Adelaide Delivers a Festival to Remember

The 2026 Adelaide Equestrian Festival delivered exactly what the sport hopes for from a major championship event: quality competition, shifting leaderboards, genuine pressure across all three phases and a strong Australian showing on home soil. Staged from 16 to 19 April in Adelaide’s Victoria Park precinct, the Festival again showcased the only CCI5* event in the Southern Hemisphere, while also hosting the Oceania Championships for both Senior and Young Rider teams. 

From the beginning, Adelaide had a proper championship feel. The CCI3*-L opened the competition before the CCI4*-S and CCI5* dressage brought the main arena to life on Friday, with the Festival itself describing crisp conditions, strong crowds and a high standard of performance across the board. By the end of dressage, the leaderboard pressure was already building, especially with the Oceania team contests running alongside the individual classes. 

Cross country then reshaped the weekend, as it always does in Adelaide. The Festival’s official wrap noted clear skies and excellent course conditions on RB Sellars Cross Country Day, but there was still no easy path through the tracks, with time penalties, jumping issues and outright eliminations all playing their part. Riders across the 3*, 4* and 5* classes had to balance boldness with control, and those who managed it best were rewarded going into the final day. 

In the Adelaide International CCI5*, Oliver Barrett and Sandhills Briar produced one of the standout performances of the weekend to take the win on 35.4 penalties. They finished on their cross country score after adding 4.8 penalties on Saturday and then jumping clear on Sunday to secure the title. Sam Woods and SS Eight Count finished second on 37.6, while Andrew Cooper and Sharvalley Thunder rounded out the podium on 39.9. Madison Seivwright and Waitangi Pinterest from New Zealand had set the standard in dressage on 27.0, but 12 jumping penalties on the final day saw them finish fifth. 

The Horseland CCI4*-S was another class that went right down to the wire. Jess Somerfield and APH New Sensation came through to win on 43.1 penalties after a determined final day, narrowly edging Sophia Hill and Tulara Baltango on 43.3. Andrew Cooper and Ocean Eight finished third on 44.6, while Hannah Klep and Tulara Chicouve were fourth and Samuel Jeffree with Wimborne Conjuror fifth. It was a competitive, hard-fought class from top to bottom and one that carried extra weight because it also decided the Senior Oceania Championship. 

Australia Gold emerged as the Senior Oceania Champions, finishing on 136.1 penalties. Sophia and Tulara Baltango, Hannah and Tulara Chicouve, and Samuel and Wimborne Conjuror supplied the three counting scores, while Australia Green also delivered a strong performance to claim silver on 157.9. New Zealand finished third on 196.4, underlining how much pressure the Australian combinations were able to apply through the final phase. 

The Racing SA CCI3*-L also produced a quality finish, with Tahlia Pursell and Astro NZPH taking the win on 31.2 penalties. Lamoza Velisha and Ophelie van Prinseveld claimed second on 32.2, while Olivia Shore and Dreamcatcher finished third on 33.4. The class was notable not just for the individual result, but for the depth of young Australian talent pushing right through the placings. 

That depth was reflected in the Young Rider Oceania Championship, where Australia claimed the title on 105.8 penalties. Tahlia and Astro NZPH led the way, supported by Charlotte Lalak and Along Comes Lucy on 37.2 and Georgia Elias with Silverwoods Aussie Pride on 37.4, while Lamoza and Call Me Cooley finished as the drop score on 38.0. New Zealand took second on 161.2, giving the championship a strong trans-Tasman edge but leaving no doubt about Australia’s control of the final standings. 

What made this year’s Festival especially satisfying was the way it combined elite competition with atmosphere. Adelaide is already one of the sport’s most distinctive settings, and this edition again showed why. The city backdrop, the long cross country day through the Park Lands, the pressure of championship team competition and the prestige of a 5* all combined to create a weekend that felt significant from start to finish. The Festival itself framed the event as a landmark year, and the results backed that up. 

For Australia, the wrap-up is an encouraging one. There were major wins, a Senior Oceania title, a Young Rider Oceania title and strong individual performances across every level. For spectators, Adelaide again delivered the kind of four-day event that reminds everyone why this sport can be so compelling: beautiful when it works, demanding when it does not, and never decided until the final rail has fallen or stayed in place. 

Congratulations to all involved.

Full Results at: https://www.adelaideequestrianfestival.com/event-results