Carlile, FRA) in 2022 and 2023.

“The pressure was intense,” her rider admitted. “In this kind of situation, it’s difficult being me. I’m so afraid of not doing the mare justice, of letting down my team and her owners. But Tara has so much quality across all three phases… She is certainly one of the best horses I have ever ridden, and I have an enormous amount of respect for her.”

Although he thinks highly of Bueno, Hector Payne (GBR) had not expected to finish as reserve world champion.

“We knew he was a good horse, but we would have been more than happy to finish in the top 10. This weekend, he confirmed his quality in the dressage and exceeded himself in the other two phases.”

Alexis Goury (FRA) was equally delighted with Jeroboam Wal’s performance, which earned them third place.

“Deep down, I truly believed in him. I knew he was capable of doing what he did, even if those around me may have been less convinced. I’m happy to have been able to prove his quality. Now, I just need to find a way to keep him under my saddle in the future…”

Two other French combinations finished in the top eight: Juste Unétoile (Thomas Carlile, FRA) came fourth and Joystick de Syac (Héloïse Le Guern, FRA) finished eighth.

ACSI Daisy Dynamite and Ann-Catrin Bierlein crowned six-year-old world champions

In the six-year-old World Championship, the show jumping phase proved decisive, with only six combinations jumping clear within the time allowed. This enabled ACSI Daisy Dynamite and Ann-Catrin Bierlein, who had already achieved a cross-country “max” (no jumping or time penalties), to secure the title. The mare had, however, shown a few signs of impatience just before entering the arena.

“That can happen with her,” her rider explained. “I’ve known her since she was born, and I didn’t give her that name by chance! But once she gets into her ‘tunnel’, she’s fantastic. The Mondial du Lion is an extraordinary competition, and such a valuable learning experience for young horses… Even if things had not ended so well, as happened last year with the mare I rode in the seven-year-old class, I would say exactly the same. Next year, my dream would be to return with ACSI Daisy Dynamite in the seven-year-olds and her little sister in the six-year-olds. I’ll do everything I can to be here… every year.”

Although they had held second place since the beginning of the competition, two combinations climbed onto the podium thanks to almost perfect show jumping rounds, each incurring just one second over the time allowed, equivalent to 0.4 time penalty points. Kosmic d’Elbe, a Selle Français who began his training with Arthur Duffort, helped Swiss rider Robin Godel finish second on only his second appearance at the Mondial du Lion Crédit Mutuel.

“As mature as a ten-year-old, calm in the dressage, forward-going and brave on the cross-country: Kosmic really has all the qualities of a top event horse. I’m very lucky because his owners bought him with the aim of developing him into a future horse for me.”

Monbeg Kobe, meanwhile, climbed from seventh before show jumping to third place under Kevin McNab, a familiar face at the Mondial who previously rode Cosmic Girl, the 2021 seven-year-old world champion.

“Monbeg Kobe is ridden most of the time by one of my friends. I work him occasionally and compete him. We knew he was a good horse, but at this age you never know how they will handle the unique atmosphere of the Mondial, with all the spectators and the impressive fences, or how they will jump the day after cross-country. I discovered him as the week went on. He will probably be sold at some point, but with a bit of luck, we’ll be back next year!”

In this category, only five horses completed the championship on their dressage scores, incurring no penalties in either cross-country or show jumping. This led to some impressive climbs up the leaderboard: Kovu de Belle Croix (Nicolas Touzaint, FRA) rose from 15th to seventh. Even more remarkably, Italian combination Kilcannon Candy Guy (Enrico Zeppegno) climbed from 32nd to 12th, while Ireland’s Belline Kilbunny Virtue (Elizabeth Power) moved up from 42nd to 20th.

The 2026 edition was marked by double victories — and by female winners, as both titles went to mares ridden by female riders. Once again, competitors highlighted the importance of the large, knowledgeable crowds at the Mondial du Lion Crédit Mutuel in helping to develop their future champions.

This year, 39,453 spectators joined us. THANK YOU!

See you next year, from 21 to 24 October 2027, to find out whether ACSI Daisy Dynamite will join the very exclusive club of double world champions!