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Charlotte Dujardin produced a superb victory with Mount St John Freestyle before an ecstatic home crowd at the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2019/2020 Western European League qualifier in the Grand Hall at Olympia, London (GBR) tonight. And to put the icing on the British Christmas cake, her compatriots Carl Hester and Charlotte Fry lined up in second and third.
It was an evening of great theatre, with Dujardin’s charming 10-year-old mare producing a stunning test for a mark of 87.520 to take the lead when fourth-last to go, only for a technical hitch to delay the scores of the three who followed. Still waiting for the final result, the riders were all sent back to the stables while Santa took over the arena for his Christmas Finale. But finally the red carpet was rolled back out again, and it was Dujardin who led the British victory gallop.
She was delighted with the performance of her mare who has clearly matured a great deal since showing her massive potential at last year’s FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon, USA where she claimed two bronze medals. Freestyle’s freshness and freedom of movement, the elegance and height of her passage and the expressiveness of her extended canter were just some of today’s highlights. And the horse really seemed to be enjoying herself tonight, her big ears pricked as she gave her rider her full attention.
“It’s only her third time doing that test, she’s very inexperienced at Freestyle and I’m so pleased with her. The atmosphere was buzzing, it was a full house and I could really feel it when I rode in. But she’s coping better and I couldn’t have asked any more from her!” said the winning rider who, though still only 34 years old, is a legend of the sport following her world-beating career with the now-retired Valegro.
Her friend and mentor, Hester, followed her into the ring and put a score of 84.470 on the board with a lovely performance with Hawtins Delicato. “A personal best, I can’t believe that at my age!” laughed the 52-year-old who has long been a huge influence in this sport. He was sitting back in the stable area when he learned his result - “one of my girls texted me and said you got an amazing score - it was a bit of a weird way to hear about it!” he added.
Fry was second-last to go, and the 23-year-old, who alongside Dujardin and Hester was a member of the British side that finished fourth at this summer’s FEI European Championships, produced a score of 82.620 with the 10-year-old stallion Everdale. This was good enough to pip the final partnership, and last year’s Olympia winners, Germany’s Frederic Wandres and Duke of Britain who finished a close fourth with 82.550 this time around.
Hester said tonight that although he was happy with the way things turned out today he realises he needs to put more pressure on himself, because he continues to have big ambitions. “It was clear after the Grand Prix test yesterday that this horse needs to get out more. I know I need to get myself committed - this happens before every Olympics!” said the man who has competed at five of them, taking team gold with Uthopia at the London 2012 Games, and team silver with Nip Tuck at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Dujardin confirmed that she has both the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final 2020 in Las Vegas, USA in her sights now. So her plan? “Just to carry on doing what I’m doing and see how we go as we prepare for Tokyo. I’m hoping to get to Vegas in April, so I’ll go to the qualifier in Amsterdam in January and maybe another after that” she explained.
She was twice winner of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ title with Valegro, taking her second title in Las Vegas in 2015. Today’s result ssees her move up to eighth on the Western European League table from which the top nine will qualify for the 2020 Final, so she may need another good result to ensure she makes the cut.
There are still five legs of the Western European series left to go, the next taking place at Mechelen, Belgium on 29 December.
Result here
WEL Standings here
Watch highlights here
The FEI has reallocated one of the three Tokyo 2020 Olympic team quota slots for Jumping from the Pan-American Games in Lima (PER) in August, following an adverse analytical finding in a member of the Canadian team, which finished fourth.
Canadian Jumping athlete Nicole Walker, who also finished fourth in the individual final with Falco Van Spieveld, was provisionally suspended by the FEI on 11 November after testing positive for Benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, which is a prohibited substance under the FEI’s Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA). The sample was taken on 7 August, the day of the team final in Lima.
Following confirmatory analysis of the B sample, which confirmed the presence of Benzoylecgonine, the Athlete requested a hearing before the Panam Sports Disciplinary Commission, which took place on 4 December, and which the FEI joined via teleconference as an observer to the proceedings.
The Commission decided that Article 11.2.2* of the FEI ADRHA, which states “the Athlete’s results will be subtracted from the team result, to be replaced with the results of the next applicable team member” applies in this case.
In line with this decision, the Athlete’s results from both the team and individual competitions at the Pan-American Games are disqualified, and her results in the team competitions on 6 and 7 August replaced by those of the fourth Canadian team member, Lisa Carlsen. The Commission ordered that Panam Sports recalculate the team results accordingly.
