Launched in 2012, FEI Solidarity is a global programme aimed at promoting and enhancing equestrian culture. The programme works directly with member National Federations provide the tools, knowledge and infrastructure required to develop equestrian sport and nurture talent, from grassroots to the world stage. The FEI Solidarity Programme has provided assistance to more than 90 Member National Federations since its inception and has been involved in over 460 projects.

Of these projects, 237 have been completed, some are in progress and others have yet to begin due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel restrictions, sport activities and sanitary measures.

What type of support does FEI Solidarity provide?

FEI Solidarity support is focussed on four key pillars of activity (National Federation, Athlete, Coach and Values) and three types of assistance, with a catalogue of programmes available in each of the pillars to best target and fulfil specific development needs.

INCREASING THE SCOPE // SINCE 2012…

In 2021, nearly half of the project applications focused on the NATIONAL FEDERATION pillar, the others were split between the ATHLETE and VALUES pillars.

2020 FEI Solidarity assistance by pillar

*These figures include funds allocated to National Federation projects (i.e. 461 projects since the launch of the programme in 2012) as well as development related assistance/funding for grassroots events and series, education and IT programmes, horse transport/quarantine costs.

2021 Highlights

EURASIA DRESSAGE CHAMPIONSHIP PROJECT 2021

The aim of this Regional Group III project was to develop the discipline of Dressage in the Eurasia Region, with particular emphasis place on the preparation of national teams for the Eurasian Dressage Championship 2021. This project was initiated by the Eurasian Equestrian Association with the assistance of FEI Solidarity and was open to Children, Juniors, Young Riders and Senior Athletes of Group III. It consisted of three different phases and was delivered by three Russian Technical Experts.

Phase 1 – Talent identification (April – May 2021)

Talent Identification sessions were organised in April and May 2021 in Belarus, Iran, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and were delivered by Ms Alexandra Korelova (RUS). The main goal of Phase 1 was to identify future talent for the National Teams of these countries for the Eurasian Dressage Championship 2021. The Talent Identification sessions were organised over three days, including two days of technical training and one day of training competition where the young athletes presented the FEI Children, Junior, Young Rider Team Tests and Seniors, the FEI Prix St Georges Test. The sessions ended with individual interviews with each Athlete.

Phase 2 – Qualification (May – June 2021)

Athletes who were identified during the Talent Identification sessions were required to take part in the FEI Dressage World Challenge WCHA to qualify for the Championship. They were selected based on their results obtained in the following levels of the Challenge:

• FEI Children Team Test (Youth Category of WCHA-D)
• FEI Children Individual Test (Senior I Category of WCHA-D)
• FEI Junior Team Test (Senior II Category of WCHA-D)
• FEI Prix St Georges Test
• FEI Intermediate I Test

Phase 3 – Preparation (July 2021)

The last step on the road to the Eurasian Dressage Championship in 2021 was the preparation of the selected athletes. Two training camps of four days were organised at the Maxima stables in Moscow (RUS), to prepare the selected athletes from Belarus, Iran, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan for the Championship. Technical Expert Ms Irina Ludina (RUS) conducted the camp for Children, Juniors and Young Riders from 10-13 July while Ms Olga Soboleva (RUS) led the Senior athletes training from 17-20 July.

A successful outcome…

As seen below, several athletes were able to compete at the Championship through the project’s support..

Participation at the Eurasian Dressage Championship in 2021

• Belarus: 6 Youth Athletes
• Iran: 3 Youth Athletes, 1 Senior Athlete
• Kyrgyzstan: 4 Youth Athletes & 3 Senior Athletes
• Uzbekistan: 3 Youth Athletes & 3 Senior Athletes & 2 Teams

ATHLETE TRAINING IN JUMPING – BOLIVIA

In 2021, FEI Solidarity started financing two Athlete Training Programmes in Jumping in Bolivia.

