Celebrating Heroes, Excellence, Commitment, Dedication & Courage

The 2017 edition was bigger, better and brighter than ever with the launch of the public vote on www.fei.org, fantastic winners and the world premiere of the Two Hearts song written and performed by Swedish pop artists Matilda Frommegård and Martin Cederlöf.

Joint-Masters of Ceremonies, TV news anchor Victoria Rodriguez (URU) together with author and entertainer Guillermo Lockhart (URU), host of Voces Anonimas, went on to present the winners of the five categories, in front of more than 270 distinguished guests, including top sporting legends, equestrian fans, FEI partners and stakeholders representing the member Federations.

And the winners are…

FEI Best Athlete:

Isabel WERTH (GER)

Longines Rising Star:

Harry ALLEN (IRL)

Harry Allen (IRL), double gold medallist at the FEI European Pony Championships 2017 in Kaposvar (HUN), was recognised for his numerous outstanding performances throughout the year. The talented Irish athlete (16) was also presented with a Longines Conquest Classic Chronograph watch by Longines’ Vice President and Head of International Marketing Juan-Carlos Capelli.

Against All Odds:

Emma BOOTH (AUS)

Emma Booth (AUS) was commended for her strength, resilience, determination and drive as she was presented with the Against All Odds Award. Emma (26) was left paralysed after a road traffic accident in April 2013, yet nothing stops her passion for equestrian sport and she was already planning her campaign around the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Best Groom:

Alan DAVIES (GBR)

Alan Davies (GBR), recognised for his tireless behind the scenes efforts for Dressage stars Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester, was presented with the FEI Best Groom Award.

Praising the unsung heroes of the sport, Alan (48) was visibly moved by the public support for his dedication, commitment and hard work, saying “words can’t describe how I feel, it’s just amazing!”

FEI Solidarity:

Federation of India

The former Vice President of the Indian Equestrian Federation, Manoj Jalan accepted the FEI Solidarity Award for the inaugural Retraining of Racehorses (ROR) project in Assam (IND).

The People’s Choice

2017 was the first time the FEI Awards shortlists were presented to not only a distinguished panel of judges but also to the public vote on www.fei.org! The first public vote was met with great success with 100,000 votes received over the 10-day voting period.

The Judges

• President of the Jury: Ingmar De Vos, FEI President
• Juan-Carlos Capelli, Longines Vice President, Head of International Marketing
• Nick Skelton (GBR), FEI Awards 2016 Best Athlete winner
• Prince Moulay Abdellah Alaoui, President of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports FEI Awards 2016 FEI Solidarity winner
• Lisa Roskens (USA), FEI World Cup™ Final 2017 Organising Committee Director
• Laetitia d’ Arenberg (URU), Estancia Las Rosas – Lapataiad’ Arenberg Group
• Mona Tep (CAM), President of the Cambodian Equestrian National Federation

FEI Awards Gala presented by Longines

The winners were announced at a glittering ceremony at the Kibon Avanza in Montevideo, Uruguay – see the highlights here.