![\"\"](\"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Johan-Sebastian-Gulliksen-ja-Equine-America-Harwich-VDL-Kuva-FEI-Kim-C-Lundin-1024x678.jpg\")
Olympic champion and multiple championship medalist Steve Guerdat began his indoor season only at the turn of the year after a sick leave. His victory in Leipzig in January showed he is once again hungry and in top form. Brazilian rider Yuri Mansur placed second in Oslo and is currently eleventh in the standings, but he too is not yet guaranteed a place in the final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
German riders Philipp Schulze Topphoff and Patrick St\u00fchlmeyer are in strong shape. Schulze Topphoff has achieved three top\u201110 finishes, and St\u00fchlmeyer has placed third and fourth. They still need to secure their places among the top 18 in the league, so they will be aiming for valuable points in Helsinki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another rising star from Norway this season is Oda Charlotte Lyngvaer, who was second in La Coru\u00f1a and ninth in Oslo. Will the sympathetic Lyngvaer once again make it to the podium in Helsinki with her impressive mare Carabella vd Neyen Z?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Swedish riders are once again strongly represented. Jens Fredricson, who will also host jumping clinics in Helsinki, is a World and European team gold medalist and reached the podium at the 2022 World Cup Final in Leipzig.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For many showjumping fans, it will be especially impactful to see one of the world\u2019s most successful female riders in the arena. Malin Baryard\u2011Johnsson is making her comeback at this level. She competed in her first World Cup 30 years ago. Now, after a seven\u2011year break, she returns with her Tokyo Olympic team gold medalist mare H&M Indiana, 18, who was full of energy and joy in the Leipzig leg in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chasing further success<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Several rider\u2011horse combinations competing in Helsinki have already done well in selected legs but have only competed in a few events. Japan\u2019s Eiken Sato was fourth in Oslo and eighth in Leipzig, Portugal\u2019s Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida finished second in Stuttgart, and Sweden\u2019s Marcus Westergren was second in Mechelen. European Championship silver medalist and team gold medalist Gregory Wathelet, who placed seventh in Mechelen, is the highest\u2011ranked European showjumper in Helsinki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Britain\u2019s Robert Whitaker, who won both the Grand Prix and the World Cup in Helsinki in 2019, will also be present. The son of the legendary John Whitaker also won the World Cup in Helsinki in 2024. If they perform well in the arena, they too still have every chance of climbing high enough in the standings. Everything is still possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From Finland, Jasmin Sepp\u00e4l\u00e4\u2011Geerink and Anna\u2011Julia Kontio have entered the World Cup level. Both have already taken part in two legs this season. Sepp\u00e4l\u00e4\u2011Geerink arrives in Helsinki via the Gothenburg leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are also high expectations for other riders competing in 5\u2011star classes, including Jone Illi and Celtas Quillian, who recently won an international 145 cm class. Most Finnish riders will compete at the 1\u2011star level and in national and Amateur Tour classes. The event will feature nearly 300 riders, 400 horses, and almost 1,000 starts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the three\u2011star dressage level, the Helsinki venue will host Finnish champions Ville Vaurio and Dante NL, Peggy H\u00f6gsten and Frisco, Anu Sironen and Yp\u00e4j\u00e4\u2019s Fioretto, and Katja Kuokka and Fillyhill\u2019s My Special. Sweden will send five rider\u2011horse pairs, the strongest being Olympic rider Mads Hendeliowitz and World & European Championship rider Jeanna H\u00f6gberg. Having two 4* judges means that the Grand Prix offers a chance for the riders to get a World Championship qualification results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The event will offer competitions and performances in two arenas over four days, totaling 140 hours of competition and entertainment. The audience will also enjoy plenty of new content. On the Hevosurheilu RATSASTUS stage, popular equestrian and enterntainment personality Katja St\u00e5hl will host talks, panels, and partner programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two ticket categories are now available, including a new expo ticket that offers an affordable way to explore the event, especially for horse enthusiasts. A new OP Uusimaa hobby\u2011horse area will feature competitions and interactive activities for the youngest visitors. At the Kultajousi arena, visitors can also try lead\u2011rein riding. The Horse Show is also one of the most significant equestrian expo events \u2013 this year\u2019s Horse Expo \u00a9 will feature a record number of exhibitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of Finland\u2019s longest-running sports events and largest annual arena events, the 40\u2011year\u2011old Helsinki International Horse Show, will be held from February 26 to March 1 at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre. The event\u2019s shift to becoming the final leg of the World Cup league creates an entirely new setting for the weekend\u2019s highlight, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16933,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16938"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16982,"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16938\/revisions\/16982"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Steve-Guerdat-ja-Albfuehrens-Iashin-Sitte-Kuva-FEI-www.sportfotos-lafrentz.de-Stefan-Lafrentz-1024x685.jpg\")
Olympic champions make their comeback<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Dressage: Finland vs. Sweden<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ville-Vaurio-ja-Dante-kuva-Sonja-Holma-1-1024x774.jpg\")
Much more to do for the whole family<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n