Professor Vittorio De Sanctis, the man widely recognised for introducing the sport of Endurance to Italy and the FEI, has passed away. He was 84.

A qualified lawyer, he had a life-long passion for equestrian sport that he passed onto his children and grandchildren.

He was Vice-President of the Italian Equestrian Federation (FISE) from 1980 to 1988 and a member of the FISE Council. He was also a founder member and President of the National Equestrian Tourism Association.

Vittorio De Sanctis was an FEI Bureau Member from 1982 to 1988 as well as Deputy Chair of the FEI Judicial Committee and Chair of the Special Disciplines Committee. He was also an FEI Endurance Course Designer, Judge and Technical Delegate.

He became  FEI 1^st Vice President in 1982 working alongside HRH the Infanta Doña Pilar de Borbón, who passed away in January this year. He was appointed FEI Honorary Vice President at the end of his mandate in 1998 and continued to be an active member of the international equestrian community.

“Vittorio De Sanctis represented the world of equestrian sport with great passion and dedication,” FISE President Marco Di Paola said. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to his entire family during this difficult time.”

“We are truly sorry to have lost such a great advocate for our sport,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said. “He will be sorely missed, not just by his Italian equestrian family but also by the international community.”

The FEI extends its deepest sympathy to Vittorio De Sanctis’ family, to the Italian Equestrian Federation and the global equestrian community.

The FISE tribute to Vittorio De Sanctis is published here.

Photo caption: FEI Honorary Vice President Vittorio De Sanctis together with his grandson, Vittorio Fabrizio De Sanctis, who is now an FEI Eventing athlete. (Mauro Beta)

Ingrid Klimke was cooking dinner while we chatted on Saturday evening. No surprises there, the German star is a born multi-tasker, so juggling an interview and an evening meal is a breeze for this lady. 

In the sport of Eventing she has five Olympic Games, four FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG) and 10 FEI European Championships under her belt. Her medal collection includes two Olympic team golds and one team silver, two WEG team golds and an individual bronze, and last summer’s double-gold in Luhmuehlen (GER) brought her European Championships tally to six golds along with a silver and a bronze. 

Her prowess as a Dressage rider has been key to many of these successes, and just to prove the point she finished seventh in the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final in ’s-Hertogenbosch (NED) in 2002. It’s a staggering record but far from complete. As we begin our chat she reminds me that she was selected for the German A squads in both Eventing and Dressage for the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, “with three horses in the two disciplines, so already a dream has come true! Now I’m very much hoping that they all stay healthy for next year!”, she says.

One of my dreams

So what prompted you to try to qualify in two Olympic disciplines this time around? “I watched Mark Todd (New Zealand superstar) compete in Jumping and Eventing in Barcelona, so it was one of my dreams to do the same some day! My father (the late, great German horseman Reiner Klimke) competed at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome in Eventing and later changed to become a Dressage rider."

Apart from your father who were your heroes when you were growing up? “I really admired Lucinda Green and I read all her wonderful books. She was World and European Champion when she won here at Luhmuehlen (team gold for Great Britain at the World Championships in 1992) - I ran around the course after her that day! She was so brave and horses did everything for her. I really liked the way she talked about her horses and the kindness of her - she was fun and open-hearted and had a lovely personality.

“And Mark Todd has always been a legend - when I was at my first Olympics in Sydney neither myself nor my horse (Sleep Late) had ever done a 4-Star. When I saw the cross-country I thought ‘Oh my God!’ and I followed behind Mark when he was walking the course hoping to learn something from him!” 

Has it been a pressure for you being Reiner Klimke’s daughter? "When I was young people would say when I did well ‘Oh for a Klimke that’s a typical result’ and when I made a mistake they would say ‘a Klimke should be doing better than that’. So I tell my girls (her two daughters Greta and Philippa) don’t worry, you can’t make everything right for other people, but you don’t do it for them you do it for yourself because you love the sport and you love the horse."

Ambitious

Are your daughters ambitious? "The oldest, Greta, is now 18 and will be in Young Riders next year and she’s very ambitious and very determined. The young one is almost 10 and she likes to play with the horses, to ride bareback. She comes into the arena and goes ‘OK I’ve done one round of dressage so now Bye Bye Mam!’ She’s having a lot of fun and she has a lovely pony but I’m not sure what she will do with herself!”

I realise Miss Philippa has inherited some of her mother’s characteristics when I ask my next question….

What do you like best about being around horses? “I’m starting a four-year-old again and a friend said to me why are you starting a four-year-old, let the girls do it! But this is what gives me such fun, to see how they discover the world, how they trust you, connect with you. And the other part I enjoy is the horsemanship, going bareback, riding with a neck-rein (see what I mean?), I feel like I’m playing with my ponies again!” 

Is there anything you don’t like about being around horses? “No, although my father didn’t want me to become a professional rider when I was young. He thought it would change my attitude to the horses because I’d have to sell them. He wanted horses to be my hobby and it took me a while to persuade him that I could find another way, but I did and I love it."

Ingrid created her own business model. “We don’t sell horses but keep them and compete them, and I’m really happy to have very good sponsors and try to take good care of them. Asha (her now nine-year-old star Eventing mare), could have been sold for so much money but her owner said we don’t sell family members!”

Pinot

The horse you liked most? "Pinot, my first horse, a little Trakehner stallion. I did my first Dressage, my first Jumping and my first Eventing with him. I had no idea what I was doing, and on my first cross-country round I was looking around and thinking how wonderful it was so I was nearly two minutes too slow! 

“He was small with so much heart and not much scope but he was a great schoolmaster and because of him I decided I wanted to do all three disciplines."

The horse you liked least? Ingrid hesitates here, she doesn’t really want to be critical of any horse and doesn’t name him but..”there was one horse that wasn’t my favourite but I knew there was something in him that he wasn’t showing me. I said to myself, ‘Ingrid you are a Reitmeister (Riding Master) and you’ve got to be able to ride every horse so look for other ways with him!’ We got there in the end and he taught me a lot about having to be patient, and later he won my heart - but it certainly wasn’t love at first sight!” 
 
