Coapexpan Show Jumping 2026: Xalapa's CSI5* and What Five Stars Mean

Coapexpan show jumping 2026: what's happening in Xalapa

Coapexpan show jumping returns this week as Fall Jump Coapexpan 2026, an international CSI5* and CSI2* show at Club Hípico Coapexpan in Xalapa, Veracruz, from October 7 to 11. The total prize money is MXN 11,315,000, and the headline class is a CSI5* Grand Prix over 1.60 m on Saturday, October 10, worth MXN 6,000,000.

The Mexican Equestrian Federation (FEM) lists the show with a Mexico City address, but that is the federation's own office. The official schedule (the convocatoria) puts the show in Xalapa and says entry is free (evento gratuito).

The show uses three grass arenas and one sand arena. The main grass field is 100 x 130 m, and Canada's Peter Grant designs its courses.

First results

Equnews reported on October 8 that Mexico's Luciana Roberta González Guerra won the opening-day CSI5* 1.45 m class on Messini de F, a horse by Kannan GFE. She went clear and stopped the clock at 38.50 seconds.

Equnews described the decider as a jump-off, but the official program lists this class as a two-phase competition (dos fases, FEI article 222.1.4.3). In that format there's no separate jump-off: riders with no faults in the first phase carry straight on into a short second phase, and the placings come from faults and time in that second phase. The program notes that the FEI website is the official source for international classes.

• 2nd: Luis Manuel Santisteban Portilla (Mexico), Relajo LS, 40.40 s
• 3rd: Conor Swail (Ireland), Casturano, 41.86 s
• CSI2 1.40 m:* Swail also won on Chactensky PS in 35.25 s

Thursday's CSI5* 1.55 m class is running today. Its result had not been reported when we published.

The rest of the week: what to watch

Here are the main international classes still to come, from the official schedule. The start times are approximate because they depend on the number of entries.

The schedule sets the Grand Prix for about 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, and the schedule lists it as an FEI ranking class in group "AA". The winner takes 25% of a class's prize money, and the schedule notes that Mexican income tax is withheld from prizes.

The schedule also includes classes for young horses aged 5 to 8 and national amateur classes, so expect the rings to be busy from morning on.

What CSI5* means: the star levels explained

CSI stands for Concours de Saut International, French for "international jumping competition." Under the FEI Jumping Rules, CSIs and CSIOs come in five star levels, from 1* to 5*. The FEI sets each level based on fence height, how technical the course is and the total prize money.

The heights in the table are typical, not fixed rules. Coapexpan shows the pattern: its CSI2* classes run from 1.35 to 1.45 m and its CSI5* classes from 1.45 to 1.60 m.

The hard limits

• No fence may be higher than 1.70 m, except in Puissance and Six Bar classes.
• A spread can be up to 2.00 m wide, or 2.20 m for a triple bar.
• When the schedule lists a height of 1.45 m or more, the course designer may go up to 3 cm higher.

CSIO and other labels

• CSIO means an official international show, the kind a country uses to host its Nations Cup team competition. Coapexpan hosted Nations Cup legs in 2016 and 2017.
• -W (as in CSI5*-W) means the show includes an FEI Jumping World Cup qualifier.
• Prize money goes up with each star. A five-star show like this one is the top tier for individual shows.

How a show jumping jump-off works

Most big classes are scored under "Table A": faults are penalties, and the time decides ties.

Faults in Table A

• Knockdown: 4 faults
• First refusal or run-out: 4 faults
• Second refusal or run-out: elimination
• Fall of horse or rider: elimination
• Going over the time allowed: 1 fault for each second, or part of a second

Step by step

1. First round. Everyone jumps the full course. Riders tied for first qualify for the jump-off. That's usually the riders with zero faults ("clears"), but if nobody goes clear, riders tied on the fewest faults can come back instead.
2. New, shorter course. The jump-off has at least six fences, and a combination counts as one. If the first course had a combination, the jump-off must have one too.
3. Same horse. The rider must jump the jump-off on the horse they rode in the first round. The starting order usually stays the same, although some ranking classes run it in reverse order of first-round times.
4. Against the clock. The fewest faults wins, and the faster time breaks ties. Between two clear rounds, even a few tenths of a second can decide the winner.
5. Immediate jump-offs. In some classes, clear riders stay in the ring and jump straight away. This format isn't allowed for a Grand Prix.

Fences in the jump-off can only go higher if every finalist went clear. Watch for the inside turns and the gallop to the last fence, because that's where most jump-offs are won.

Why Coapexpan and Mexico draw international riders

• Money. A purse of MXN 11.3 million is a serious draw, and the Grand Prix alone pays the winner MXN 1.5 million before tax.
• History. The venue dates to 1996 and has hosted FEI Nations Cup legs. Mexico won at home in 2016 and again in 2017, when it beat the United States by a single fault.
• Ranking points. Five-star classes count toward the world rankings, so there's more at stake than the prize money.
• The season. Mexico also hosts top fall jumping, including the FEI World Cup qualifier in Puebla. See our World Cup 2026/27 guide.
• Grass. Coapexpan runs its big classes on grass, which asks different questions of a horse's footing and a rider's eye than sand does.

To compare circuits, read our explainers on the Global Champions Tour and Major League Show Jumping.

How to follow live results (and visit)

Following from home

• FEI. The schedule says the FEI website is the official source for international classes. Search the FEI calendar for "Coapexpan."
• FEM. The federation's event page links to its results site (sitio de concursos). A live stream for this show has not been confirmed.
• Press. Equnews posts results and links to the full scoreboards on Equtelex. Local outlets such as Crónica de Xalapa are also covering the show.

Going in person

• Entry is free. Check the day's schedule, because start times move.
• Stay out of the stable area. International horses are kept in a closed zone, and only people with wristbands can go in.
• Kids love the warm-up ring, but keep them back from the rail. Never walk behind a horse. Our safety basics cover the rest.
• Every horse needs a negative Coggins test and a flu vaccination from the last six months. That's a good reminder of show biosecurity at any level.

If you're in Veracruz later this month, the Alvarado cabalgata shows the state's other horse tradition. New to the sport? Start with our disciplines guide and glossary.