INTRODUCING THE FEI A World of Equestrian Diversity PASSIONATE ABOUT THE SPORT PROMOTING FAIRNESS & EQUALITY FROM GRASS ROOTS TO THE WORLD STAGE INNOVATIVE & FORWARD LOOKING RESPECT FOR THE HORSE I am honoured to present to you the FEI, a young organisation in the grand scheme of all things equestrian, with a dynamic outlook on the future and a firm hold on the tradition and heritage of equestrian sport. For those of you that have never heard of the FEI, it is the international body governing equestrian sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee and is the sole controlling authority for all international events in Dressage & Para-Equestrian Dressage, Jumping, Eventing, Driving & Para-Equestrian Driving, Endurance, Vaulting, Reining and Para Equestrian, which includes establishing regulations and rules and approving programmes for equestrian competitions at Championships and Regional and Olympic Games. But the FEI is more than that, it is also about developing the sport, safeguarding the integrity of the sport and the welfare of the horse and ensuring a prosperous future for all equestrian sports and accessibility to elite competition from all backgrounds and regions of the world. In 1921, the year the FEI was born to oversee international events in the three Olympic disciplines, only commissioned officers competed in international events, which were few and far between and predominantly in Europe and North America. Today, women and men compete as equals and the FEI regulates and governs equestrian sport for seven disciplines and for both able bodied and disabled athletes. Over the last decade, the number of international events have more than tripled and now include well-established series and major events worldwide. The inauguration of the FEI Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, the HM King Hussein I Building, in April 2011 is the most tangible phase of a construction process that has taken place within the FEI over the past few years, which has seen the FEI expand its team of professionals and improve the services it owes to the global equestrian community. I count myself as very fortunate to have been a part of the FEI during years of such momentous change. I hope that the pages of this colourful introduction to our organisation lead you to discover more about the FEI, the sports we oversee, the community that surrounds it and the athletes (both human and equine) that drive our endeavours and inspire fans and enthusiasts around the world. HRH Princess Haya FEI President Contents Message from the FEI President 4 Who we are and what we do 8 The FEI at a glance 10 Jumping 12 Dressage 14 Para-Equestrian Dressage 16 Eventing 18 Driving and Para-Equestrian Driving 20 Endurance 22 Vaulting 24 Reining 26 FEI Solidarity 28 FEI Awards 30 Find out more... 32 The Fédération Equestre Internationale Headquarters are based in the Olympic Capital Lausanne in the HM King Hussein I Building. Who we are and what we do Located in Lausanne (SUI), the FEI is FEI disciplines, 132 member National calendar is managed, and that the very the governing body for all international Federations, comprehensive rules values that are at the core of equestrian events in Jumping, Dressage and covering all the aspects of the sport, sport are safeguarded and promoted. In Para-Equestrian Dressage, Eventing, the welfare of the horse, the education order to do all of this, there are sport Driving and Para-Equestrian Driving, of officials, stewards, vets, judges and specific departments, a commercial Endurance, Vaulting and Reining. course designers. There are over 3,200 department, press and corporate We establish the regulations and international events annually, including a communications teams, veterinary, legal approve equestrian programmes number of FEI Championships and global and education & standards departments, at Championships, Continental and FEI series and over 90,000 registered Finance, IT and Governance teams and Regional Games as well as the Olympic riders and horses. FEI Solidarity. & Paralympic Games. When the FEI was formed in 1921 thanks to the efforts of the IOC, it The FEI promotes equestrianism in all its forms and was done specifically for the purpose encourages the development of the FEI equestrian of regulating international events in the Olympic disciplines of Jumping, disciplines throughout the world, keeping the Dressage and Eventing. At the time, only commissioned officers competed welfare of the horse at the heart of all activities. in international events, which were few and far between and predominantly in Europe and North America, and there At the FEI headquarters in Lausanne were no systematic rules in play. – His Majesty King Hussein I Building – there are over sixty staff working to Today, women and men compete as ensure that the sport continues to grow equals, professionals compete at the and flourish, the rules are enforced, the Olympics, there are seven recognised results are processed, the international The FEI Over 3 500 Para-Equestrian Dressage on the Property rights holder of major events and series : at a glance