The best horse you’ve ever ridden? “The mare Escada, she was in the winning team in the WEG at Caen (in 2014) and she had all the qualities you can imagine. She was a unique jumper, careful, powerful, so much scope with lovely gaits, and she could go forever cross-country. Unfortunately because she was always giving too much we couldn’t keep her sound. She and Hale Bob grew up together and Bobby was always No 2 when she was at her most brilliant."

How did you learn to master three tough disciplines?  Because of the chances my parents gave me, to feel different dressage horses and schoolmasters, and when I was with (Canadian Jumping legend) Ian Millar I had the chance to see the Canadian way of showjumping. And Fritz Ligges (German gold medallist, Munich Olympic Games 1972) was also competing in Eventing and Jumping and was a close friend of my father so when I was growing up I went on holidays and did a lot of jumping there, so I think from youth on I had a good chance to feel wonderful horses in the three disciplines."

Your favourite discipline and why? Eventing cross-country - I’m really competitive when I’m out there. The buzz going into the start-box is what I love the most!

“And in top Dressage when you ride the Freestyle to Music. My father always said try to have invisible aids so the spectators can’t see what you do and the horse seems to be doing it on its own…when you have that, and it’s not too often but when you have it, then I also really like dressage a lot!  

“It depends on the horse too. In my next life I would maybe like to become a Jumping star!" 

Memorable moments

Memorable Cross-Country Moments?  “At Sydney (2000 Olympic Games) the cross-country was so long - 13 minutes and five seconds - with steeplechase and roads and tracks, and it was so hot. I really wasn’t sure I was ready for it. I went at the very end, and so many people before me had falls and it didn’t go well for the German team either. When I came in the 10-minute box I heard someone say ‘I don’t think Ingrid will make it’…. 

“I said to Blue (Sleep Late) we have to do something we’ve never done before and that we’ll never forget, you have to show you are a thoroughbred and run forever! The second water was jumping onto a bank and into a deep drop followed by a brush fence and I was leaning too far forward at the drop. But he just jumped everything totally straight without any attention to me trying to hang on. He galloped the last minute uphill and kept this incredible rhythm and I was in time and I couldn’t believe it! 

“And then there was my last ride with Braxxi (Butts Abraxxas, two-time Olympic team gold medallist) when he was 16. It was at Burghley (2013) and I couldn’t believe how huge the fences were! He gave me his everything - twice on that cross-country round I wondered if I should stop, but when we finished it was so emotional. I said to Braxxi this is our last competition together, you can’t give me any more! He showed more ability than he had, more scope than he had. I hadn’t planned it but I retired him then”.

Where did he retire to? “Greta was 11 at the time and he was a great schoolmaster for her. He’s now 23 and still in my barn. I did send him to a retirement home with other horses but he decided he didn’t want to stay there and kept jumping out. He wanted to be with us, so I took him back and I love it every day when I see him out with the ponies. He’s still in Stable No. 1 which he deserves!”

Philosophy

What’s your philosophy when things go wrong? “Get back on your feet and look for the positive things even though sometimes you don’t see them right away. A good example was me and Braxxi, he was not a good showjumper and all his life I tried everything with him but finally I had to accept that there are some things you cannot change. When I did that then I could appreciate our wonderful dressage and cross-country rounds even though I knew I was never going to win an individual medal because he would never jump clear. But I was always a good team member." 

Was European double-gold in Luhmuehlen last summer particularly special for you? “Yes I was so thrilled for Bobby (Hale Bob) because in Strezegom (POL in 2017) it was a close battle between Michael Jung (German team-mate and multiple champion) and me, and it was very close this time again. Bobby did such a wonderful cross-country round, it felt so easy, I looked at my watch and we were so much ahead of time we could canter home! He did a brilliant showjumping round. In Tryon (WEG 2018) we had the last (showjumping) fence down and lost the medal, but this time we showed we really could do it when the pressure was on.  

"And it’s alway more special when the horse is getting older. Now he is 16 and these are our last years together so I treasure it even more."

Ingrid Klimke (GER) talking about her partnership with SAP Hale Bob OLD

Three mothers

The important people in your life? My family of course, and I have three mothers - (two along with her mother Ruth). There is also Faith Berghuis (Canadian patron of equestrian sport) who supported me with great advice and gave me the chance to work with Ian Millar, and Aunt. She’s not my real aunt but she owns a little farm behind my parents house and I spent a lot of my childhood there learning about animals and farming and nature. 

“After my father died (aged 63 in 1999) his advisor, friend and teacher when he was young, the old cavalryman Paul Stecken, became my mentor and just four years ago he passed away aged 100. He was a lovely man. 

“And my friends, some who have nothing to do with horses who were in my school here in Münster (GER) and we have many things in common. And then there are my ‘culture’ friends who take me out to cultural events so my life is not all about horses!”  
   
What makes you laugh? “Kids, and young horses….the way they see the world can be really funny!”

What makes you cry? "Seeing the refugees sitting in those camps in Greece and nobody willing to take them. When people are poor and born into hopeless situations, that makes me very sad. I’m a member of PLAN International, an organisation that works to improve children’s rights and equality for girls who live in poverty. We have to help as much as we can. 

"And also the animals, when you see the rhinos and other beautiful animals being slaughtered by poachers it makes me so angry - that really makes me cry."

Finally how are you coping with life during this pandemic? “If you listen to the news it’s very easy to lose your positive attitude, because there is so much uncertainty. But I tell myself I’m privileged, I’m healthy and so are my family so we must stay patient. We don’t now when the vaccination will come but until then we must stay optimistic and be thankful for what we have."

The FEI European Championships in the Olympic and Paralympic disciplines of Jumping, Eventing, Dressage and Para Dressage will not be held in 2021 due to the revised dates for the Tokyo Games next year. European Championships in the non-Olympic disciplines will still be organised in 2021.

The Hungarian capital of Budapest had been due to play host to five disciplines next summer – Jumping, Dressage, Para Dressage, Driving and Vaulting – from 23 August to 5 September. However, the proximity of the Championships to the rescheduled Olympic and Paralympic Games has meant that it is no longer feasible to run Jumping, Dressage and Para Dressage. As part of its 50^th anniversary celebrations of the first FEI European Driving Championships in Budapest back in 1971, the Organisers will maintain both Driving and Vaulting next year.

