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“We produced him like we do with most of our horses; my dad rode him as a seven- and eight-year-old and then he has been a bit of a family horse,” Belgium’s Nicola Philippaerts tells World of Showjumping about the 9-year-old Gadget Mouche (Andiamo Semilly x Consul DL Vie, bred by Roland Bellet and Charlie Tesnieres), who recently won the $340,000 CSI5* 1.60m Grand Prix, presented by KASK, at the fifth leg of the Major League Show Jumping 2025/2026-season at Tryon International – leaving established stars like Shane Sweetnam’s James Kann Cruz and Kent Farrington’s Greya behind him.

“We bought Gadget Mouche from France as a seven-year-old, and he looked very promising,” Nicola explains. “In addition to my dad, my younger brother Thibault has been riding him as well. When I came back from Florida this year, I took him to my side of the stables and slowly produced him further.” 

“The last three months he's been jumping really good,” Nicola continues to tell about the journey with Gadget Mouche. “The first big test for him was in Calgary in September, when he jumped the CSIO5* 1.60m Tourmaline Oil Cup with one down. That was the first time he jumped a 1.60m, and he felt great. Since then, he has been jumping a lot of clear rounds. He jumped clear in the Longines Global Champions Tour of New York Grand Prix qualifier, and then he jumped clear in the Highlands Cup Grand Prix at Silo Ridge a few weeks ago, before winning in Tryon. I think what he has learned the last three months is just fantastic – he looks to be in great shape at the moment.”

For the past six years, Nicola has divided his time competing on two continents –  in Europe and in North-America. “I really enjoy it, it's a great mix,” he says. “This is my second year competing as part of a team at the Major League Show Jumping events and I really like the shows. I enjoy the team competitions especially, and it's nice to see some different people. John Madden is our team manager for MLSJ Archers, it's a great team.”

I think more competitions and different leagues are good for our sport – I believe growth can only be positive

“I think it's only good that there are more and more shows all over the globe,” Nicola says about the growing number of FEI events and opportunities to compete. “There are so many five-stars now, and it gives more possibilities for so many riders – also for the younger generation. I think more competitions and different leagues are good for our sport – I believe growth can only be positive.”

While Nicola commutes between Europe and the U.S., the Philippaerts-family’s farm near Opglabbeek in Belgium keeps growing. “We are building new stables, 48 stalls with a new indoor arena as well as another outdoor ring,” he tells. “It should be ready at the beginning of next year. We have a lot of horses and it will be nice to have them all a little bit closer to us, and our team includes many riders – it was time to expand.” 

While the year might be turning towards its end, Nicola still has a busy few months ahead of him. “I go to Riyadh this week, and then we have a week off before I head to Santa Anita for the three-star. Then I come back for Prague and Stockholm, before flying over to Thermal. Geneva and Mechelen are also in the plan – so the schedule is still very busy.”

29.10.2025 No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.