The resulting recalculation means that Canada now drops to seventh on a finishing score of 84.07 and therefore loses its team quota place for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. This has now been reallocated by the FEI to Argentina, which originally finished fifth in Lima on 62.19 and is now promoted to fourth place.
The reallocation means that the 20 National Olympic Committees which have qualified Jumping teams for Tokyo are: Japan, USA, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Britain, France, Ukraine, Israel, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Egypt, Qatar, New Zealand, China and Ireland.
There were also four individual Olympic quota slots on offer in Lima, one of which was earned by Argentina. Now that Argentina has obtained a team quota place through the reallocation, Canada will take one of the individual slots. Colombia, Dominican Republic and Chile earned the other individual quota places.
The Athlete Nicole Walker has the option to appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Under the terms of Article 10.2.2 of the Panam Sports ADRs, responsibility for results management in terms of sanctions beyond the event itself is referred to the applicable International Federation, meaning that any period of ineligibility would be imposed by the FEI, not Panam Sports.
As this is still an ongoing legal process until the FEI Tribunal has ruled on any additional sanctions, in order to maintain the integrity of the process, the FEI will not comment further on this case at this time.
Details on this case can be found here.
The updated results of the Pan-American Games 2019 can be found here.
Information on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, including the Qualification System for Jumping is available here.
Notes to Editors:
* FEI Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes Article 11.2.2: If a member of a team is found to have committed a violation of these Anti-Doping Rules during an Event where a team ranking is based on the addition of individual results, the Athlete’s results may be disqualified in all Competitions. Should this be the case, the Athlete’s results will be subtracted from the team result, to be replaced with the results of the next applicable team member. If by removing the Athlete’s results from the team results, the number of Athletes counting for the team is less than the required number, the team shall be eliminated from the ranking.
The Netherlands’ Maikel van der Vleuten showed the rest a clean pair of heels in a thrill-a-minute 13-horse jump-off to win the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2019/2020 Western European League qualifier in La Coruña, Spain today.
There were 40 riders from 16 different countries chasing down points in the race for a place at the Longines 2020 Final in Las Vegas, USA next April. And this seventh round of the 14-leg qualifying series was a sizzler, with anything possible right to the very end.
Van der Vleuten clinched it however with an exhibition of pure partnership with the lovely Beauville Z, a gelding he has been riding since the middle of last year. Ace Spanish course designer, Santiago Varela, set them a jump-off track with multiple twists and turns and a long gallop to the last that tested trust and understanding between horse and rider every step of the way. And it was the double-Olympian who showed them all how it should be done.
Typically modest, the 31-year-old Dutchman said afterwards, “sometimes a jump-off doesn’t go as planned and you have to put in a waiting distance, but today it was all very smooth and we had a great rhythm all the way. My horse was very good, he stayed with me, and out of all the turns we got a nice forward distance.”
First against the clock, Ireland’s Michael G Duffy set the target when clear with Lapuccino Z in 39.95 seconds, but the lead kept changing until, seventh to go, Van der Vleuten came into the ring and clearly left them with very little to play with. The Dutch horse-and-rider partnership were in complete harmony as they found the tightest lines everywhere on the course and galloped through the timers to set a whole new standard in 36.94 seconds.
However there were still six to go, and plenty more excitement ahead. Pieter Clemens, one of three Belgians into the second-round decider, was ousted from runner-up spot by Italy’s Emanuele Gaudiano and the extraordinary Chalou who stopped the clock on 37.66 seconds. And as they set off it seemed more than possible that, third-last to go, America’s Jessica Springsteen and the super-fast RMF Zecilie could alter the standings until they clipped the very first fence.
Then the Spanish crowd gasped in disbelief when their own star, Eduardo Alvarez Aznar, was jumped out of the saddle when his long-time faithful steed, Rokfeller de Pleville Bois Margot, went into orbit over the vertical third fence off a tight turn. And when Frenchman Olivier Robert (Vivaldi es Meneaux) left one on the floor it was a done deal, and a Dutch one at that….
Talking about Beauville Z which is owned by Spain’s Marta Ortega, Van der Vleuten said, “he’s still only nine and not at this level for long - I think he’ll grow into a great horse, he’s the kind of horse you need to be competitive at this level”.
The Dutch rider is now going to take a short break from the World Cup circuit until early in the new year. “I’m hoping I’ll get a few more chances to get my points for the Final - after today I think about 10 more should be enough” he pointed out, having moved his points tally up to 32 which leaves him lying fifth on the Western European League table ahead of the next leg at Olympia, London next Saturday (21 December).