The FEI European Eventing Championships 2021 were scheduled to take place from 11-15 August at Haras du Pin (FRA), venue for the Eventing test of the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014, but the decision has been made to cancel the Championships following the postponement of Tokyo 2020.

The new dates for the Tokyo Olympic Games are 23 July to 8 August 2021 and the Paralympic Games will run from 24 August through to 5 September 2021.

The FEI Board has agreed that the bid process for the European Championships 2021 in these four disciplines will not be reopened, as all organisers would face the same challenges of trying to host major Championships so close to the Tokyo Games.

“Together with the Organising Committees of both Budapest and Haras du Pin, as well as the Hungarian and French National Federations, we have examined every possible option to try and save the Championships in 2021”, FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez said, “but we have reached the regrettable decision that it simply is not possible to have these important events so close to the Olympic and Paralympic Games next year.

“While there are some nations that have enough horsepower to send strong teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games and also to the European Championships across the four disciplines, we have to offer a level playing field to all eligible countries and we simply cannot do that in this case, so we have agreed that the focus should be on Tokyo next year.

“Of course it is desperately disappointing to lose these Championships from the 2021 Calendar, but we will continue to support Budapest with their double Europeans for Driving and Vaulting.”

The FEI Secretary General has overall responsibility for the FEI Calendar and is currently chairing the eight discipline-specific Task Forces that have been set up to seek ways of mitigating the effect of the current Covid-19 pandemic on the FEI Calendar, including the knock-on effects into 2021.

“It was the very first time that a Central European country had won the opportunity to organise the prestigious FEI multidiscipline European Championships, Dorottya Stróbl, Member of the Managing Board of the Budapest Organising Committee and Secretary General of the Hungarian National Federation, said. “We strongly believed that the event would serve as a high motivation for the owners and sponsors in Hungary and in the neighbouring countries and promote the sport towards the elite level, but we understand that the significant challenges of holding major FEI Championships in the Olympic and Paralympic disciplines in the year of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, has meant that unfortunately cancellation was inevitable. However, we will continue to work to ensure the very highest level of FEI Driving and Vaulting European sport in Budapest next year.”

Valérie Moulin, President of the Ustica Organising Committee at Haras du Pin, also expressed her disappointment: “We are very disappointed that the rescheduling of Tokyo 2020 has led to the cancellation of the Championships in Haras du Pin, but unfortunately we were unable to find alternative dates outside August 2021. We had gathered a lot of local partners and we were financially invested. All riders counted on this date, nevertheless we understand that the situation has changed over the last months with the postponement of the Olympic Games. We have made a proposal to the FEI about potentially hosting the Championships in 2023 and we look forward to hearing about that.”

Discussions around other FEI Championships, including the Europeans in 2023, will be held during next month’s FEI Board videoconference meeting, which is set for 23-25 June.

He could be forgiven for being down in the dumps right now….his chance of becoming the first-ever four-time FEI Jumping World Cup™ champion blown out of the water and no opportunity to chase down a second individual Olympic gold medal either this year. All sport has ground to a halt and his personal life has also been affected because his wedding to fiancee, Fanny Skalli, which was planned for next month, has also been postponed for the foreseeable future due to the pandemic.

It doesn’t sound like a recipe for a good mood, but the man who has been holding court at the top of the Longines Rankings for 14 of the last 15 months is staying positive. 

Halfway through our interview last Friday (April 17), Swiss star Steve Guerdat put the current situation into perspective with his trademark passion. 

“Nobody talks about the millions of kids around the world who don’t have clean water to drink, and are dying of hunger every single day. We only think about how am I going to get to the shows, how am I going to pay for my Mercedes, how am I going to buy my new car and buy my new truck and buy my new horse. The poor face a crisis every day of their lives. Now we in the rich countries have to face this problem, but there is no reason to be afraid. It’s an experience, and for once it’s the same for everyone. So we have to look forward and maybe think about doing things differently - but there will be a way out of it”, he says.

Heroes

Our Q&A interview began with a simple Who were your heroes when you were a child? Steve doesn’t hesitate in answering…

“Michael Jordan (the world-famous basketball star who made several memorable come-backs during his extraordinary career). I’ve always been a sports fanatic, and his story is an inspiration. Normally a superstar is really good over a short period of time, but with him you were never disappointed (each time he made a come-back). It was like a lesson of life and sport, about not giving up, and as a kid he was someone I was crazy about. 

“As a rider my hero has always been John Whitaker. I like him for much the same reasons. With John everything is easy. I think he doesn’t even know what he’s achieving because he does everything so naturally. Horses respond to him and it’s just natural for him to ride and win in a very natural way with a completely natural attitude. That inspires me as a rider”, Steve explains. 

It takes him a bit longer to reply to the next question though. So what’s it like to be the hero now yourself? There’s a bit of a silence, I can imagine him shifting from foot to foot, he’s clearly not comfortable with this one….

“I really don’t feel like that, I don’t see myself as really good. I trust what I do but I still have so often the feeling that I am so bad at it, so many mistakes, so many things I’d like to do so much better. I’m not even thinking about being a hero, being someone who inspires other riders….”

So I say - “but so many people look at you and say “gosh, if only I could ever be as good as Steve”….but he quickly comes back with “well for sure they can, because I could get so much better!”

Influences

We move on to the person who has influenced you most, and his response is instant…. 

“My dad (Philippe Guerdat). He was never pushing himself forward, always letting me be free to do what I want and that’s why I respect him so much. In the sport he was the most influential person since day one. And of course in recent years Thomas Fuchs has also been an influence on my career”. 

Who is in your support crew? “My longtime grooms Heidi and Emma, my rider Anthony, we have 10 people at home and they are also very important to me. My family, from my parents to my cousins, and I have a close relationship with my owners too. The blacksmith and the vet - there are so many people and they don’t just work with me and support me, they are also my friends. And of course now for a few years I have my girlfriend, who will be my wife soon, so I’m very lucky in the situation I am in - to have so many great people around me”.

Why do you enjoy being around horses? “Because they give so much and they don’t ask for anything back. We try to give them as much back as we can, but they are not asking for it! They are so loyal, and they never cheat on you”. 

What do you like least about horses - all the hard work? This question provokes a tone of outrage…..

