The FEI Driving World Cup, the main sporting highlight of Mutua Madrid Horse Week 2026

In this 2026 edition, sponsored for the first time by Mutua Madrileña, MMHW will host the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™, the FEI Dressage World Cup™ circuit and, for the first time since the 2015 edition, the FEI Driving World Cup™. This will create a unique sporting programme and reinforce the multidisciplinary nature of this extraordinary event on the international equestrian scene.

Madrid, 22 October 2026. Madrid is once again taking centre stage in international equestrian sport with the return of Mutua Madrid Horse Week, which will take place from 26 to 29 November 2026 in Halls 4 and 6 at IFEMA Madrid. Following last year’s hiatus, Spain’s largest multidisciplinary equestrian event returns with renewed momentum and an important new addition to its sporting programme.

First held in 2012 and established as one of the most prominent equestrian events on the international calendar, the event, which enters a new chapter under the name Mutua Madrid Horse Week, has added a third FEI World Cup competition. Joining the traditional Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ and FEI Dressage World Cup™ this year is the FEI Driving World Cup™, placing MMHW among the elite of global equestrian events, with the world’s leading riders, female riders and carriage drivers competing in its main arena. The driving competitions will close the evening sessions on Thursday, from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Friday, from 6:45 p.m. to midnight.

The return of driving to Madrid promises to make this competition one of the most eagerly anticipated and adrenaline-filled highlights of this year’s edition. The event’s main arena will welcome some of the leading carriage drivers of the moment, including Australia’s Boyd Exell (seven-time world champion), Belgium’s Dries Degrieck and the Netherlands’ Koos de Ronde, ranked first, second and third in the FEI standings, respectively. They will be joined by the outstanding German driver Anna Sandman (ranked fifth) and young Dutch champion Brad Chardon (ranked eleventh). Spain will also be represented in this round of the FEI Driving World Cup™ by one of the discipline’s leading figures, Córdoba-born Antonio Pérez de Pedrajas, promising an exhilarating spectacle for equestrian enthusiasts and families attending MMHW.

For the Andalusian driver, given that carriage driving does not enjoy the same long-standing tradition in Spain as it does in Central Europe, hosting a World Cup competition at MMHW 2026 represents a key opportunity to promote interest in and participation in the sport locally.

“I recommend that everyone comes to watch it, because it really is worth seeing. It is just as exciting as show jumping, because both knockdowns and time count towards the result,” explains Pérez de Pedrajas. In his view, hosting the FEI Driving World Cup in Madrid is not only a source of pride but also an exceptional opportunity to introduce this discipline to a wider audience in Spain.

Carriage Driving: Adrenaline, Skill and Tradition

Regular MMHW attendees and equestrian enthusiasts in general are very familiar with show jumping and dressage, although they may be less acquainted with carriage driving, one of the most spectacular, dynamic and historically rich disciplines in international equestrian sport.

In its premier indoor format, the discipline involves driving a carriage pulled by four horses, guided by a single driver and assisted by their grooms.

At MMHW, drivers will face combined courses requiring them to complete a technical, timed route featuring marathon obstacles—fixed, narrow sections—and gates marked by cones topped with small balls. Every ball knocked down or cone touched incurs a time penalty, demanding perfect coordination between the driver and the power of the four-horse team pulling the carriage. Success requires not only exceptional driving skills but also the balance and constant counterweight provided by the grooms at the rear of the carriage, helping to maintain stability through the tightest and most explosive turns.

Pérez de Pedrajas explains that carriage driving is a team effort:

“The groom plays a key role. As well as helping to guide the driver and communicating with them, the grooms provide the counterbalance. The turns are taken at high speed, and the momentum can cause the carriage to overturn. One groom stands at the front and the other at the back. Specifically, the groom at the front helps the driver navigate the course, explaining which way to go if they lose their bearings,” concludes the Córdoba-born driver.