international Paralympic programme FEI World Equestrian Games™ annually events the ultimate equestrian event every four years with 8 World 132 since 1996 Member National Championships held simultaneously Federations FEI Solidarity Sport for able ™ World, Continental and Regional Far reaching development FEI Nations Cup Founded in & disabled Jumping, Eventing, Dressage Championships activities & 1921 Active from grass roots athletes ™ ™ to elite competition educational FEI Classics FEI World Cup programmes around the world Jumping, Dressage, Driving and Vaulting Protecting the men & women Over 90 000 registered Jumping, Dressage and Eventing on the welfare of the horse Competition categories for compete as equals horses Olympic programme and the integrity of all ages & levels and athletes since 1912 our sport Responsible for The sole governing body for all international events in 7 equestrian disciplines : Establishes regulations and competition schedules for the World Rankings Jumping Dressage & Para-Equestrian Dressage Olympic Games, & Standings Eventing Driving & Para-Equestrian Driving Paralympic Games & Endurance Vaulting Reining Youth Olympic Games Jumping JUMPING IS THE BEST known Jumping is a spectacular mix of direction, Halla completed the course – AND probably MOST readily courage, control and technical ability without any faults, Germany won the understood – OF ALL THE FEI that takes horse and rider over 10 to 13 team gold medal and Halla and Winkler DISCIPLINES AND IS ALSO ONE OF “knockable” fences, including double the individual gold. THE THREE Olympic EQUESTRIAN and treble combinations, with penalties sports, along WITH Dressage AND incurred for each fence knocked down Winkler went on to become the only EVENTING. AS IN ALL EQUESTRIAN or refused. Jumping has also produced rider to win five Olympic Jumping DISCIPLINES, MEN AND women some of equestrian sport’s most gold medals, while household names COMPETE ON EQUAL TERMS IN memorable Olympic moments. associated with Jumping are Winkler’s JUMPING IN both INDIVIDUAL fellow German multi-Olympic gold AND TEAM EVENTS. An example of this came in 1956 in medallists Alwin Schöckemöhle and Stockholm when Halla, still the only Ludger Beerbaum. Canada’s Ian Millar, horse to have won three Olympic meanwhile, equalled the record for Jumping gold medals, threw her rider, the most Olympic appearances by any Hans Günter Winkler, into the air after athlete in London in 2012, his tenth taking off for a fence too early. Winkler Olympic Games. landed awkwardly back in the saddle, tearing a groin muscle in the process, but he knew that failure to continue in the competition would eliminate not only Halla and himself but the whole German team. He carried on valiantly despite being unable to give Halla Dressage DRESSAGE, THE HIGHEST Of all the exponents of Dressage, Germany’s Reiner Klimke is perhaps the best known, EXPRESSION OF HORSE TRAINING, after winning six gold and two bronze medals between 1964 and 1976, a record for IS CONSIDERED THE MOST ARTISTIC equestrian events. And Dressage has also produced its share of heroic achievements, OF THE EQUESTRIAN SPORTS AND none more so than Denmark’s Lis Hartel. CAN BE TRACED AS FAR BACK AS ANCIENT GREECE. THE HORSE HAS Hartel, who became one of the first women to take part in Olympic Dressage, was TO PERFORM AT A WALK, TROT paralysed by polio in 1944, when she was 23 and expecting her first child. Despite AND CANTER, AND ALL TESTS ARE remaining paralysed below the knees, she was chosen to represent her country in the RIDDEN FROM MEMORY AND Helsinki Olympics of 1952 and responded by winning the silver medal. When gold FOLLOW A PRESCRIBED PATTERN OF medallist Henri Saint Cyr helped her up on to the podium, it was one of the most MOVEMENTS. THE ONLY EXCEPTION emotional moments in Olympic history. IS THE FREESTYLE WHICH IS SPECIALLY CHOREOGRAPHED FOR EACH HORSE The popularity of Dressage has increased rapidly in recent years and the sport now AND IS PERFORMED TO MUSIC. regularly attracts huge crowds. Dressage is undoubtedly the most aesthetically pleasing of the disciplines in the FEI stable and the pure magic of top-class Freestyle under floodlights, as sport and art combine, guarantees that the popularity of Dressage will continue to grow. Furthermore, Para-Equestrian Dressage is the only equestrian discipline that is included in the Paralympic Games, where it has been a regular fixture since 1996. Para-Equestrian Dressage IN 2006, PARA-EQUESTRIAN sport JOINED THE RANKS OF THE other 7 DISCIPLINES regulated by THE FEI, WITH national AND international COMPETITIONS FOR Dressage FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH A DISABILITY. All rules and regulations related to competitors are assessed and athletes competition venues and testing are with similar functional ability profiles governed by the same principles as are grouped into competition grades other disciplines. The formula for Para- that range from Grade Ia for the most Equestrian Dressage is the same as for severely impaired to Grade IV for the standard Dressage, with tests based least impaired.