Annual Report 2021
In a year where sport was largely put on hold, the FEI found a novel way to celebrate the fantastic ambassadors within the equestrian community with a retrospective lens looking back on a decade of FEI Award winners and success stories.
Edition
Categories
Winners
Winners since 2009
The number may be unlucky for some, but for the winners of the 13th edition of the FEI Awards, it was definitely one to remember as the stars of equestrian sport were honoured in Antwerp (BEL), in an evening filled with glitz and glam.
The 300 distinguished guests, including local sporting legends, National Federations, FEI partners and stakeholders were in for a very special treat that night. As the 12th edition of the FEI Awards gala could not take place in-person due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2021 celebration also celebrated the 2020 winners: Ingrid Klimke (Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete), Semmieke Rothenberger (Longines FEI Rising Star), Carmen Thiemann (Cavalor FEI Best Groom), Angelika Trabert (FEI Against All Odds), and the Ebony Horse Club (FEI Solidarity Award).
The 2021 Longines FEI Rising Star award went to the individual and team champion at the FEI Eventing European Championships for Young Riders 2021 in Segersjö (SWE), and bronze medallist at the 2021 German National Championships for Young Riders, Greta Busacker.
I’m very pleased to receive the Longines FEI Rising Star Award. Words can’t describe how honoured I feel because there are so many young talented riders out there who work as hard I do and I get to stand here. This is for my whole team, my family and my friends. Without them I’d be nothing.
She also paid tribute to Scrabble, the 10-year old Oldenburg gelding she has been competing with since 2019.
With Scrabble, I’ve learned to be patient. When I stand in the starting box and the countdown is on, I know that I can trust him one hundred percent. He has such courage and never gives up. Our connection is such a strong bond. Thank you Scrabble!
Greta’s win made the FEI Awards a family affair, with her mother and Eventing legend Ingrid Klimke a recipient of the 2019 and 2020 Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete Awards, and her god mother Carmen Thiemann the recipient of the FEI Best Groom Awards in 2013 and 2020!
Peder Fredricson added the Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete Award to his already impressive trophy cabinet of Olympic and European Championship medals, as well as his spot as leader of the Longines World Ranking that he took in October 2021 for the first time in his career.
Not only did he win individual silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, but his outstanding performances also contributed to Sweden winning its first Team Jumping Olympic gold medal in almost 100 years. The medal marked 29 years since Peder Fredricson made his Olympic debut at the age of 20 at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, when he was an accomplished Eventer and the youngest-ever Olympic equestrian athlete for Sweden.
I’m really proud and grateful for the Peden Bloodstock Best Athlete Award. It means a lot to me, my team, and all my owners,” Fredricson said. “Thank you very much to the FEI, to Longines for the beautiful watch and also to Peden Bloodstock for supporting the Award. I would like to thank all the people who voted for me too. I’m also very excited to be number one in the Longines Rankings. It’s a goal I’ve had for a couple of years.
I always try to do my best and improve myself, my team and the horses, rather than beat anyone else. We all work really hard to keep the horses fit and healthy, to achieve these goals and win many medals along the way. I’m also very grateful to my horse owners who stand by me and provide me this good string of horses. Thank you very much!
Marie Johansson was the winner of the Cavalor FEI Best Groom Award 2021, a well-deserved tribute to her hard work and dedication in looking after the horses of Dressage superstar Patrik Kittel (SWE). Marie has been by Kittel’s side at every major event since 2008, with an enthusiasm and a passion that is simply admirable.
Kittel and his wife Lyndal Oatley were also present at the Awards gala to celebrate this special evening with Marie, who received the award from Cavalor Founder and Managing Director Peter Bollen. She also accepted a Cavalor gift voucher given each year to grooms working behind the scenes, to provide the best possible care for their equine athletes.
This award means everything to me”, Johansson said. “It’s amazing that we grooms can also be a part of this gala. I’m so happy about all the people who voted for me, it’s such a big thing. I’m super happy and super proud! Really!
Taking the FEI Against All Odds Award was Beatrice de Lavalette (USA), who tragically lost both legs in the March 2016 terrorist attack at the Zaventem Airport in Brussels (BEL) and went on to make her Paralympic debut in Tokyo in Para Dressage.
The Award, given to someone who has pursued their equestrian ambitions in the face of adversity, was presented by FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez and President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee Anne d’Ieteren. To further recognise Beatrice de Lavalette’s accomplishment, the Longines’ Vice President Marketing Matthieu Baumgartner rewarded her with a refined timepiece.
This Award means everything!” De Lavalette said. “The FEI stands for the highest standard of competition I can achieve, so being recognised by them is awesome and a true honour. It shows me that everything I have done these five or six years has been seen and people have realised how big it really is.
As a result of the attack, I lost a part of myself and my freedom. It took me a while to get through my sadness of losing my legs, losing my ability to walk, and waking up in a completely different life. Every time I get on a horse, I gain my freedom back. I get to ride a horse almost as everybody else. I get to ride a horse pretty damn well. I love doing it. Experimenting and doing different things with the horses gives a sense of power that I often lose being in a chair. So having that sense of freedom and that power back means everything.
The 2021 FEI Solidarity Award went to China’s Equuleus Charity, founded by its CEO Michelle Wang Qiang, which aims to support young and underprivileged students to reach their equestrian dream while successfully completing their academic studies in parallel.
Presented by FEI President Ingmar De Vos, Chair of the FEI Solidarity Committee, 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.
I would like to thank, first of all, the FEI and FEI Solidarity who really care about what people do,” Wang Qiang said.
I would also like to thank the Chinese Equestrian Association, who support colleges, students, and our charity and I would like to thank our partner foundations and also Alex Hua Tin and his mother Sarah Noble.
To celebrate the FEI Awards and pay tribute to China’s time-honoured tradition of valuing and cherishing horses, Michelle Wang Qiang wrote an iconic text on how to identify an exceptional horse by eighth century Tang Dynasty scholar, poet and government official Han Yu in calligraphy, and dedicated her work to the FEI Awards Ceremony.
Since 2017 (with the exception of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic), the winners of the FEI Awards are decided by combining 50% of the public’s vote received through the FEI Awards webpage, and 50% of the judges’ vote. Over 100,000 votes are received every year from the public.
