Horse Form Index (HFI)

What it is:

HFI is a rating developed by the FEI with the support of EquiRatings® which tracks the most recent cross-country results of a horse. It is available for all horses competing at FEI Eventing three star level and above.

This tool has been developed for Athletes, Owners, National Federations to gauge horses’ performance, track their progress and to enable more informed decisions prior to the competitions. The tool is designed to also allow Officials to monitor horses entered at events and assess horses preparedness and performance during the Cross Country test.

HFI does not replace the MERs, which must be achieved according to the 2022 FEI Eventing Rules (Article 520).

How it’s calculated:

• The HFI value goes up and down based on whether the horse had a clear, a single fault or multiple faults during recent XC runs.
• For CCI3* level competitions, the HFI is calculated using a minimum of three and maximum of six from the most recent counting results.
• For CCI4* or CCI5* level competitions, the HFI is calculated using a minimum of four and maximum of eight from the most recent counting results.
• The points awarded (based on XC Outcome and Level) can be found on the HFI Calculation tables below and are then averaged over the number of counted results. 

Clear: no XC jumping penalties

Single fault: one error on course giving XC jumping penalties (refusal, missed flag, activating a frangible device)

Multiple faults: more than one error on course giving XC jumping penalties (more than 20 XC jumping penalties or eliminated (rider fall, horse fall), retired, disqualified).

A non-counting result: Results at CCI-1* Intro level and also - not starting cross country, certain cross country outcomes with no XC jumping penalties (retirement, disqualified, fall on the flat, other technical)

Horses have a HFI rating per competition level (CCI3*-S, CCI3*-L, CCI4*-S, CC4*-L, CCI5*-L). HFI ratings update when new counting results are validated.

HFI Categories:

There are seven categories:

The XC clear rates by HFI Category are as follows:

Availability:

In the FEI database for:

• Athletes (athlete of the last horse’s result or athlete entered with the horse through the FEI entry system)
• Horses’ National Federation (Admin NF)
• Athletes’ National Federation (conditions as described above)
• Current Horse Owners

Please note that you will have to be logged in with your FEI profile (and have been granted access) to view the HFIs. If you cannot see the HFIs, and belong to one of the above-mentioned categories, please contact us.

HFI will be available for Officials appointed at Competitions, through the FEI entry system. National Federations will also be able to view the HFI rating in the entry system when entering horses.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at eventing@fei.org