"It’s not work! If you think it’s work then you are doing the wrong job! Maybe a groom can say that, but definitely not a professional rider - what we have is an amazing life. It takes a lot of time but it’s very far away from being hard work!!"

Horses 

Which of all the horses you’ve ridden was/is the one you’ve loved the most? Not the slightest hesitation here as his tone becomes much softer…. “Jalisca, because she’s basically the horse that made the biggest step in my career. I don’t want to say she saved me - I was riding, I was healthy but I was in a complete hole in my sporting career when that mare brought me into the spotlight, winning the Cup in Geneva (in December 2010) and giving all the time 200% for me. She was the kindest horse you would ever find. She was always there fighting for me, she was the best horse that has ever been around for me!”, he says.

Is there a horse that you didn’t like at all? “I’d be lying if I said I’ve never been frustrated with a horse. But the truth is as soon as I’d be annoyed I’d be thinking no, it’s you that’s to blame, you made the mistake of having too high hopes for this horse, or you didn’t educate it the right way, or you put too much pressure on it or, or, or….in the end if a horse doesn’t work out it’s only yourself to blame. It could be riding wrong, or buying wrong and having the wrong expectations of the horse who couldn’t do what you would like him to do. It’s not his fault, we are all born with some qualities - there are some things you can do and some things you cannot do so well - but there is only so much any of us can do.”

Is there a horse that you would love to ride? “No, because I already rode the best horse in the history of showjumping, Tepic La Silla! I only rode him for three or four months and I won my first medal in the European Championships in Donaueschingen (GER) in 2003 and a couple of Grand Prix. He was a horse from Alfonso Romo and I would have liked to have him longer, but I feel privileged I could ride him in just a few shows because he was unbelievable. He had absolutely everything. For me he was the very best!”

The horse who gave you his personal-best? Steve laughs as he replies “Nino, and he’s standing right in front of me!” Now 19 years old, the gelding that helped him to individual Olympic glory in London in 2012 is in happy retirement at Steve’s lovely farm at Elgg in Switzerland. “What was so good about him is that when I wanted to be clear I was clear 95% of the time. We also had some bad rounds, but from the time I really figured him out we had very few fences down. I didn’t jump him a lot, but most of the time he was double-clear in Grand Prix”, he says fondly. 

Friendships

Your strongest friendships in the sport? I don’t have many, but the ones I have are very, very close. Alain Jufer, he was on the team in Calgary when we won (first-ever Swiss Nations Cup victory at Spruce Meadows in 2016). We grew up together, and started riding together as kids. Gregory Wathelet, for 15 or 20 years now, same with Daniel Etter and I could mention Eric Lamaze as well. They are my closest friends. I can’t say why, they are all very different people and came into my life at different times, they are good friends and get along together very well but it’s not that they are each best friends with the other - they are just people I know I can rely on, and they know it’s the same the other way around”. 

Cares and worries? “My biggest worry right now is I employ 10 people who’ve been with me a long time. They’re not just employees but friends and part of the family, and I want to have them around me. But I know that if I can’t keep some of them they will find another job and they will survive as well. Two or three times in my life I’ve had to start from nothing and I’ve no problem with doing it again. I’m not worried that tomorrow I have to muck out myself and drive the truck and work more, because I love what I do. When you like what you do the only motivation is not just adding more and more money, it’s about enjoying life with your friends and family.” 

One silly thing you’ve done during your working life? "Maybe the first show I did when working for Tops….there was a show in a place called Heikant and I drove the truck for about three hours with the groom and eight horses, but when we arrived we couldn’t find the showgrounds. There was no navigation system in those days and we drove around for a long time before I realised that I’d taken us to Heikant in Belgium, and the show was in Heikant in Holland! Luckily it wasn’t too far, maybe another two hours drive, and we only missed a couple of classes!”

How are you feeling about the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games? It changes things for sure, it will be one year later and we don’t know what will happen between now and then. Horses will be one year older, but some that would have been too young this year will be ready for it. It’s different to anything we’ve faced before, but this is what sport is about. You have to be able to adapt to many different situations and make the best of it. There’s nothing we can do about it, and it was the right decision to move it. We’ll deal with this, and somehow we will move on.”

The FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decisions in seven cases involving Prohibited Substances and one horse abuse case.

The first case involves the horse Sohair Des Bruyere (FEI ID 104VK62/QAT), ridden by Elizaveta Minina (FEI ID 10140497/RUS), which tested positive for the Banned Substance Testosterone following samples taken at the CEI2* in Doha, Mesaieed (QAT) on 20 January 2018. On 15 March 2018 the trainer Hassan Khamis Mohammed A Al Shahwani (FEI ID 10131286/QAT) admitted the use of Testosterone on the horse following a suggestion from a veterinarian.

A Final Tribunal Decision on the case against the athlete was issued on 25 October 2019, but separate proceedings were initiated against the trainer. The FEI Tribunal approved the agreement reached on 24 February 2020 between the FEI and the trainer, under which the trainer would be suspended for 22 months instead of the standard two-year ineligibility period due to prompt admission of the substance being administered. The period of ineligibility was ruled to run from the date of notification (23 April 2018) until 22 February 2020. The trainer was ordered to pay a fine of CHF 7,500 and the legal costs of CHF 1,500. 

The second case involves the horse Orient Akhmin (FEI ID 104WR20/UAE), ridden by Adel Mohd Ali Al Housani (FEI ID 10055482/UAE), which tested positive for the Banned Substance Testosterone following sample collection at the CEI1* in Abu Dhabi, Al Wathba (UAE) on 27 October 2018. The FEI Tribunal imposed a two-year period of ineligibility on the athlete, with the provisional suspension (effective from 13 November 2018) credited against the full suspension, meaning the athlete will be ineligible until 12 November 2020. The results of the athlete and horse at the event were disqualified. The athlete was ordered to pay a fine of CHF 7,500 and contribute CHF 2,000 towards the costs of the proceedings.

The third case involves the horse Soda (FEI ID 104PY45/UAE), ridden by Ayed Sauod Alosaimi (FEI ID 10048137/KSA), which tested positive for the Banned Substances Boldione and Boldenone following sample collection at the CEI1* in Al Qaseem (KSA) on 1 December 2018. The FEI Tribunal Decision imposed a two-year period of ineligibility on the athlete, with the provisional suspension (effective from 15 January 2019) credited against the full suspension, meaning the athlete will be ineligible until 14 January 2021. The results of the athlete and horse at the event were disqualified. The athlete was ordered to pay a fine of CHF 7,500 and contribute CHF 2,000 towards the costs of the proceedings.