Youth Training

The aim of the first project is to improve the technical level of Young Jumping Athletes in Bolivia’s three main cities of La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, with the end goal being the preparation of a Children and Junior Team that can participate in the South American Youth Championship 2022.

Senior Training

The goal of the second project is to prepare a Jumping Team for the Bolivarian Games taking place in Valledupar, as well as for the South American Games 2022 in Asunción (PAR). There are early signs that this project is raising the level of compeition, with the progress of athletes clearly visible at the Senior National Championship 2021. It was in fact the first time ever, that the course of the National Jumping Championships for Seniors was built at 150cm.

FEI Covid-19 Relief Fund

Following a decision by the FEI Board on 10 September 2020, the FEI created the Covid-19 Relief Fund through FEI Solidarity, for National Federations (NFs) that have been severely impacted by the pandemic.

This Fund was available to eligible NFs from 1 October 2020 until 1 March 2021. The fund was open to NFs that are part of the FEI Solidarity Programme with proven equestrian activities, ranging from Level 3 to Level 7, in accordance with the Annual Subscription Index. A total of 105 NFs were eligible for financial assistance by the FEI in form of a grant of CHF 10,000 maximum per NF.

In total, CHF 670,000 have been distributed to 67 NFs that had applied for a grant.

Para Dressage in Turkey

In 2021, FEI Solidarity supported the development of Para Dressage in Turkey and the appointed FEI Solidarity Expert visited the country three times during the year. The first visit was spent identifying and assessing athletes, horses and coaches in Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara. During the second visit, the FEI Expert helped Coaches during a three-day clinic to prepare their students for the first ever National Para Dressage competition organised within the framework of a National Dressage event. A huge milestone was achieved during this second visit when six athletes were classified. A second clinic and National Para Dressage event were organised during the FEI Expert’s third visit to the country. The project has been extremely successful for the Turkish Equestrian Federation as it resulted in the organisation of Para Dressage competitions and classification of Turkish para athletes.

FEI COURSE FOR NATIONAL FEDERATIONS’ SECRETARY GENERALS & ADMINISTRATORS 2021

Course duration: 5 days

Attendance: According to a specific application procedure

Where: FEI Headquarters, Lausanne (SUI)

Certificates provided: Certificates of Attendance

An overview since 2017…

Since its inception, the course for NF Secretary Generals & Administrators has proven to be an indispensable tool in the development of the management of the sport for our National Federations.

FEI Gender Equality Grant

In 2020, the FEI joined the initiative of the United Nations and its Gender Equality programme by creating the FEI Gender Equality Grant. This grant of CHF 20,000 aims to develop and encourage gender equality in equestrian sport all around the world and is awarded every year to one National Federation project or programme seeking to promote gender equality on and off the field of play. This includes, but is not limited to, programmes relating to governance and administration, the growth of athlete participation at events as well as the development of skills for coaches, officials, grooms and farriers.

The FEI Gender Equality Grant 2021, was awarded to the National Federation of Chile, for their project supporting the organisation of courses promoting female participation and the development of equestrian sport in Latin America on all levels.

Horse Welfare – New Programmes in the FEI Solidarity catalogue

Stable Manager Education Programme

Following the successful education programme for Grooms in developing National Federations, FEI Solidarity identified the need for an Education Programme for Stable Managers.

Stable management is an important function in equestrian activity especially in developing National Federations that have sizeable equestrian infrastructures and quality sport horses, but lack the professional know-how to correctly maintain facilities and provide the best possible conditions for horses (footing, stabling, feeding, etc.).

A good Stable Manager makes a huge difference to the correct upkeep of horses and their welfare. Many National Federations have requested the creation of this programme to help reinforce and professionalise their staff.

The Stable Manager function is also a fundamental human resource at International Events, where horse welfare, biosecurity protocols, and the adherence to FEI rules and requirements regarding stabling conditions is of the utmost importance.

Experts Susanne Macken (IRL), Anthony Lowry (IRL) and Peter Strijbosch (NED) worked on creating the content for the FEI Solidarity Course for Stable Managers throughout 2021. The programme will be available in the FEI Solidarity catalogue during 2022.