Result here
WEL Standings after Round 7 at La Coruna (ESP) here
Watch highlights here
The Queen of international dressage, Germany’s Isabell Werth, continued her relentless march to the 2020 Final when winning today’s FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2019/2020 Western European League qualifier at Salzburg in Austria.
As defending champion she only has to compete twice during the qualifying season with whichever horses she intends to take to the Final in Las Vegas, USA next April, and today’s result makes it a double of victories partnering the 13-year-old gelding Emilio in the current season.
At Lyon, France in October the pair pinned Charlotte Dujardin and Mount St John Freestyle into runner-up spot, having been pipped by the British duo in the previous day’s Grand Prix. But although they kept their German counterparts Benjamin Werndl and Daily Mirror at bay in both competitions at the Austrian fixture this weekend, their winning margin was a relatively narrow one each time out.
At the press conference afterwards Werndl said, “this is my favourite place….being so close to Isabell!”
But the five-time title-holder who is bidding to become the first-ever four-in-a-row FEI Dressage World Cup champion was quick to reply. “I’m very happy that Ben had such a good tournament here in Salzburg and is going so well. As long as he stays like that - in second place - that’s fine by me!” Werth joked.
In the early stages there were smart performances from Austria’s Stefan Lehfeliner and Fackeltanz who posted 73.360, and from Ireland’s Anna Merveldt partnering Esporim. At this summer’s European Championships in Rotterdam (NED) this inexperienced 10-year-old Lusitano helped the Emerald Isle to Olympic qualification, and on his Freestyle debut today posted a solid score of 73.310. A real eye-catcher was the lovely 12-year-old Robinvale ridden by Greek 18-year-old Theodora Livanos who put 74.455 on the board, but it was Swedish star Patrik Kittel who led the way at the halfway stage on a mark of 75.680 with Eddieni.
The target-score shot up to 78.150 when 2013 series champion, Germany’s Helen Langehanenberg, took her turn with the lovely mare Annabelle. But their lead didn’t last long, Werth and Emilio setting a whole new standard with another of their power-packed tests when next into the arena. It wasn’t perfect, as Werth said afterwards “there was just a little second going into piaffe”, but, as only she can, this extraordinary competitor simply turned up the heat to throw down a new target of 85.905 which brought the crowd to their feet and put it up to the rest.
Werndl wasn’t intimidated however. He won with Daily Mirror at this venue last year, and as a partnership the pair have just been getting better and better. They finished second at the opening leg of this series in Herning seven weeks ago scoring 84.545, fifth at the third leg in Stuttgart with 80.900 and today racked up a personal-best 84.705 with a performance filled with freedom of movement, harmony and lightness. Only their piaffe was holding them back from a higher score that might well have challenged even closer for the win.
It looked set to be another German whitewash until, second-last to go, Victoria Max-Theurer and Benaglio snatched third place from Langehanenberg with a lovely performance that earned the Austrian duo a mark of 78.525 to the delight of the home spectators.
Werth is now planning to give Weihegold, the mare with which she has claimed the FEI Dressage World Cup™ title for the last three years, her second outing of the season at Amsterdam (NED) in January. And looking even further head, when asked today which of her rides she plans to take to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games she replied “the season will decide…but it’s no secret that my first choice is Bella Rose, then Weihe and Emilio”.
Today’s result has now bounced Werndl to the top of the league table ahead of Langehanenberg in second, The Netherlands’ Hans Peter Minderhoud in third and French rider Morgan Barbancon into fourth place. The next leg, at London, Olympia (GBR) on 17 December, will bring the Western European League to the halfway stage.
Result here
WEL Standings here
Watch highlights here
Pret a Tout more than lived up to his name when carrying German ace, Marcus Ehning, to victory in today’s Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2019/2020 Western European League qualifier at Madrid in Spain.
Fourth to go in a breathtaking nine-horse jump-off, the pair took the lead with a spectacular run that stopped the clock in 43.30 seconds and couldn’t be caught. Ehning’s compatriot and 2011 series champion. Christian Ahlmann. came a close second with his exciting nine-year-old stallion Dominator 2000 Z, while Belgium’s Pieter Devos and Espoir finished third. The crowd packed into the IFEMA Arena in the Spanish capital city were treated to a fabulous afternoon of sport.