The fourth case involves the horse Trynytee Des Aunetes (FEI ID 104UI94/FRA), ridden by Sarah Marcel Dirickx (FEI ID 10095832/FRA), which tested positive for the Banned Substance O-Desmethyl Venlafaxine following sample collection at the CSI1* in La Baule (FRA), 17-20 May 2018. The FEI Tribunal approved the agreement reached on 25 March 2020 between the FEI and the athlete. As the athlete was able to prove to the satisfaction of the FEI Tribunal that she bore no fault or negligence due to accidental contamination caused by a person on anti-depressant medication who urinated in the horse’s box, she will not serve any period of ineligibility. The athlete had already served a provisional suspension from 11 July 2018, which was lifted on 1 August 2018. The results of the athlete and horse at the event were disqualified. Each of the parties will pay their own legal costs.

The fifth case involves the horse Bolota De Alcantara (FEI ID 105MF17/POR), ridden by Rodrigo Picão Abreu (FEI ID 10064534/POR), which tested positive for the Banned Substance O-Desmethyl Venlafaxine following sample collection at the CEI2* in Reguengos de Monsaraz (POR), on 17 February 2018. Since the athlete could not establish the source of the Banned Substance, to the satisfaction of the FEI Tribunal, a two-year period of ineligibility was imposed, with the period of provisional suspension (effective from 19 March 2018) credited against the full suspension, meaning the athlete is now eligible to compete. The results of the athlete and horse at the event were disqualified. The athlete was ordered to pay a fine of CHF 1,200 and contribute CHF 500 towards the costs of the proceedings.

The sixth case involves the horse Sarem (FEI ID 105MZ22/KSA),ridden by Ahmad Althmaly (FEI ID 10134840/KSA), which tested positive for the Banned Substance Stanozolol and its metabolite 16-beta-hydroxystanozolol following sample collection at the CEI1* in Al Qaseem (KSA) on 12 January 2019. The same horse tested positive for the Banned Substance Stanozolol following sample collection at the CEI2* in Al Ula (KSA), on 2 February 2019. The athlete was also the trainer of the horse.

The FEI Tribunal imposed a two-year period of ineligibility on the athlete, with the provisional suspension (effective from 7 February 2019) credited against the full suspension, meaning the athlete will be ineligible until 6 February 2021. The results of the athlete and horse at both events were disqualified. The athlete was ordered to pay a fine of CHF 7,500 and contribute CHF 2,000 towards the costs of the proceedings.

The seventh case involves the horse Kekmadar (FEI ID 104YV16/UAE), ridden by Said Al Balushi (FEI ID 10079195/OMA), which tested positive for the Banned Substance Arsenic following sample collection at the CEI1* in Abu Dhabi, Al Wathba (UAE) on 8 December 2018. Another horse, Si Quilombo (FEI ID 106HC75/UAE), ridden by the same athlete, tested positive to the same Banned Substance following sample collection at the CEI1* in Abu Dhabi, Al Wathba (UAE) a week later, on 15 December 2018.

Due to these aggravating circumstances, the FEI Tribunal Decision imposed a three-year period of ineligibility on the athlete, with the provisional suspension (effective from 7 February 2019) credited against the full suspension, meaning the athlete will be ineligible until 6 February 2022. The results of the athlete and the horses at both events were disqualified. The athlete was ordered to pay a fine of CHF 10,000 and contribute CHF 2,000 towards the costs of the proceedings.

The Final Decisions on these cases can be found here.

The horse abuse case, which was opened by the FEI following a protest filed by Pippa Cuckson, involved the horse 8 Minute (FEI ID: 104BW22/UAE). The FEI Tribunal ruled that the athlete, Rashed Hamoud Humaid Al Junaibi (FEI ID 10083889/UAE), committed horse abuse during the CEI3* in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi (UAE) on 9 February 2019. In its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal imposed a three-month suspension on the athlete, starting from the date of the Decision (13 March 2020). The results of the athlete and horse at the event were disqualified. The athlete was also fined CHF 2,000 and ordered to pay CHF 3,000 towards the costs of the proceedings.

The Final Decision on this case can be found here.

The parties in all these cases can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days of receipt of the decisions.

Notes to Editors:

FEI Equine Prohibited Substances

The FEI Prohibited Substances List is divided into two sections: Controlled Medication and *Banned Substances. Controlled Medication substances are those that are regularly used to treat horses, but which must have been cleared from the horse’s system by the time of competition. Banned (doping) Substances should never be found in the body of the horse and are prohibited at all times.

In the case of an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a Banned Substance, the Person Responsible (PR) is automatically provisionally suspended from the date of notification (with the exception of certain cases involving a Prohibited Substance which is also a **Specified Substance). The horse is provisionally suspended for two months.

**Specified Substances

The FEI introduced the concept of Specified Substances in 2016. Specified Substances should not in any way be considered less important or less dangerous than other Prohibited Substances (i.e. whether Banned or Controlled). Rather, they are simply substances which are more likely to have been ingested by horses for a purpose other than the enhancement of sport performance, for example, through a contaminated food substance. Positive cases involving Specified Substances can be handled with a greater degree of flexibility within the structure of the FEI Regulations.

Information on all substances is available on the searchable FEI Equine Prohibited Substances Database.

Four-time Olympian Margit Otto-Crépin, an iconic figure in the world of Dressage, has passed away at her home in Hamburg (GER) after a short illness. She was 75.

Born on 9 February 1945 in Saarbrücken (GER), Margit Otto-Crépin studied in Michigan (USA) and then at the Sorbonne University in Paris (FRA), but a life with horses always beckoned. She changed nationality following her marriage to Frenchman Daniel Crépin and started competing under the French flag in 1971. During her illustrious career, she trained with some of the sport’s best-known coaches, including Fritz Tempelmann, Patrick Le Rolland, Dr Uwe Schulten-Baumer, Colonel de Ladoucette and Colonel Christian Carde.

