Equivalency

What is FEI Equivalency?
The FEI Equivalency is granted to National Federations to recognise their National Education as being equivalent to the FEI entry level(s) education in a given discipline and function. National officials at the highest level in their National Federation have herewith their education, knowledge and experience recognised as equivalent to the ones required at the FEI entry level for a given discipline and function.
The FEI Equivalency was created to give Officials coming from National Federations with a recognised education a faster and easier access to the FEI Education System. Officials are also required to be familiar with the FEI General Regulations, the FEI Discipline Rules, and the applicable codes such as the FEI Code of Conduct for the Welfare of the Horse, the FEI Officials’ Code of Conduct, the FEI Code of Ethics, the FEI Conflict of Interest Policy, the FEI Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions, and the FEI Safeguarding Policy against Harassment and Abuse.

How can National Federations get Equivalencies?
All National Federations can apply for equivalency as described in the FEI General Regulations (Chapter VII, Article 144, point 3). In order to do so, one individual application for each discipline and function is needed. The following steps apply:

• Download the Equivalency Application Form HERE (updated October 2022)
• Fill one (1) Equivalency Application Form for each discipline/function you want to apply for
• Make sure the Equivalency Application Form is fully answered and validated by the President or Secretary General of your NF.
• Send back the Equivalency Application Form and eventual attached documents (as described in the form) to the FEI by email (equivalency@fei.org).
• Once the FEI has evaluated your application and given its decision, you will be notified immediately.

What is the review protocol to grant Equivalencies?
All equivalency applications are reviewed with the same protocol and evaluated on the same criteria.
Upon reception of a fully completed Equivalency Application, the FEI Education and Officials department carefully reviews and evaluates the received application in consultation with the relevant expert parties for the given discipline and function before granting or declining an application.
Based on the evaluation, the FEI Education and Officials department takes a decision and informs the applicant NF of the outcome by email.
The evaluation is based on the following elements:

• The education system in place
• Levels and officiating rights
• Transfer up requirements & education
• Examinations & criteria
• Education content & syllabus
• The maintenance system
• Cycle
• Transfer down & demotion criteria

What are the advantages of an Equivalency?
Once the Equivalency for a given discipline and function has been granted by the FEI, highest level national officials who would like to become FEI Officials have the opportunity to follow the simplified FEI Education access path to either Level 1 or Level 2 of that discipline/function. 
For further information please refer to the Education System of each discipline published on inside.fei.org.