Course designer, Javier Trenor, set the stage with a 12-fence first-round track in which almost every fence was on a related distance. Absolute accuracy was required to successfully navigate the roll-backs, dog-legs and tight turns in the small arena, and the 66 seconds time-allowed also played its part. But when it came to the jump-off then it was speed and courage that would count, with two exceptionally long runs in the closing stages. And Ehning was at his very best - so fast that he could take a check before the last and still set an unbeatable target.
He wasn’t quite so convinced himself however. “I thought maybe I had left a small gap, but as it turned out I didn’t!” he said afterwards.
Italy’s Emilio Bicocchi and Evita SG Z produced the first jump-off clear in 44.93 and then Devos and his big-striding gelding Espoir raised the bar with a flyer at the last to break the beam in 43.66. But Ehning and Pret a Tout shaved almost a quarter of a second off that when galloping through the finish in 43.30.
He then had to sit back and watch the five that followed him, only Ahlmann and his lovely nine-year-old Dominator seriously threatening when scorching home in 43.53. A little wobble on the gallop to the final oxer may have made all the difference - “I had a chance to win today but my last line was not the best!” admitted the man who lifted the coveted series trophy back in 2011. But he was still thrilled with runner-up spot on a stallion that is only nine years old and showing such immense promise.
Ehning was delighted with Ruth Krech’s 16-year-old gelding who clearly still loves his job. He’s an extraordinary horse because he shows the same enthusiasm and ability in a massive arena like Aachen (GER) where he won the Grand Prix in 2018 as he does in a much smaller arena like today’s venue in Madrid.
“He’s a very fast and experienced horse, and I also have a bit of experience!” said the double Olympian and three-time FEI Jumping World Cup™ champion who is one of the most admired horsemen in the sport.
He admires the clever and confident Pret a Tout because “he has his own style and it’s not classical but his mind is really, really good and he’s very flexible and that helps him a lot. He’s a real personality - he’s quite lazy, but he knows he’s a very good horse so he always feels very proud of himself!”, said the German star who is now targeting the WEL qualifier at Olympia in London (GBR) later this month.
Before that however there is one more visit to Spain, for the seventh qualifier that takes place at La Coruna. Pieter Devos will be holding court at the head of the Western European League when that gets underway on 15 December, and although today he didn’t repeat the win he posted at the previous leg in Stuttgart two weeks ago, he is feeling very pleased about his consistent results that have earned 55 valuable points and a definite place at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2020 Final next April.
“It is only halfway of the season and I’m very happy to know I’ll be going to Las Vegas! I’ve never ridden there and I’m excited to go!”, Devos said.
Result here
Standings here
Watch highlights here
Dorothee Schneider secured the third successive German victory in this season’s FEI Dressage World Cup™ Western European League when coming out on top with DSP Sammy Davis Jr. in Madrid, Spain today where Claudio Castilla Ruiz (Alcaide) lined up second for the host nation ahead of The Netherlands’ Hans Peter Minderhoud (Glock’s Zinardi) in third.
At the opening leg of the 2019/2020 qualifying series in Herning, Denmark in October it was the home side’s Cathrine Dufour who reigned supreme, but Schneider’s compatriot’s Isabell Werth and Jessica von Bredow-Werndl dominated at the next two rounds. Today Schneider made it a back-to-back German hat-trick, but it wasn’t all plain sailing for the partnership whose record includes European team gold in 2017, World Championship team gold in 2018 and a fifth-place finish at the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final in Paris (FRA) three years ago. Because Sammy was really on his toes this evening….
“He was very good in the Grand Prix yesterday, but in the beginning of the Freestyle today he felt really fresh and we made one mistake in the extended trot and then in the two-tempis. I know him so very long now, I’ve been riding him for five years and he has a lot of his own ideas about how we should be doing things! But that’s one of the reasons I love him - he has so much character, we have a great feeling together and he just keeps getting better all the time!”, Schneider said.
Spain was well-represented with five starters in the 13-strong field, and it was Jose Daniel Martin Dockx and Manchego Arb who were in the lead on a score of 73.265 at the halfway stage. But fellow-countryman Juan Matute Guimon steered Don Diego out in front as the final group of competitors took their turn, only for his mark of 74.460 to be immediately overtaken by Great Britain’s Richard Davison and Bubblingh who put 74.615 on the board.
