Jumping is an extreme test of horsemanship, nerve and skill and a spectacular mix of courage, control and technical ability!

2019 FEI Jumping facts and figures

Top 3 NFs with Events in Jumping:

Greatest increase since 2018: Spain +54 Events

Top 3 NFs with registered Athletes in Jumping:

Greatest increase since 2018: Canada +113 Athletes

Top 3 NFs with registered Horses in Jumping:

Greatest increase since 2018: Ireland +130 Horses

Major Events 2019

Every year we have the opportunity to witness the best Jumping partnerships in the world battle it out for prestigious titles and 2019 provided many a memorable moment with edge of the seat Championships and Finals taking our breath away. Discover the newly crowned champions in Jumping and take a moment to revisit the highlights of 2019.

• Check out all the latest Jumping sporting highlights on our dedicated FEI Jumping YouTube channel 
• Watch all the main Events live and on replay on FEI.TV 
• Follow Jumping on our dedicated Facebook and Instagram portals

Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final, Gothenburg (SWE)

Dating back to 1977, the Gothenburg Horse Show has a long and colourful history with the FEI World Cup™ series. The very first FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final took place there in 1979 and we have since returned regularly to crown champions, this being the 15^th time the Jumping Final was hosted in the prestigious Scandinavium arena!

Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat, showed everyone just why he is the number one rider in the world to date, when holding his nerve under the most intense pressure, taking the title once again, this time with the eleven year old gelding Alamo. It was an intense final, leaving Guerdat no room for manoeuvre, as any mistake would have cost him the highest step of the podium. Alamo, until then considered a little inexperienced at this level of competition, brilliantly rose to the occasion, clearing the difficult course set by Spanish Course Designer Santiago Varela and bringing home the win. Compatriot Martin Fuchs and his loyal companion Clooney 51 took second place and local hero Peder Fredricson came in third on H&M All In.

Guerdat is now part of an elite group of three-time World Cup winners that also includes Germany’s Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Marcus Ehning, Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa and Austria’s Hugo Simon, the man who won the very first title in Gothenburg in 1979.

Podium

Pan American Games, Lima (PER)

Brazilian athlete Pedro Veniss led the way for the winning nation in Jumping at this 18^th edition of the Pan American Games. Together with his compatriots Marlon Modolo Zanotelli, Edouardo Menezes and Rodrigo Lambre, Brazil took team gold finishing with a total of 12.39 points. It was a tight battle for silver, with Mexico ultimately claiming the runner-up honours on a score of 22.97 ahead of the USA in bronze.

It was a really special day. I think we have an amazing team. It’s really, really nice to have that medal with these guys. – Pedro Veniss

Brazil was atop the podium again in the individual Jumping Final as Marlon Modolo Zanotelli jumped to gold together with his brilliant Selle Francais mare Sirene de la Motte. It was also a dream come true for Argentina’s amateur rider José María Larocca, Jr. who came closest to matching the winner.

I wanted a medal. That was the objective, and incredibly, it happened! – José María Larocca Jr.

It was also a thrilling finish for the bronze medal, as four riders finished on four faults, leading to a jump-off. In the end, it was USA’s Beezie Madden and her powerful stallion Breitling LS, already bronze medallist from the team competition, who earned a second, crossing the finish line with a clear round in 42.47 seconds.

Team Podium

Individual Podium

Longines FEI Jumping European Championships, Rotterdam (NED)

It was a dream come true for team Belgium as they rose to the top of the leaderboard, winning their first-ever team medal in the 62-year history of the FEI European Jumping Championships, and along with it their ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. It was edge-of-the-seat sport until the very end. Germany started out strong the first day, but with two faults on day two, slipped into silver position giving the Belgians the window of opportunity they needed. Great Britain started out in fourth position following the first competition and then jumped up to the third step of the podium.