In a life filled with competitive highlights, her greatest successes came with Corlandus, the horse that took her to individual silver at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul (KOR) and victory in the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final in Gothenburg (SWE) the following year. She is still the only French Dressage athlete to have won the annual title. The partnership also took individual gold at the FEI European Dressage Championships 1987 in Goodwood (GBR), claimed individual silver at Mondorf les Bains (LUX) two years later and bronze in Donaueschingen (GER) in 1991.

Margit Otto-Crépin was a four-time Olympian, also competing in Los Angeles 1984, Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996, rode at two FEI World Equestrian Games™ (1990 and 1998), including coming agonisingly close to an individual medal at the inaugural WEG in Stockholm (SWE) where she finished fourth with Corlandus. She also competed at the 1986 FEI World Championships, the last version before the WEG concept was born, and flew the French flag at a total of six European Championships.

She was crowned French national champion four times, in 1988 and 1989 with Corlandus, and in 1980 and 1981 with Caprici.

Speaking of Corlandus in a 1987 interview with The Horse Magazine, she said: “He is the horse of an era. To own such a horse is the most wonderful thing. He is like riding nothing else. I feel so dissatisfied when I am on other horses. Yet the feeling he gives me helps me to make the others better. He is an inspiration.”

After her competition career, Margit Otto-Crépin lent her depth of experience and understanding of the discipline to the administrative side of the sport. She was a member of the FEI Dressage Committee from 2009 to 2011, as well as the athlete representative on the FEI Medical Committee from 2007 to 2009, contributing the athletes’ perspective to the committee debate and decisions.

She also headed the Dressage Commission at the Fédération française d’équitation (FFE) and was president of the International Dressage Riders' Club from 1998 to 2010.

She was appointed Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Mérite by French President François Mitterrand and awarded the Écuyer d’Honneur by the Cadre Noir in Saumur (FRA) to celebrate a career that made her the most successful French Dressage athlete in history.

“The entire Dressage community is in mourning following the news of Margit’s passing,” FEI Dressage Committee Chairman Frank Kemperman said. “We have lost a good friend, a tremendous athlete and champion for our discipline.

“On behalf of the FEI and the equestrian community, we send our sincere condolences to Margit’s family and friends. We will always fondly remember her talent, class and dedication to our sport.”

The FFE tribute can be read here.

With competition on hold due to the pandemic, this week the FEI launches a brand new series of interviews and stories. First up, one of the best-known Press Officers on the international circuit, Classic Communications’ Marty Bauman, recalls some of his personal memories of FEI World Cup Finals™ in the USA…..
 
In the normal course of events, the full focus of the equestrian sports world should be on the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ and FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2020 Finals which were due to kick off at the Thomas & Mack Centre in Las Vegas last Wednesday (15 April). This would have been the tenth Jumping Final and the sixth Dressage Final to be staged in America, and there was a lot hanging in the balance as World No. 1 riders Steve Guerdat from Switzerland and Germany’s Isabell Werth were also chasing new records. 

Steve should have been bidding to become the first-ever four-time champion in the 41-year history of the hugely popular Jumping series, while Isabell was set to seal her fourth consecutive victory with Weihegold, and her fifth in total as the 35th Dressage season drew to a close. 

But nothing in the world is normal right now….

Driving Nancy crazy

“When you think that this week we should be together in Las Vegas, and next Monday I should be flying directly to Lexington for Eventing - my biggest two weeks of the year - but instead I’m sitting at home driving Nancy (his wife) crazy!” says Boston-based Marty whose equestrian connection dates all the way back to the American Jumping Derby in Newport, Rhode Island in 1978 where he worked with Mason Phelps. 

Marty’s natural gift for event management and PR saw him become Director of Public Relations with the USET from 1990 to 2004, and he has been Press Officer for multiple major events including eight of those FEI World Cup™ Finals staged in the US. 
 
His first was in Tampa, Florida in 1989 which attracted a large contingent of European media including the legendary Alan Smith from The Daily Telegraph in London who, as Marty recalls quite correctly, “never went anywhere on his own, he was always escorted by his followers!” 

The event was staged in a small exhibition arena at the Florida State Fairgrounds where another of the sport’s legends, Gene Misch, had been successfully staging horse shows for some time. “Gene was the ultimate promoter, he did more for showjumping in this country than anybody”, Marty says. Nine years earlier the second annual FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final had taken place in Baltimore, Maryland, and Gene had been successful in his bid to bring it back to American soil once again. The 6,000-seater Tampa stadium sold out, and the stellar field included the defending champions from Canada, Ian Millar and Big Ben, and Great Britain’s John Whitaker with his magical grey, Milton. 

Marty recalls Ian and Ben waiting at the in-gate before the Final round. “It was the first World Cup Final for myself and show manager David Distler, and it hadn’t been easy for us. But I remember Ian turning to David and saying “you think you have a lot of pressure on you - just imagine what I’m feeling right now!!” As the history-books show however the great Canadian partnership pipped the British duo to become the first back-to-back FEI Jumping World Cup™ champions.

Spectacular Del Mar

“Del Mar in 1992 was spectacular!” says Marty. According to the rule-book all Finals should be held indoors but the weather in the San Diego area was never likely to threaten so, on this one occasion only, it took place in an outdoor arena, covered by giant netting so that technically there was a roof in place. 

The late John Quirke played a major role in bringing the event to California, enthusiastically supported by Del Mar’s Brooks Parry and the man who created the whole concept of FEI World Cup Jumping, Max Ammann.

Great Britain’s Tina Cassan was at the centre of a major drama in this edition when, during the first leg, she noticed the timers already registered 20 seconds as she began her round over Linda Allen’s course. She pulled up and refused to continue until the clock was restarted, and although the crowd noisily took her side she was eventually eliminated. After a series of intense meetings both she, and Germany’s Ludger Beerbaum who was similarly affected, were reinstated by the Appeals Committee. Ludger celebrated by winning the second leg and Tina eventually finished up eighth, while Austria’s Thomas Fruhmann and Genius jumped fault-free to take the title. 

Marty recalls the tension and excitement at the time. “Raymond Brooks-Ward supported Tina throughout the whole controversy and there was a lot of pressure on me because the media wanted answers, and they wanted them now! But in the end it was all worked out, and Thomas was a great winner”.  

