Thibeau Spits

About Thibeau Spits

Thibeau Spits, born on 12 March 2001, is a Belgian showjumper who resides at Stal Ceulemans in Sint-Katelijne-Waver, a family-owned breeding and commercial stable where he was raised. Initially a football player for KV Mechelen, he dedicated himself to riding after stopping football at age 13; both he and his father, Patrik Spits, an international showjumper, are highlighted as riders on the stable's team page. His senior career gained momentum at the 2025 Longines FEI Jumping European Championship in A Coruña, marking his debut with a team gold for Belgium alongside his horse Impress-K van't Kattenheye Z on 18 July 2025. During this championship, he incurred only one time penalty with no jumping faults over five rounds in the individual event, although sources disagree on his final individual placement, citing eighth and ninth positions. Prior to this, he had a notable youth career with several accolades including an individual bronze at the 2019 FEI European Junior Championship in Zuidwolde on Bellissimo Z, Young Riders European team gold at Vilamoura in 2021, and both team and individual gold at Oliva Nova in 2022 on Classic Touch DH. These achievements were all within non-senior age categories. At the senior five-star level, he claimed his first CSI5* Grand Prix victory on 21 July 2024 at the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix in Riesenbeck with Impress-K, and later the GL Events Grand Prix at Fontainebleau on 26 April 2026 as the sole double-clear in a six-combination jump-off. Yet, he has not captured a Rolex Grand Slam Major, though he achieved third place at the Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva on 14 December 2025 and secured second at The Dutch Masters in 's-Hertogenbosch on 15 March 2026. Additionally, he and Impress-K were victorious in the CSI2* Grand Prix of Ghent during the Flanders Horse Expo in February 2024. Impress-K van't Kattenheye Z, a black Zangersheide stallion born on 25 March 2015, is sired by Indoktro K van't Kattenheye from Julia vd Donkhoeve, with Vagabond de la Pomme as the dam sire, and has been under Spits’ training since Spits completed school. Despite not having an Olympic or FEI Jumping World Cup Final start, as confirmed by Belgium's athlete profile, Spits ranked 36th in the Longines rankings as of 6 August 2026 with 2,172 points and topped the FEI Jumping U25 Ranking. For the 2026 World Championships, he was named in Belgium's team on 28 July 2026, though this was before the Aachen championship from 18 to 23 August 2026, and therefore he has no recorded start or result from that event.