Castilla Ruiz blew the competition wide open however with a spectacular ride on his handsome 14-year-old stallion Alcaide when fifth-last to go. When Madrid joined the Western European League series for the first time last year this pair wowed the home crowd with a really enjoyable performance to take runner-up spot behind Spanish legend Beatriz Ferrer-Salat and Delgado. And they didn’t disappoint this time out either. Once again kicking off their floorplan with one-handed one-tempi changes, and consistently producing quality piaffe/passage, they completed with a confident final halt to raise the bar all the way up to 80.230.
That was always going to be challenging, and when Schneider’s average was hovering around 79 percent it wasn’t clear if her double of errors was going to leave the double-Olympian vulnerable in the final analysis. But the pure quality of Sammy’s work, including his grace and elevation in passage and his fabulous pirouettes along with strong artistic scores edged the pair up to a final tally of 82.295 which clinched it definitively.
Second-last to go, Dutch star and 2016 FEI Dressage World Cup champion, Hans Peter Minderhoud, was pleased that his 15-year-old grey stallion, Glock’s Zinardi, coped with the arena atmosphere. “It wasn’t easy for him because he’s a bit spooky, but it was great to be here for the first time in Madrid and with today’s points I’m now almost qualified for Las Vegas - I’ve been there three times before and I would love to ride there again!” he said after slotting into third place on 78.350 and moving up to the top of the Western European League table. Last to go, Morgan Barbancon Mestre from France (Sir Donnerhall) finished fourth which leaves her lying joint-fourth in the League moving on to the next leg in Salzburg, Austria next Saturday.
The top nine in the WEL rankings will qualify for the 2020 FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final and Schneider, now in joint-seventh after four of the 11 qualifying legs, has qualification clearly in her sights. But it’s not easy being German it seems, because as it stands her compatriots Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, Frederic Wandres and Benjamin Werndl are ahead of her on the league table and they all want the same thing - to be one of the two Germans who will join defending champion Isabell Werth for the season finale in the Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas, USA next April.
“We have so many very good riders, and we all want to go!” said Schneider tonight.
Result here
WEL Standings here
Double Olympic team gold medallist and five-time Olympian Ingrid Klimke was announced as winner of the Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete award 2019 at the FEI Awards Gala presented by Longines in Moscow (RUS) tonight.
The glittering gala awards ceremony, which took place in the splendid surrounds of the Kremlin State Palace in the Russian capital, was attended by more than 400 distinguished guests, including top sporting legends, National Federations, FEI partners and stakeholders.
Tonight’s award is the latest in a series of accolades for German Eventing legend Klimke, who was also nominated for the Best Athlete honour in 2015 and 2017. Klimke received the award from Peden Bloodstock’s Managing Director Martin Atock.
In September, the 51-year-old successfully defended her title at the Longines FEI Eventing European Championships on home turf in Luhmühlen with SAP Hale Bob OLD, becoming only the second person in European history to win back-to-back titles on the same horse. Klimke’s stunning performance in Luhmühlen also led Germany to team gold.
Klimke is the third German female to win the Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete award, following in the footsteps of six-time Dressage Olympic gold medallist Isabell Werth in 2017 and FEI World Equestrian Games™ Jumping champion Simone Blum in 2018.
“I’m really proud that after Isabell Werth and Simone Blum, I’m now winning,” Klimke said. “It’s three women from Germany from three different disciplines. I’m very proud to be here and to win the Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete Award.”
The evening saw Semmieke Rothenberger also flying the flag high for Germany when she took home this year’s Longines FEI Rising Star Award. The 20-year-old has won 22 FEI European Championship medals ranging from ponies category through to Young Riders.
“To win the Longines FEI Rising Star Award it’s really special for me as it sums up this year perfectly,” Rothenberger said. “What makes it really special is that my brother has won it before. So now we’ve got two people in this family who’ve won the Rising Star award. That just makes me very, very happy. My future goal, after following in the footsteps of my brother, is to compete in the Olympic Games. Now that’s a very big goal but it would be a nice thing to work towards.”
Rothenberger received her award from Longines Vice President of Marketing Matthieu Baumgartner. “This award celebrates youth, talent, determination and the stars of tomorrow,” Baumgartner said. “The work ethic and drive that you see in rising stars like Semmieke is closely aligned with our brand values and one of the main reasons why Longines supports this award. We are proud to be part of this journey in such a talented young athlete’s life.”
The Cavalor FEI Best Groom Award was presented to Madeleine Broek (NED) in recognition of her tireless efforts behind the scenes for Dutch Olympian and Jumping star Marc Houtzager. The award, presented by Cavalor’s Founder and Managing Director Peter Bollen, is given each year to grooms who work behind the scenes providing the best possible care for their equine athletes.