Viva Las Vegas

And then John Quirke came up with an even bigger idea - bringing the Finals to Las Vegas. “He was a real mover and shaker and very good at convincing people of the merits of his great ideas”, Marty explains.

"John said - we’re in the business of entertainment and where’s the entertainment capital of the world? Let’s bring our sport into the 21st century! He wanted to present the sport like it had never been presented before, and in 2000 he made it happen - laser light shows, rock music, fireworks, opening acts, Elvis impersonators and showjumping - it had everything, and the crowds just loved it!"

Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa and Baloubet du Rouet were chasing down their third consecutive title, but hope seem to be shattered when the stallion had a fever on arrival at the show. However Baloubet bounced back and the three-peat became a reality when the pair pinned Switzerland’s Markus Fuchs and Tinka’s Boy into runner-up spot on the final day. 

Pessoa and Baloubet surely hold the most extraordinary record in the history of the FEI Jumping World Cup™. After their three wins in a row they went on to finish runners-up in 2001, third in 2002 and second again when the Final returned to Las Vegas in 2003 where Germany’s Marcus Ehning posted the first of his hat-trick of victories. 

Dual Finals

Five years later even more history was made when, for the very first time, the FEI Jumping and Dressage World Cup™ Finals were staged together in Vegas. “It was a spectacular programme in 2005 with day and evening sessions, we sold tickets in all 50 States and 30-odd countries and the Dressage Freestyle Final on that Saturday night was incredible! When Debbie McDonald and Brentina performed to Motown and Soul music the arena was electrified, and when they came down the final line to Aretha Franklin singing “Respect” the crowd got to their feet and went wild! That night changed Dressage forever, and I’m not sure it could have happened anywhere other than Vegas!” Marty says. 

The American pair finished third while Anky van Grunsven came away with the win on Salinero. This was the seventh of nine series victories for the Dutch superstar who created even more headlines when following the win by marrying partner Sjef Janssen in a Vegas wedding chapel, with “Elvis” conducting the ceremony! 

In Jumping, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum claimed the first of her three titles with Shutterfly that year, but back in Las Vegas two years later she took a surprise fall when seriously in contention on the final day, and it was Switzerland’s Beat Mandli who reigned supreme with Ideo du Thot. And, 15 years after she first stood top of the podium in Gothenburg (SWE) in 1992, Germany’s Isabell Werth won the 2007 Dressage title with Warum Nicht, pinning The Netherlands’ Imke Schellekens-Bartels into second and America’s Steffen Peters into third.

Second American

In 2009 Steffen became only the second American ever to win the FEI Dressage World Cup™, setting the Vegas arena alight with a brilliant ride on Ravel. Meredith and Shutterfly topped the Jumping podium for the third time in their career, and then there was a six-year break before the dual Finals returned to Las Vegas once more. 

Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and the wonderful Valegro were still riding their wave of record-breaking success as they swept to take the 2015 Dressage title, while in Jumping, Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat claimed his first victory riding Paille. But the story Marty remembers best from this edition was about young Irishman Bertram Allen. 

“On the Wednesday night we had the Welcome Reception and Draw in a Club, and they wouldn’t let Bertram in because he was under-age - he was only 19. I had to plead with the club-owners to let him through, so they agreed provided we put a security guard by his side all night to make sure he didn’t drink alcohol. The legal age in the US is 21!” 

But young Bertram went on to show he had all the maturity he needed, winning the first leg with Molly Malone and eventually lining up third at the end of a truly thrilling Final.

Omaha

Omaha in Nebraska became a brand new US venue for the joint-finals in 2017, and the home crowd loved every moment of it when firm favourite, McLain Ward, won the Jumping title he’d been craving for over 25 years. The spectators stayed on to share the prize-giving ceremony with him and his brilliant mare HH Azur who never touched a pole all week. “The feeling around the arena was amazing, everyone was so happy for McLain, and so proud of him!”, Marty says.

In Dressage, Isabell Werth scored the first of her three consecutive wins with Weihegold, and when the action was due to return to Las Vegas this week it looked set to be another nail-biter, with Charlotte Dujardin and her new star ride Mount St John Freestyle ready to get in the way of Isabell’s four-in-a-row - if she could. 

The Thomas and Mack arena had a $75m makeover in the lead-up to the cancelled 2020 Finals including improved seating, a new sound system, new video boards and lighting. “The new VIP area is a giant ballroom with one whole wall of glass from floor to ceiling facing the Strip - the view is incredible! There’s an outdoor balcony and it would have been truly magnificent” says Marty who, like everyone else, is really disappointed this year's event had to be called off.

But the FEI World Cup™ Finals are set to return to Omaha in 2023 and that's where his sights are focused now. “It's such a great venue and we can really look forward to that. And then maybe we'll get back to Vegas soon again too!”

Enjoy coverage of previous FEI World Cup™ Finals on FEI YouTube 

The Dressage Calendar Task Force, one of the eight discipline-specific task forces created by the FEI to evaluate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the FEI Calendar and propose ways of mitigating its effects, held its first meeting via videoconference yesterday (16 April 2020).

The meeting was chaired by FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez, who has overall responsibility for the FEI Calendar and who is chairing each of the discipline Task Forces. Jumping was the first of the Calendar Task Forces to meet online on 2 April.

The members who joined yesterday’s Dressage teleconference call were FEI Vice Presidents Mark Samuel (CAN) and Jack Huang (TPE), Chair of the FEI Dressage Committee Frank Kemperman (NED), European Equestrian Federation Vice President Ulf Helgstrand (DEN), Dressage Athletes’ Representative Beatriz Ferrer-Salat (ESP) and Thomas Baur (GER), 1st Vice President of the Equestrian Organisers (formerly International Equestrian Organisers Association - IEOA). The FEI Dressage Director, FEI Calendar Administrator and representatives of the FEI IT, Legal and Governance departments were also on the call.

The main topics discussed by the group included:

• Deadlines for National Federations to come back to the FEI with proposed alternative dates for Events looking to reschedule in 2020
• Rules relating to date clashes and late-date/date change applications
• Prioritising all CDIOs
• Dressage Championships in 2020 and 2021
• FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ series 2020 and the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final 2021
• Initiatives to help Organisers

The proposals from the Dressage Calendar Task Force will now go to the FEI Board for consideration. The Board has already tasked each of the Calendar Task Forces to look into the impact of the requested date changes on the existing Events in the Calendar and to provide proposed solutions to the FEI Secretary General and the Board.

