By any metric, U.S. show jumper Kent Farrington's 2025 season was one for the record books. Thanks to his success riding nine different horses in the international ring, by May, Farrington once again claimed the number one rank on the Federation Equestre Internationale Longines world rankings; he had previously held the top position in 2017, only the second American rider to ever do so. Of his 10 wins at the five-star level in 2025, seven came in partnership with a powerful gray Oldenburg mare named Greya.
Greya's breeder, the late Wilfried Sandmann, knew she was exceptional from the very beginningâ€"but he credits Farrington with making it possible for this fiery and sensitive mare to truly fulfill her potential.
"Greya was very much a mare with character," Sandmann said in an interview with horsesport.com. "She had a very good jump, but it was clear that she would need a special kind of rider. She could not be trained in a strictly traditional way; she had her own ideas, and needed a certain amount of freedom.
"Fortunately, she found the perfect match in Kent, who has built a truly strong partnership with her," he continued. "Where a horse ends up, and with which rider, always plays a crucial role in how its career ultimately develops."
Greya's incredible technique and trademark tenacity have made her one of the most consistent and accomplished mares, not only in Farrington's string, but across the sport. She arrived in Farrington's barn at the age of seven, and he carefully developed their partnership as she moved up the levels.
Greya and Farrington started their record-breaking 2025 season at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida, where in February they won both the $385,000 Fidelity Investments Grand Prix CSI5* and the $500,000 Lugano Grand Prix. In April, they won the $400,000 Kentucky International Grand Prix CSI5* at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.
"She's a very special horse in terms of talent, probably on another level than even many of the great horses I've had," Farrington said to press following their win in Kentucky. "But her character is very strongâ€"it's what makes her great, but it took time to build her up. She's a boss mareâ€"she runs the stable and is in charge and very confident in herself."
After Greya and Farrington defended their win in the $340,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Traverse City (Michigan) CSI5*-W in September, he shared with the media that his equine partner "continues to improve and evolve as a show jumper, so I'm really proud of her."
"You're seeing a more mature horse than I had last year, even though she was already winning," Farrington said. "She has a better understanding of the sport. I know her better nowâ€"how to give her enough time before she goes in the ring, what jumps I need to show her, where I can take more risks, where I need to play it a little more safely. You only learn these things by doing the sport, and I think, ultimately, that's what our sport is aboutâ€"a rapport with your horse, and getting to know your horse."
Thanks to her exceptional season and her ability to rise to the occasion in major moments, Greya was voted the 2025 U.S. Equestrian Federation International Horse of the Year.
"Greya's record truly speaks for itself," Lizzy Chesson, USEF Managing Director of Jumping, said in a press release."What she and Kent have achieved together is a testament to her abilities, as well as Kent's ability to identify, train, and produce horses to the very top of the sport."
Far from reaching her peak, Greya continues to set the standard for top international 5* jumping horses, and with her record-breaking performances in 2025, has solidified herself as one of the top horses in history.
