What Is the Longines Global Champions Tour? Show Jumping at Schönbrunn

What is the Longines Global Champions Tour?

The Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) is an elite series of five-star show jumping events staged in famous city landmarks and Riviera resorts, from Paris and Monaco to Mexico City and Vienna. Riders chase individual Grand Prix wins and season points. The LGCT champion is the rider with the most points from their best eight Grand Prix results (a win is worth 40 points), and every Grand Prix winner earns a "golden ticket" to the Super Grand Prix in November.

The tour was founded by Dutch Olympic show jumper Jan Tops, and 2026 is its 20th season. The official calendar lists 17 stages on four continents this year.

Its sister competition, the Global Champions League (GCL), runs at the same shows but is a team event. More on that below.

What happened at LGCT Vienna 2026

This weekend the tour is in the courtyard of Schönbrunn Palace, the Habsburg summer residence in Vienna. LGCT Vienna runs Sept. 24–27, 2026, and grew to four days this year. The organizers added a CDI4* dressage competition and an opening performance by the Spanish Riding School.

On Saturday night, Sept. 26, the feature class was a CSI5 1.50m* against the clock with a jump-off. Fifteen horse-and-rider pairs went clear in the first round, so all 15 came back for the jump-off.

Eckermann's margin of more than a second is big for a class this size. After the class she said Chao Lee, a mare by Comme Il Faut, was born on her father's farm, and she spoke about the long partnership and trust between them.

That detail matters. Many five-star horses are bought as proven athletes, so a homebred mare beating a field this deep is a real story for breeders.

What does CSI5* mean?

CSI stands for Concours de Saut International, French for "international jumping competition." The FEI, the world governing body for horse sport, sanctions these shows.

The stars run from one to five. More stars mean bigger fences, harder courses and more prize money.

• CSI1 and CSI2:** entry-level international shows. US Equestrian notes that the top classes at a two-star reach 1.45m.
• CSI3 and CSI4:** strong international level, with bigger prize money.
• CSI5:* the top tier. The Grand Prix is built to 1.60m, about 5 feet 3 inches.

You'll see letters added to the code too:

• CSIO: the show hosts an official Nations Cup (the "O" is for officiel).
• CSI-W: the show includes a World Cup qualifier.

So "CSI5* 1.50m" means a class jumped at 1.50m (just under 5 feet) at a five-star show. It isn't the Grand Prix, but it's still a very serious class that draws many of the same riders.

Show jumping jump-off rules, in plain English

Show jumping is scored in faults, and the lowest score wins.

• Rail down: 4 faults, but only if the fall changes the fence's height or width.
• Refusal or run-out: 4 faults. A second one means elimination.
• Fall of horse or rider: elimination.
• Over the time allowed: time faults.
• Wrong course: elimination if the rider doesn't correct it.

In a class "with jump-off," everyone who finishes the first round with zero faults is tied for first. They come back for a shorter course over some of the same fences, and the clock decides. The ranking goes by fewest faults first, then fastest time.

How riders win a jump-off

• Walk the course. Riders walk it on foot before the class and count strides. The horses never see it in advance.
• Cut the turns. Most of the time is saved by turning tighter and landing already facing the next fence, not by galloping flat out.
• Leave out strides. Riders take one fewer stride between fences where their horse can manage it.
• Go in late if you can. Riders near the end of the order know the time to beat. Early riders have to guess.

With 15 in the jump-off, Eckermann had to go fast without being reckless. One rail would have dropped her behind every clear round.

LGCT vs the World Cup vs the Global Champions League

Fans often mix these three up. Here's the quick version.

The Global Champions League (GCL)

The Global Champions League mixes riders from different countries on privately owned teams, a bit like club soccer. In 2026 there are 17 teams of six riders, and every team must include at least one under-25 rider.

At each show, the team competition runs in two rounds on the same day. Round 1 is at 1.60m, the top 10 teams go on to Round 2 at 1.55m, and scores carry over. The top 16 teams of the season go to the GC Playoffs.

The FEI Jumping World Cup

The World Cup belongs to the FEI itself. Riders earn points at qualifiers in regional leagues, such as the North American League, and the leaders go to the Final.

The 2026/27 season is already under way. See our guide to the FEI Jumping World Cup 2026/27 for the Puebla, Mexico, qualifier and the Gothenburg Final.

The big difference: the LGCT and GCL are one company's product with one look and a TV-first format. The World Cup is the federation's official series and runs mostly indoors through the winter.

What to watch next

• Sunday, Sept. 27: the LGCT Grand Prix of Vienna. It starts at 8:15 p.m. Vienna time under the lights at Schönbrunn. Philipp Weishaupt and Kilmister won it last year.
• Watch the 1.50m names. Riders who won or placed on Saturday often save their top horse for the Grand Prix, so their stable form is a useful clue.
• Rome, Oct. 9–11, then Cairo, Oct. 22–24.
• Rabat Finals, Oct. 30–Nov. 1, and the GC Playoffs in Riyadh, Nov. 18–21, home of the GCL Super Cup and the LGCT Super Grand Prix. The Super Grand Prix is a separate €1.25 million class for the season's Grand Prix winners; the LGCT title itself goes to the points leader.

We'll add the Grand Prix result after it happens. For now, it's still to be jumped.

How to follow along

1. Check the official Global Champions website for start lists, live results and standings.
2. Look up times in your own time zone. 8:15 p.m. in Vienna is 2:15 p.m. Eastern and 12:15 p.m. in Mexico City.
3. Watch the first few riders to see where the time is being lost, then guess who can beat it.
4. If you're going in person, the organizers recommend public transport (U4 to Schönbrunn). Arena tickets were listed from €35 a day.

Why it matters for everyday riders

You don't need a five-star horse to use what these riders do. The same skills show up at every local show:

• Walking the course and planning your line.
• Riding a smooth rhythm before you try to go fast.
• Knowing the fault rules so a refusal doesn't surprise you.

If you or your kids are starting out, read our guide to a first horse show for kids, or learn how equitation classes judge the rider instead of the clock. Our show prep checklist and disciplines overview are good next steps, and the glossary decodes the jargon.