The FEI President is being kept fully updated on the work of each of the Task Forces and, where required, will assist in finalising proposals to be put forward to the FEI Board for approval.

The principles agreed by the Board after the first Jumping Calendar Task Force meeting at the beginning of the month have been shared with the other seven Task Forces that will evaluate the impact of the virus on the FEI Calendar for their discipline. Each of these Task Forces consists of the core group plus the Chair of the relevant Technical Committee, a representative of the Athletes and the FEI Sports Director of the specific discipline.

Meeting dates for each of the Calendar Task Forces are now confirmed:

20 April – Joint Task Force meeting for Driving, Vaulting and Reining, specifically to discuss FEI European Championships for Youth and Seniors in 2020 and 2021, which is the most pressing calendar issue. Following this, separate meetings will be held with each discipline Task Force to review potential date clash issues.
22 April – Jumping (2^nd Task Force meeting)
24 April – Eventing
28 April – Dressage (2^nd meeting)
29 April – Endurance
30 April – Para Equestrian

About Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) www.fei.org
The FEI is the world governing body for horse sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and was founded in 1921. Equestrian sport has been part of the Olympic movement since the 1912 Games in Stockholm.

The FEI is the sole controlling authority for all international events in the Olympic sports of Jumping, Dressage and Eventing, as well as Driving, Endurance, Vaulting and Reining.

The FEI became one of the first international sports governing bodies to govern and regulate global para sport alongside its seven able-bodied disciplines when Para Dressage joined its ranks in 2006. The FEI now governs all international competitions for Para Dressage and Para Driving.

FEI.TV the FEI’s online television platform, will be providing all its coverage of past events and special equestrian features free of charge to everyone while live sport is on hold until end of June.

Under normal circumstances, FEI.TV live-streams all major FEI Series and Championships, with an extensive range of replays, special features and historic events coverage available on-demand combining to provide unparalleled coverage of equestrian sport year-round.

But with no live sport, access to FEI.TV will be free and existing subscribers will be compensated for the months of April, May and June. They will get automatically refunded on their account. All content on the platform, including VOD, will be freely available to all users who will need to register, meaning that fans can re-live all the action from past events so there’s no need to miss out on your fix of equestrian sport.

“Premium content like this usually sits behind a paywall and is normally available only to subscribers, but while there is no “live” sport, we want to give equestrian fans the chance to binge-watch for free during this terrible pandemic”, FEI Commercial Director Ralph Straus says.

This week’s Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ and FEI Dressage World Cup™ Finals in Las Vegas were one of the early high-profile victims of the Covid-19 outbreak when they were cancelled in mid-March. But Jumping and Dressage fans now have the opportunity to relive some of the very best moments of the FEI World Cup™ Finals from the past five years – 2015 to 2019 – live and free on FEI.TV, FEI Jumping and Dressage Facebook pages, and FEI YouTube channel daily. And if you can’t watch it live, catch it on replay on FEI.TV

For fans of the other equestrian disciplines, FEI.TV has lots more unique content, ranging from FEI Vaulting and Driving World Cup™ highlights to wrap-ups of the FEI Eventing and Dressage Nations Cup™ series.

An additional broadcast offering has been made available by the FEI, equestrian sport’s global governing body, providing free access to video archive footage to TV broadcasters in EBU member territories across Europe through its partnership with EBU, and to key territories in the rest of the world via its partnership with IMG.

“Our broadcast partners are struggling to fill their air-time without live sport, so this initiative has been put in place to ensure that they have access to top equestrian footage and, together, we can keep our fans around the world happy with their daily dose of equestrian content”, Straus says.

With the global sporting calendar decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic, the FEI has made drastic changes to the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2020 rules in a bid to maintain the series Final at Barcelona in October this year.

Under changes proposed by the FEI Jumping Committee and approved by the FEI Board during its teleconference this week, a total of 22 nations will be invited to compete at the Longines Final, staged at the prestigious Barcelona Polo Club. The 22 teams would be 10 from Europe, three from North America, two from South America, two from the Middle East, two from Asia/Australasia, one apiece from Africa and Eurasia, plus the host nation Spain.

The event held in February this year in Wellington (USA) will no longer be considered as a qualifier, and while events in North America and Europe that are still scheduled to take place over the next few months can be hosted as a Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™, no qualifying points will be awarded for the Final.

The three teams from North America and the 10 teams from Europe Division 1 will qualify directly for the Final, while the UAE and Syria, who claimed the two top spots at the Middle East qualifier in Abu Dhabi earlier this year, will retain their places for the Final.

The qualification system for the other divisions will be based on the Longines Rankings, using the combined points of each National Federations’ four best Athletes on the Longines Ranking published one month prior to the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final:

• South America: 2 teams via Longines Ranking
• Asia/Australasia: 2 teams via Longines Ranking
• Africa: 1 team via Longines Ranking
• Eurasia: 1 team via Longines Ranking

With Spain as the host nation of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final, this brings the maximum number of teams competing to 22.

As the EEF has today announced the postponement of the Longines EEF Series launch until 2021, there will be no promotion and relegation this year, so Division 1 will start with the same 10 teams for the 2021 season.

“The global pandemic has meant that sadly we have had a number of cancellations in the series, and even though we still don’t know what events will take place later in the season, we needed to provide clarity to all our stakeholders as soon as possible, so out of respect to all our Organisers, to our National Federations and their athletes, and of course to our Top Partner Longines, making this decision now was the only way forward”, FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.

“There is no certainty that teams would be able to travel to any of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup events that are able to go ahead, and without a fair qualification system and the impossibility of being able to offer a level playing field where all teams have the same possibility to train and participate at events, this was a decision that had to be made.”

“Of course all this is dependent on what happens with the pandemic, and we truly hope that there will soon be respite from all the terrible suffering around the globe, but we need to be optimistic and having the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final in Barcelona in October with up to 22 countries competing for our sport’s most prestigious team title is a goal we are hoping can be realised.”