There is some unfinished business in the world of show jumping this month. In Canada, the world’s top competitors will gather for the CSIO Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament, held from September 9-13, but one rider will arrive carrying considerably more history than most: Scott Brash.
The British show jumper and Rolex Testimonee is the only rider ever to have completed the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping, winning three consecutive Majors aboard his horse, Hello Sanctos, across 2014 and 2015. One of those victories came at Spruce Meadows, where he has since added two more Rolex Grand Prix wins, most recently in 2025 aboard Hello Jefferson, meaning Brash returns as defending champion.
But this year, there is another reason for the spotlight to fall on Calgary. Fellow Rolex Testimonee, Germany’s Richard Vogel, has already won The Dutch Masters and CHIO Aachen with United Touch S, leaving him one victory away from becoming only the second rider to achieve what Brash did more than a decade ago.
For Brash, the prospect of seeing his record challenged adds another dimension to an event that already holds some of his most important memories.
What makes Spruce Meadows such a special venue for you?
Spruce Meadows holds so many incredible memories for me, and the Rolex Clock Tower is iconic. It’s really part of the history of the event. For a rider entering the arena with your horse, it’s one of the few entrances where you really feel the enormity of the moment.
The scale of the venue is part of that challenge. Unlike many indoor arenas, Spruce Meadows is expansive, with the size of the course, the obstacles and the surrounding environment placing particular demands on both horse and rider.
It’s a very unique venue. The arena is huge and the atmosphere is amazing, but it can also be challenging for the horses. The size of the obstacles and the length of the pole is totally different than anywhere else in the world.
You first won here in 2015, again in 2016, and then last year on Hello Jefferson. Does that experience of winning change the way you approach the event?
Spruce Meadows holds so many incredible memories for me, but every year is different. You have different horses, different form and different circumstances. You can never rely on what happened before.
It’s not something you can plan. You have to get everything right at the right time. You need the horse, you need the form, you need the confidence and you need a little bit of luck. A round may only last 60 seconds, but those 60 seconds can live with you for a lifetime.
What do you make of Richard Vogel’s challenge?
It’s great for the sport. To have somebody in that position, with the opportunity to win the Grand Slam, creates a huge amount of excitement. It’s an incredibly difficult thing to achieve, so if somebody gets close, everyone is going to be watching.
And for me, the Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final is the most competitive class I’ve been in. Any one of the riders can win it. I think there were some amazing rounds and, if you were to run that class a few times, you would get different results each time.
Can the horses ever be unpredictable?
It’s about having trust in your horse and knowing what they are going to do. You have to have that communication between you. When you have that, you can really perform at your best. rolex.com
