Meet the Riders: GAT Portugal Training & Competition Tour 2026 🇵🇹

We’re excited to introduce the riders joining us for the 2026 Global Amateur Tour Portugal Training & Competition Hybrid Tour 🇵🇹

After heading to Portugal in 2025 for our training tours, this year we’re taking things up a notch. For the first time, GAT riders will have the opportunity to compete on European soil, making this our very first European Competition Tour.

Eight riders from six nations will come together in Esposende, on Portugal’s beautiful northern coastline, for eleven days of training, competition and everything that makes a GAT tour so special.

Meet the Team

• Javier Lopez Llovet 🇦🇷 Argentina

• Abby Bardgett 🇧🇲 Bermuda

• Simone Sorensen 🇦🇺 Australia

• Joné Groenewald 🇿🇦 South Africa

• Ivy Malman 🇺🇸 USA

• Fleur Granier-Deferre 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

• Tahlia Trang 🇦🇺 Australia

• Kayla Bardgett 🇧🇲 Bermuda

  
  

We have a brilliant mix of riders joining us, from those making their international competition debut to riders who already have plenty of miles under their belts.

And we have four familiar faces back for more! Ivy Malman and Fleur Granier-Deferre are both returning for their second GAT tour in 2026, while Abby Bardgett and Simone Sorensen are back after joining us for GAT Brazil in 2025.

We absolutely love seeing riders come back for another adventure, and having four GAT alumni amongst this team makes this tour even more special.

A GAT First

Based in the coastal town of Esposende, around 30 minutes from Porto, the tour combines training with three days of international showjumping at a CSI2* event.

Over ten nights and eleven days, riders will train and compete on quality, experienced sport horses, with plenty of time in the saddle before stepping into the international arena.

Alongside the riding, the group will experience plenty of Portugal away from the arena too, all with the support of the GAT team throughout.

It’s a pretty exciting milestone for GAT, and we can’t wait to see this team representing six nations in Portugal! 🇵🇹.

What to Expect

This is more than just a riding trip, it is a full immersion in international sport.

Across eleven unforgettable days, riders will take part in:

• 8 training sessions with international coaches

• 3 days competing at a CSI 2-star show, with VIP access

• Competition horses carefully matched to each rider

• Educational seminars and rider support sessions

• A river cruise and a full day of curated sightseeing

• Optional add-ons including golf, surfing, canyoning, kayaking, wine tours

• Every session is designed to build the confidence that carries a rider into an international arena.

  
  

Coaching with Anna Lindberg

Grand Prix showjumper Anna Lindberg will lead the coaching throughout the tour, helping riders get to know their horses and prepare for three days of international competition.

GAT co-founder and World Cup showjumper Lucy Olphert will be there supporting riders throughout the tour and competition. From course walks and daily briefings to warm-up and ringside support, riders will have an experienced team behind them every step of the way.

Competing internationally on an unfamiliar horse brings its own challenges, so having that support both in and out of the arena is a big part of the GAT experience.

More Than Just Riding

Of course, a GAT tour is never just about the riding!

Northern Portugal is pretty hard to beat. Esposende has beautiful beaches, great food and a relaxed coastal feel, while Porto is just down the road with its famous riverside, colourful streets and, of course, plenty of good food and wine.

We’ll kick off the tour with a night in the heart of Porto before heading north to Esposende, with plenty more planned away from the arena throughout the eleven days.

For riders and supporters, there will be lots to experience both on and off the horse.

A Big First for GAT

For our eight riders, Portugal means the opportunity to compete at an international CSI2* show, train with an experienced Grand Prix coach and ride quality European sport horses.

But just as importantly, it’s about meeting riders from around the world, challenging themselves in a completely new environment and hopefully heading home with some pretty great stories to tell.

Follow the Journey

With riders travelling to Portugal from six different nations, our first European Competition Tour is almost underway! 🇵🇹

We’ll be sharing plenty from behind the scenes over the next eleven days, from riders meeting their horses and their first training sessions to competition day and everything that happens in between.

We can’t wait to get started!

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Thinking About Competing Internationally in 2027?

Watching this group step into a CSI arena in Portugal, it is hard not to picture yourself there too.

If Portugal has you dreaming about your own international opportunity, our next competition tour is already open, and it is one of the most special on the GAT calendar.

⭐ GAT Mexico Competition Tour 2027 🇲🇽 ⭐

Mexico is one of GAT's original and longest-running tours, a fan favourite both on and off the horse. You will compete at the CSI 2-star Puebla International on quality borrowed sport horses, with training, course walks, and full competition support from co-founder and Grand Prix rider Christian Lopez Redetzki and his family, who have hosted riders here for years.

Here is what makes it a trip of a lifetime:

• Compete at a genuine CSI 2-star international show in the heart of Latin America

• Ride quality borrowed sport horses, carefully matched to you, so there is no need to bring your own

• 4 days of professional training and 3 days of competition across 11 days

• Categories to suit every level, with Amateur divisions at 1.00m, 1.10m, and 1.20m, plus Children's categories for ages 12 to 14

• Explore the ancient pyramids of Teotihuacán, the village of Val'Quirico, and the UNESCO-listed city of Puebla between rounds

• Full GAT team support from arrival in Mexico City to your final round

27 May to 7 June 2027. Puebla, Mexico.

Early bird pricing is available until 31 October 2026, and spaces are limited.

Discover the full tour and

APPLY NOW!