We’ve been counting down the days and, finally, the 2025 European Showjumping Championships kicks off on Wednesday 16 July at the world famous Casas Novas Equestrian Center in A Coruña, Spain.
The European Championships take place every two years, sandwiched between the Olympics and World Championships. So who could be topping the podium at this year’s championships and when are the medals decided?
Here is the lowdown on all you need to know ahead of this year’s European Showjumping Championships with our handy bluffer’s guide to the sporting action.
When do the European Showjumping Championships take place?
The 2025 European Showjumping Championships take place from 16-20 July with the vet check and warm-up session for the field of 87 competitors taking place on Tuesday (15 July).
What is the format for the Europeans?
The sport begins with the 1.50-1.55m first round against the clock for all competitors (team and individual), from which scores and times are converted to penalties.
There then follows two 1.60m-1.65m rounds of team competition on Thursday and Friday. Only the top 10 teams progress to Friday’s medal decider.
The championships conclude with two 1.60-1.65m rounds of individual jumping on Sunday afternoon. The top 25 combinations will have qualified for round one, with just 12 going on to round two, after which the final medals will be presented.
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Also running alongside the championship all week will be CSI3* classes with a grand prix on Saturday’s “rest day” where a Porsche will be presented to the winner.
The venue for this year’s championships is Casas Novas, A Coruña, Spain.
What happens on each day of the championship?
The full timetable for the 2025 European Showjumping Championships in A Coruña is as follows:
Tuesday, 15 July
Vet check and warm-up for all competitors
Wednesday, 16 July
2pm BST (3pm local): Checkpoint Trophy – first competition for individuals and teams in the European Championships. Height: 1.50m-1.55m, speed and handiness
Thursday, 17 July
2pm (3pm local): second competition for individuals and teams in the European Championships. Height: 1.60m-1.65m, first of two rounds
Friday, 18 July
8.30am (9.30am local): CSI3* 1.35m Veolia Trophy
10.30am (11.30am local): CSI3* 1.45m Grupo Eulen Trophy
3.15pm (4.15pm local): second competition for individuals and team final for the European Championships. Height: 1.60m-1.65m, second of two rounds. Team medal presentation to follow
Is there a team drop score at these championships?
Yes, with four riders in each nation’s team, only the best three scores will be tallied in the final penalties. Any countries fielding teams of just three riders, however, will need to count all their scores. This differs from the Olympic format where each score counts for the teams of just three athletes.
Where is it taking place?
Casas Novas Equestrian Centre is a major hub of equestrian sport in A Coruña, Spain, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. It hosts the world’s top riders at its annual CSI5* show including a Longines FEI World Cup qualifier.
Who are the course-designers at the European Showjumping Championships?
Renowned Spanish course-builder Santiago Varela, one of the designers at the Paris Olympics, will be responsible for the courses in A Coruña.
How can I follow the European Showjumping Championships at home?
You can watch every round live on FEI.TV and Clipmyhorse.TV. H&H will be bringing you non-stop reports, images, interviews, insight and breaking news from the European Showjumping Championships as events unfold, so you’ll have everything at your fingertips. We will be creating extensive online coverage from A Coruña in addition to what will be included in the magazine report. Our coverage will include:
Breaking news and numerous reports on all the action throughout the day across the team and individual championships. A round-up at the end of each day’s action will ensure you have all the facts and figures to hand.
Interviews with leading contenders, first-timers, comeback stars, British and Irish heroes, grooms and more.
To keep reading after five articles, readers will need to buy a subscription either to the website or to the magazine. To buy a Horse & Hound website unlimited subscription, visit horseandhound.co.uk/join-european-showjumping-championships. Or, for great value, visit magazinesdirect.com/XHH-brandsite for a magazine subscription that includes unlimited website access plus the digital version of the magazine. If you are already a magazine subscriber, find out how to activate your website access at horseandhound.co.uk/subscription-benefits.
The 24 July issue of Horse & Hound will feature a bumper special report, containing analysis, exclusive insight and interviews from our team covering the event in Casas Novas. We’ll also have expert commentary from Graham Fletcher.
European Showjumping Championships: facts and figures
The reigning European champion is Steve Guerdat of Switzerland, who returns to defend his title with Albfuehren’s Iashin Sitte.
Sweden is bidding to win back-to-back gold medals after victory in 2023.
Athletes from 23 nations are set to contest these championships with 18 teams lining up.
Germany is the most decorated country in the history of the European Championships with 7 team and 15 individual gold medals.
Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Liechtenstein and Slovakia will be represented by individual contenders
This is the third time in its 68-year history that Spain has hosted the European Showjumping Championships.
The last time a British rider was on the individual podium was in 2019 when Ben Maher and Explosion W secured silver. The last gold medal-winner was John Whitaker with Milton in 1989.
To stay up to date with all the news from the European Showjumping Championships as it happens, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website today from just £1 a week. Our reporter Eleanor Jones will be on site throughout
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.