“It’s not really a job but a way of living and you get so much back from the horse, so that’s why it will never be a boring day or a boring week,” Broek said. “Winning the Cavalor FEI Best Groom Award means a lot to me because you feel really appreciated for everything you do. It’s a lot of work and I feel really appreciated.”
This year’s FEI Solidarity Award went to Uno Yxklinten (SWE), the Educational Leader of the first Farriers’ training programme in Zambia, set up with the aim of increasing the know-how of farriers in order to improve the well-being of horses in the African country.
Presented by Russian National Federation President Marina Sechina, the award is given each year to an equestrian development project or an individual or organisation that has demonstrated skill, dedication and energy in expanding equestrian sport. “Winning the FEI Solidarity Award 2019 is of course something big,” Yxklinten said. “I’m humbled and I’m so happy that we actually got this prize. It makes a difference in Zambia for many people.”
Taking the FEI Against All Odds Award was Zhenqiang Li (CHN) who started riding at the age of 27 and became a professional athlete just two years later. He was the first Chinese equestrian athlete to obtain the minimum eligibility requirements for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Sadly, in 2009, his horse Jumpy passed away from cancer leaving Zhenqiang without his beloved equine partner and in financial trouble. Zhenqiang recovered from those difficult times, setting up an equestrian centre in Guangzhou.
“I hope that other Chinese riders will now follow the title of this award, Against All Odds, to work together to overcome the challenges of developing Chinese equestrianism,” Li said. “Thank you to the FEI for supporting the sport in China and for all the people who voted for me at home and abroad. Your support and encouragement will inspire other Chinese riders to reach their goals.”
FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez presented the award to Li’s children Yaofeng Li and Zuxian Li who were in the Russian capital on their father’s behalf. Zhenqiang Li competed with his son Yoafeng Li, a former Youth Olympic Games athlete, to earn China’s qualification earlier this year for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The FEI Against All Odds Award is for someone who has pursued their equestrian ambitions despite a physical handicap or extremely difficult personal circumstances.
“Each year we receive a high calibre of nominees for the FEI Awards,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said. “Our winners this evening are perfect examples of the excellence, commitment, dedication and courage that are required in equestrian sport.
“When my predecessor HRH Princess Haya introduced these awards 11 years ago, our hope was to celebrate not just sporting achievement but also the unsung champions of our sport. This evening’s winners have inspired everyone at tonight’s gala here in Moscow as well as a new generation of athletes who need heroes to emulate.”
For the second year running, Paralympic gold medalist Natasha Baker (GBR) and Dressage ace Juan Matute Guimon (ESP) took to the stage to emcee the Awards ceremony.
The winners of the five awards were decided by combining 50% of a public vote and 50% of the judges’ vote for the final result. There were 130,000 online votes cast this year for the nominees.
Photo caption: The winners of the FEI Awards 2019 (left to right): Ingrid Klimke, Uno Yxklinten, Madeleine Broek, Semmieke Rothenberger, Zuxian Li and Yaofeng Li
Notes to Editors:
Full information on the FEI Awards 2019 and past winners are available here.
Share the news using hashtags #FEIAwards2019 @FEI_global
You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
Images and Content
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The FEI President welcomed the new members to the final in-person Board meeting of the FEI General Assembly 2019 here in Moscow. After congratulating Jack Huang, Regional Group VIII Chair, who was elected as the new FEI Vice President, Ingmar De Vos welcomed two new Board members, Marina Sechina, the newly elected Chair of FEI Regional Group III, and Sami Al Duhami (KSA), the new Chair of FEI Regional Group VII, who was unable to attend the General Assembly.
The Board then made the final decisions of the FEI General Assembly 2019.
Nayla Stössel (SUI), who was elected to the FEI Nominations Committee during today’s General Assembly, was elected as Chair of the Committee by the FEI Board.
The Board approved Rules for the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Rules 2020 and the EEF Jumping Nations Cup Series and Rules 2020. Final approval of the Global Champions League Rules 2020 was postponed until the Board has further clarification in a number of areas.
As the rules for qualification to the Youth Olympic Games 2022 in Dakar (SEN) need to be adapted, a proposal will be put forward to the Board in December and then forwarded to the IOC for approval. Similarly, a decision on rescheduling the Pan-American Endurance Championships, which were due to be held in Chile but were postponed due to civil unrest in the country, and allocation of the FEI Endurance and Reining World Championships 2022, will be taken at the FEI Board’s teleconference next month.