We all think the same way and we are all good friends, and this is why we got the gold – Pieter Devos (Team Belgium)

With one clear round after the other, British athlete Ben Maher and his phenomenal horse Explosion W led the way into the individual final followed closely by Martin Fuchs (SUI) and Jos Verlooy (BEL). With the gold medal and title of European Champion only a heartbeat away, Maher was the last athlete to enter the arena. Unfortunately it was not meant to be. With one fence down, gold turned into silver, making Martin Fuchs and Clooney 51 Longines FEI Jumping European Champions 2019.

 Ben has been great over the past two years and especially at this championship again I didn’t think I would beat him or that he would make a fault, but obviously I am very happy to be winning here – Martin Fuchs

Team Podium

Individual Podium

Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final, Barcelona (ESP)

Team Belgium, the 2018 winners, looked supremely confident when topping the first round of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain. Second in line after day one was France, ahead of Sweden and Colombia, tied in third place.

Ireland brought the competition to a thrilling climax, when Rodrigo Pessoa’s team of Peter Moloney, Paul O’Shea, Darragh Kenny and Cian O’Connor made a comeback from fifth position, clinching victory in fine style. Completing with just a single time fault, they pinned the defending champions from Belgium into runner-up spot while Sweden lined up in third. And to put the icing on the Irish cake, they also collected the Olympic qualifying spot they have been craving for a very long time.

Podium

Youth in the spotlight

FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Youth Final, Opglabbeek (BEL)

For the second year in a row, the next generation of Jumping stars were united in Sentower Park in Opglabbeek, proudly representing their countries for the FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Youth Final 2019.

Nine qualifiers led them to Belgium in four categories (Ponies, Children, Juniors and Young Riders) and following an impressive level of competition, with athletes truly rising to the occasion, the 2019 winners emerged:

Team Podium: Young Riders

Team Podium: Juniors

Team Podium: Children

Team Podium: Ponies

FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championships for Young Horses, Lanaken (BEL)

Horses always take centre stage at this prestigious annual event that highlights future stars and brings together top sport, quality breeding and horse sales while recognising and rewarding breeders, owners and athletes. This year was a two-fold Irish celebration, with success was achieved by stunning performances not only from the four-legged athletes, but also by a young generation of Irish athletes with so much promise.

From a starting field of 243 combinations, a total of 46 made the cut into the five-year-old medal-decider and 11 qualified for the second-round jump-off against the clock. Chacco Bay ridden by Michael Pender (IRL) looked to have snatched the gold, but the stallion was pipped by an extraordinary run from Jason Foley on the Kannan mare Rockwell RC ridden by Jason Foley. Bronze went to the Zangersheide mare Skylandria Z and 26-year-old Emma Stoker.

Podium: 5-year-old

There was a massive field of 265 Horses in contention for the six-year-old medals and 39 of those qualified for the final in which 16 went into the second-round jump-off. The BWP stallion Nero de Semilly N set a strong target in the jump-off with Belgium’s Jeroen Appelen, but third-last to go, the Rheinlander Chao Lee smashed that time with Katrin Eckermann. And that couldn’t be bettered, despite a superb effort from the final Irish duo of MHS Cardenta and Michael Pender who had to settle for runner-up spot.

Podium: 6-year-old

A total of 201 Horses battled it out for the seven-year-old honours and 40 made it through to the medal decider which came down to an eight-way jump-off against the clock. Four out of the eight managed to complete double clear rounds. Cipollini Second Life Z took the lead with Brazil’s Victor Mariano Luminatti, and despite a very classy clear from the Hannoverian gelding Policeman 2 and Marco Kutscher, the Brazilian was still out in front when the German star crossed the line over a second slower. But, last to go, young Irishman Seamus Hughes Kennedy had his foot to the floor with the ISH mare Cuffesgrange Cavadora, and when the pair galloped through the finish line they demoted Luminatti to silver medal spot and pushed Kutscher into bronze.

Podium: 7-year-old