Will the elite showjumping community be heading to Qatar to start their 2026 season? The Al Shaqab equestrian centre in Qatar is set to host four new CSI5* events in 2026 as part of a €10m (£8.26m) three-month showjumping tour that starts on 1 January and will run until 4 April.
The Qatar Equestrian Tour 2026 comprises 10 weeks of international competition at Al Shaqab, with four weeks of CSI5* competition, known as HH The Father Amir Equestrian Tour in January.
The venue will also host a mix of lower-level international showjumping classes, plus dressage and para-dressage competitions, during the tour.
The son of the legendary Mill Reef, who won the HOYS riding horse championship in 2005 and the racehorse to riding horse in 2006 for Natalie Lintott, has been put down aged 32 after a long and happy retirement.
Gosh had lived for the past nearly 20 years with Jackie Thompson and her daughter Emma, who said he was “like a Rolls Royce to ride”.
Jackie added: ”Emma’s had some beautiful horses she competed with – but she always loved him the most. He was quite a legend; Simon Charlesworth also rode him at one or two shows and he said he was the best horse he’d sat on.”
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H&H’s eventing editor Pippa Roome has been considering which horses aged 11 and under in 2025 could produce a breakthrough performance at the European Eventing Championships at Blenheim Horse Trials this autumn (18-25 September).
In her list of ones to watch she selects four 10-year-olds from the Paris Olympic with European riders, seven British combinations and two who carry the Irish flag.
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Carol is an experienced journalist and editor, who is also a passionate amateur rider and dedicated horse owner, having ridden since childhood. She has a particular interest in the emotional well-being and ethical training of horses, alongside veterinary matters, having garnered extensive first-hand experience of numerous equine health conditions through more than 30 years of horse ownership.