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.
Discussions on the proposed Rules revisions for Endurance, the future of Reining as an FEI discipline and a general Rules session were the key focus for debate at the FEI General Assembly in Moscow (RUS) today.
FEI Vice President Mark Samuel, who has acted as FEI Board liaison on the Endurance Temporary Committee (ETC) charged with a full review of the discipline’s Rules, was moderator for the dedicated Endurance session and was uncompromising in his message to delegates on the critical importance of the ETC’s work and tomorrow’s vote.
“This journey has been a sacred trust”, he said in his opening. “The status quo was clearly unacceptable. It is the time now for action rather than more words. Our partner, the horse is counting on us.”
Along with the feedback received as part of the consultation process, there was further input from National Federations at yesterday’s Regional Group meetings. As a result, the ETC made additional revisions to the proposed Rules which will be voted on at the General Assembly tomorrow, and these were explained in detail by Committee Chair Dr Sarah Coombs.
She too stressed the importance of horse welfare and the level playing field: “The welfare of the horse is our number one priority: not competition, not commercial or business interests and not administrative convenience. Every one of us is bound by the Code of Conduct for the welfare of the horse. This requires that we respect the horse during and outside competition, above all else.
“The use of illicit drugs is an abuse of the welfare of the horse. Clean Sport is a fundamental aspect of the contract to participate in FEI competitions. Where the use of banned substances and controlled medication and in particular the widespread use of nerve desensitisation has come into our sport it must be rigorously dealt with.”
Multiple topics were raised on the proposed amendments during the session, which was allowed to exceed its allotted three-hour slot to allow for all points of view to be aired. Minimum athlete weight, qualifications, ride distances, novice rides, rotation of Officials, change of trainers and the date of implementation should the Rules be approved were all debated at length.
Tomorrow’s vote on the overall approval of the Endurance Rules, which will include the date of implementation in 2020, and with the option to vote on individual provisions separately, will only be taken once the additional proposed amendments have been voted on.
The day’s sessions opened with debate on the Future of Reining. Discussion focused on a new Cooperation Agreement between the FEI and the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) as well as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) aimed at ensuring the sustainable growth of the discipline over the next four years if it remains in the FEI. The Agreement sets out the parameters of the partnership regarding jurisdiction of events, the implementation of suitable controls by the NRHA to monitor whether an event is international or national, and the consequences of any material breach.
The FEI Board has approved the terms of the four-year Agreement, which was signed by the NRHA on 13 November, but countersignature by the FEI is pending approval by the General Assembly.
FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez opened the session by providing delegates with an overview of the situation since termination of the original FEI/NRHA Cooperation Agreement in November 2018, followed by an explanation of a potential four-year roadmap for the discipline by Sven Friesecke, Chair of the FEI Reining Committee.
Feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive for keeping Reining in the FEI Family and this also resonated in the comments from the floor during this morning’s debate.
At tomorrow’s Extraordinary General Assembly, National Federations will be asked to vote on maintaining Reining as an FEI discipline, based on the Agreement with the NRHA and the KPIs, and also vote on retaining the discipline in the FEI Statutes. If tomorrow’s vote is favourable, the FEI will also reach out to the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) to agree terms for a cooperation.
The afternoon also included a general session on periodical Rules revisions, which would see Rules amendments changed to a four-year cycle, the General Regulations, the Sports Rules of the other disciplines not included in the dedicated sessions, and the Veterinary Regulations.
The planned full revision of the sports Rules for Jumping, Dressage and Para Dressage, which was scheduled next year, will be postponed to 2021, after the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Delegates were advised that, following feedback from National Federations involved in the FEI Nations Cup™ series, the proposed revisions to Articles 103 (Official International Events) and 108 (Titles of Competitions) of the FEI General Regulations have been withdrawn by the FEI.
Proposed amendments to Article 140 of the FEI General Regulations, the mandatory requirement for protective headgear to be worn while riding anywhere on the show grounds, were also discussed. This will be voted on separately at the General Assembly tomorrow, with a choice of implementation on 1 January 2020 or a potential postponement until 1 January 2021 in order to allow for education and for manufacturers to produce sufficient quantities of protective headgear.