Biosecurity Education Programme

While the Covid-19 pandemic challenged the world in 2021, the equestrian community also had to deal with the unexpected and severe outbreak of the Equine Herpes Virus-1 (EHV-1) in Europe, and the African Horse Sickness in Asia.

Both the EHV-1 outbreak and the African Horse Sickness reinforced the need, already observed in many countries, for more biosecurity knowledge. Give the importance for the community, in particularly event organisers, to be informed and educated on biosecurity, the FEI Solidarity Department will add a new Education Programme on Biosecurity to its catalogue. This programme, initiated in 2021, was created in collaboration with a group of equine professional experts in the field of biosecurity. The objective of this programme is to provide trainees with a sound understanding of the FEI biosecurity rules and standards so that they can support veterinarians at FEI Events and take action in the unlikely occurrence of an outbreak.

FEI Coach Education Programme

Courses for National Coaches

Although the number of courses organised for National Coaches in 2021 was lower than average due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the numbers had increased compared to 2020 when only four courses were conducted. Several National Federations have also shown interest in organising courses in the discipline of Endurance.

FEI Coach Education 2021

1. General online Tutors Seminar:
Between January and February 2021, four videoconferences were organised with FEI Tutors in the Olympic Disciplines as well as Endurance and Vaulting to discuss the content and format of the courses, and the evaluation process.

2. International Paralympic Committee (IPC) 2021 Covid-19 Grant Support Initiative (Para Dressage)
The IPC created the 2021 COVID-19 Grant Support Initiative as part of its commitment to support IPC members to develop Para sport. Through FEI Solidarity, the FEI was among the successful IF applicants to obtain funding through this grant for the creation of online content for Para Dressage Coach Education.

The FEI Solidarity Department worked in collaboration with the FEI Education Department on the implementation of this project, The Introduction to Para Dressage Coaching course will be available on FEI Campus in 2022.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

FEI World Challenges 2021

Although the pandemic is still ongoing, equestrian sport resumed in a number of countries in 2021 allowing National Federations to host the FEI Jumping World Challenge.

The FEI Jumping World Challenge 2021 Category A – Competition 3 – was a qualifier for many National Federations seeking to participate in the Youth Olympic Games replacement competition, the FEI Youth Equestrian Games (YEG) 2022, which will take place in Aachen (GER) from 28 June to 3 July 2022.

Among the 74 National Federations hoping to obtain a spot in the FEI YEG 2022, 55 were planning to do so through the FEI Jumping World Challenge Category A – Competition 3. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, there were only 41 National Federations that finally organised a qualification competition through the FEI Jumping World Challenge.

Breakdown of FEI Jumping World Challenge events per continental group:

Jumping

Category A

270 combinations made it to the rankings.

Category B

159 combinations in the World Rankings.

Category C

202 combinations in the World Rankings.

FEI Jumping World Challenge Final

The 2021 FEI Jumping World Challenge Final that was scheduled to take place in Jakarta (INA) had to be cancelled due to the strict quarantine measures in place in the country.

Dressage

Given the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic in their countries, fewer National Federations were willing to organise the FEI Dressage World Challenge in 2021, and this resulted in a lower number of applications than in previous years,

Making a comeback to this series after a long period of absence, Iran and Belarus were among the National Federations who did apply to organise the Challenge. Belarus organised the Challenge as part of the Identify, Qualify & Prepare (IQP) process of the Eurasia Dressage Championship projects, which involved several National Federations in the region.

Intermediate I (29 combinations)

Prix St Georges (63 combinations)

Senior II (97 combinations)

Senior I (118 combinations)

Youth (83 combinations)

Vaulting

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no FEI Vaulting World Challenge competitions were organised in 2021.

Eventing

The FEI Solidarity Department has been working with the FEI Eventing Department on a project to develop a new Challenge Series in Eventing, with an intended launch in 2022.