The French Equestrian Federation (FFE) has announced the list of rider/horse combinations selected to represent France at the 2026 FEI World Championships in Aachen.
In alphabetical order, they are;
Alexis Goury, 30 years old & Je’Vall, 12 years old, KWPN gelding, owned by Michel Mitius, Fanny Goury, and his rider.
Gaspard Maksud, 33, & Zaragoza, 13, AES mare, owned by Martin Thurlow and Jane Young.
Benjamin Massie, 41, & Figaro Fonroy, 11, Selle Français gelding, owned by Aurélie Loisin.
Astier Nicolas, 37 & Alertamalib'or, 16, Anglo-Arabian gelding, owned by Aliette Forien, Pascal Ravery, Astier Nicolas, and Paul Nicolas.
Nicolas Touzaint, 46 & Diabolo Menthe, 13, Selle Français gelding, owned by Mézard Sports and Françoise Niclaus.
Jean-Luc Force, National Eventing Coach selector says that "We chose pairs who are performing well. They each built a season tailored to their horse's needs with this goal in mind.
“Alexis Goury achieved the best French performance at the European Championships in 2025 and continues to confirm this season with Je'Vall, as does Benjamin Massié with Figaro Fonroy, who also followed the same trajectory in 2025 and 2026.
“Gaspard Maksud and Zaragoza are also in top form. We had decided to spare the mare from traveling from England for the Jardy Master Pro. So, we went to see him a few days later competing across the Channel with Xavier Goupil, the French team's veterinarian, and Cédric Lyard. He will arrive in France with his mare for the training camp at the end of July.
"Then we have Nicolas Touzaint and Diabolo Menthe. This horse performed well at the 2024 Paris Olympics and is returning this year in top form. He has run well in this format." 4*-L, on the Grand National circuit, and he won the French Championship a few days ago. They are not only in good form, but truly on the rise this season.
"Astier Nicolas and Alertamalib'Or are also in this selection. The horse is coming back strong again this season after also performing well at the 2025 European Championships. We know we can count on the quality of both the horse and his rider.
"It should also be noted that Benjamin Massié will be training with a second mount, Filao de Perle, his 11-year-old gelding with whom he is also qualified and who has been very consistent this season and who can replace Figaro Fonroy if necessary. Finally, Karim Laghouag and Dream de Viève have also been called up to the training camp as reserves. Karim is one of our most experienced and reliable riders, and Dream shows great potential. He is very fast on the cross-country course and is a good jumper. He will be a great asset to the team”
As Gaspard Maksud told us in our recent interview, the number one goal is to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games. “To do that, we'll need to finish in the top seven, excluding the host nation, which qualifies automatically" adds Jean-Luc.
The second goal is to reach the podium. We definitely have the potential to achieve that with this team. But we'll need to keep a cool head and not take unnecessary risks if it jeopardises qualification. There are still some unknowns, but we can be ambitious for this team."
They will face strong competition admits Jean-Luc.
"Germany will undoubtedly be one of the favourites, especially since they're competing on home soil. The British are always very good as well. We could see the New Zealanders perform well, and the Irish just edged out France at the 2025 European Championships, so we'll have to keep an eye on them, as well as the Swiss, American, and Australian teams. The Championship is going to be highly competitive, without a doubt."
