John Whitaker and Sebastian Hughes shared top honours in the CSI5* Cavago Six Bar at the London International Horse Show, after a thrilling power class played out in front of a sell-out crowd and stretched to five demanding rounds.

Ten riders from five nations came forward in the opening round, before the second phase built to 1.70m. Nine combinations returned, but the distance between fence two and three began to prove influential as the fences rose, leaving five riders to progress to round three, where the final obstacle stood at 1.80m.

Belgium’s Jos Verlooy picked up four faults in that round, while Germany’s Marcus Ehning opted to withdraw, saving his horse for another day. Riders from Austria, Belgium and Great Britain continued as the competition intensified.

Round four raised the bar again, opening with a 1.50m first fence before successive obstacles at 1.60m, 1.75m and a towering final fence at 1.90m. After Austria’s Max Kühner subsequently withdrew, the class was guaranteed to stay on home soil, with Hughes and Whitaker left to decide the outcome.

Hughes returned with Colorado Volo — the 18.2hh (188cm) “giant of the show” — but the pair retired after a refusal, nevertheless securing at least second place. A recognised Six Bar specialist, Colorado Volo has previously won at the CSI5* Longines Hong Kong International Horse Show and at the CSI3* Horse of the Year Show.

Sebastian said, “In 2024 we were third here, this year he has been fantastic winning in Hong Kong and at HOYS. Colorado Volo is a very versatile horse and jumps in many competitions, but he really excels in the power classes. We treat him very normally at home and have always taken our time with him as he is so big, but he hacks, goes in the field and is like a big labrador in the stable. Today was not how we wanted to finish but I am very happy overall with his performance”

That left Whitaker and the 16-year-old bay gelding Sharid with the chance to take the title outright. They cleared the first fence but then refused, meaning Whitaker and Hughes shared the win, with Max Kühner finishing third.

John said, “I knew all I had to do was complete to win but it was difficult to get to the fence as each obstacle is a separate jump and I couldn’t find a stride. The first round he was a bit fresh and strong, and by the third round he was really good.”