Delegates were updated on a merged proposal for amendments to Chapter IX in the Veterinary Regulations on pony measuring. This combines aspects of the first proposal sent to National Federations and stakeholders on 8 July, including the three-year transition period, with aspects of the 22 October 2019 proposal such as the Lifetime FEI Measurement Certificate for ponies that measured in during 2017, 2018 and 2019. This will be voted on as part of the Veterinary Regulations tomorrow.
All presentations from today’s sessions are published on Inside.FEI.org.
Photo caption: The dedicated Endurance Rules session attracted a full house and generated constructive dialogue in Moscow (RUS) this afternoon during the FEI General Assembly 2019. (FEI/Liz Gregg)
Notes to Editors
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.
For the second year in a row, Belgium’s Pieter Devos and his 14-year-old gelding, Apart, came out on top at the super-competitive fifth leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2019/2020 Western European League in Stuttgart, Germany today where defending series champion, Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat, had to settle for second ahead of last week’s winner, Great Britain’s Scott Brash, in third.
As always, German course designer Christa Jung didn’t make it easy for the 39 starters in the first round, but the quality of the field ensured an 11-horse jump-off against the clock that had the crowd sitting on the edges of their seats.
“In my opinion this was the toughest leg of the series so far. They always build big here, it’s always technical and tough, but because of the big arena and the very good ground horses jump well”, Devos said this evening. And he’s delighted that, now lying second on the League table with 40 points already on the board, he looks well set for the Longines Final 2020 in Las Vegas, USA next April. “I’ve done three qualifiers with three different horses, I’m almost there and I’m very happy!” he added.
Ireland’s Richard Howley and Chinook led the way in the jump-off with a fast round in 45.56 seconds but leaving a fence on the floor. Third into the ring, Guerdat was clear but a little slower when breaking the beam with Venard de Cerisy in 45.87, and Brash challenged that with a strong run with Hello Senator but was a little off the pace when crossing the line in 46.05 seconds.
It was clear Guerdat’s leading time could be beaten when Spain’s Eduardo Alvarez Aznar and Rokfeller de Pleville Bois Margot galloped through the finish in 45.20 seconds, however leaving an element of the double on the floor. But as Devos set off off he wasn’t convinced he would be the man to do it, and when Apart lost his footing on the turn after the wall three from home, he reckoned his chance was definitely gone.
“I saw Steve’s ride on the the screen and I thought this would not be my day because he was very fast! And then after my slip after the wall I thought I wouldn’t be quick enough, but when I rode over the finish line I was - so I’m very, very happy!”, he said after posting what turned out to be the winning time of 45.35.
But the excitement lasted to the very end, with the penultimate partnership of Philip Weishaupt and Che Fantastica producing a breathtaking round that drove the home crowd into a frenzy of excitement. Way up on time coming to the last, the German partnership stormed home in 43.63 seconds, but an awkward jump at the last saw the pole fall for four faults which left them in fifth place at the end of the day, just behind Switzerland’s Pius Schwizer and Cortney Cox whose double-clear in 46.25 slotted them into fourth.
“I need to try to do better and leave the poles up in the jump-off next time!”, Weishaupt joked afterwards. “For four or five months I had not so many clear rounds so I really wanted to do it today. Maybe I went a little too wild at the last one and should have given the mare a chance to jump it, but I’m still happy with her, she jumped great!” he said.
Runner-up Guerdat congratulated Devos on his winning performance - “Pieter did a great job!” he said. Talking about his own result he said, “I’m happy to be second as I did not have the jump-off I expected on the last line. My horse responded too well after the wall and turning back to the skinny oxer, and I planned eight (strides) to the last but I changed my mind and I ended up with 10! There were other riders faster than me but they had an unlucky one down so I was lucky today to finish second, but I’m very happy with my horse”.
Devos was delighted with Apart. “I think he must like the arena here, and the Stuttgart crowd! He felt amazing here last year and again this year he was super!”, he pointed out. And he was very pleased when awarded a brand new Mercedes-Benz as his winner’s prize. “My wife needs a new car so she’ll very happy!” he said.
World No. 1 and three-time Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ champion, Guerdat, still leads the Western European League table going into the sixth of the 14 qualifiers in Madrid (ESP) in two weeks’ time, with Devos in second and Brash in third. The British rider has now accumulated 35 points, and with something in the region of 40 normally sufficient to secure one of the top-18 places that will make the cut to the Final, also looks well on the road to the bright lights of the Las Vegas where the 2020 champion will be crowned.
Result here
Standings here
Watch highlights here
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