Élevage Massa, ranked second in the world for dressage breeding, sends three horses to the 2026 FEI World Championships in Aachen
From August 11 to 15, 2026, three horses born in Provence at Élevage Massa will enter the arena in Aachen, representing Canada, Belgium and Israel.
Among the approximately 90 horses entered in the dressage competition at the FEI World Championships in Aachen, three carry the “de Massa” affix and will be the only representatives of the same French stud. Their presence on one of the world’s most prestigious arenas reflects nearly half a century of work dedicated to the selection, breeding and development of top-level dressage horses.
Three Massa horses on the world stage :
- Come Back de Massa, 14, will compete with Denielle Gallagher-Legriffon as part of the Canadian team. The pair have established themselves at the highest international level and were notably among the combinations qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
- Jedaï de Massa, 12, will represent Belgium with Wim Verwimp. The pair have distinguished themselves through their consistency and performances at the highest international level. In 2026, Jedaï de Massa and Wim Verwimp won the Belgian Championship title, 32 years after the Belgian rider’s first national title.
- Carpe Diem de Massa, 14, will compete with Micah Deligdish for Israel. The pair are making steady progress and achieved their best international score to date in May 2026, just a few weeks before the Aachen event.
Three journeys. Three riders. Three nations. One shared origin: Élevage Massa.
A French selection ranked second in the world
The stud previously reached this position in 2019, 2020 and 2024, before confirming it again in 2025 and 2026. Élevage Massa also ranks second worldwide for the number of international competitions starts by horses bred at the stud. Behind these figures lies an even more significant reality: the ability of a French breeding operation to produce horses capable of performing consistently at the highest level, alongside riders and teams from different nationalities.
“We do not measure our work by the number of foals, but by the number of good decisions. A breeding programme cannot be judged on a single season; it must be judged by what a bloodline is still capable of producing forty years after the first mare was selected,” says Sylvain Massa, who founded the stud in 1979.
A story of bloodlines spanning nearly half a century
This philosophy becomes particularly meaningful when tracing the origins of Élevage Massa.
In the late 1970s, even before the stud was officially established, Sylvain Massa acquired Pezuda Oco in Portugal, a filly born in 1978. This founding decision would have a lasting impact on the history of Massa Horses. Pezuda Oco would go on to produce, among others, Galopin de la Font, born at Élevage Massa in 1994, as well as Vendetta SMA, who became the foundation of another major branch of the Massa breeding programme.
Among Galopin de la Font’s offspring is also Come Back de Massa, now competing for Canada, as well as Malcom X de Massa, crowned French Champion in 2025. Galopin de la Font himself competed at the highest international level, including the World Cup Final in Las Vegas and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. From the other branch descending from Pezuda Oco came Jibraltar de Massa, who was reserve for the French team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Thus, from a mare selected in the late 1970s came bloodlines that, nearly fifty years later, continue to produce horses competing at the world’s most prestigious international events. From Pezuda Oco to Galopin de la Font, from Nevado de la Font to Jedaï de Massa, from Vendetta to Jibraltar de Massa, this continuity alone tells the story of 47 years of selection.
A long-term approach to breeding
This continuity between generations reflects a breeding programme built over time, with one consistent ambition: to produce horses capable of performing sustainably at the highest level. This approach is also supported by careful management of the breeding environment. Across more than 400 hectares in the Crau plain, Élevage Massa produces AOP-certified Foin de Crau hay for its horses and supports them from birth through their sporting careers.
“Seeing three horses born here come together in Aachen under the colours of three different nations is an immense source of pride. But behind each of them are years of work, trust and commitment. Our recognition naturally goes to the riders, owners and all the teams who support them and enable them to reach this level,” says Anne-Sophie Massa, Managing Director of Élevage Massa.
See you in Aachen
The Team Grand Prix will take place on August 11 and 12, followed by the Grand Prix Special on August 14 and the Freestyle to Music on August 15. For five days, Aachen will bring together the world’s dressage elite. And on this legendary arena, three names will carry the signature of the same French stud.
For more information, visit www.massahorses.com
Contact: Camille Gassin — +33 (0)4.94.47.48.20 — camille@massahorses.com