The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (French: Fédération équestre internationale, FEI) is the international governing body of equestrian sports. The FEI came into being following the Olympic Congress in Lausanne (SUI) in 1921 from May 28 to May 30. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland.
| Sport | Equestrian |
|---|---|
| Category | Sports |
| Jurisdiction | International |
| Abbreviation | FEI |
| Founded | 28 May 1921 |
| Affiliation |
|
| Affiliation date | 1921, 1983 |
| Headquarters | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| President | Ingmar De Vos |
| Vice president(s) | Jack C. Huang Mark Samuel |
| Secretary | Sabrina Ibáñez |
| Sponsor | Longines |
| Official website | |
| fei | |
The FEI is responsible for drafting and enforcing regulations within the six disciplines under its jurisdiction. Besides regulation, overseeing all international competitions and Championships, overseeing and cooperating with all affiliated national federations, overseeing and educating officials and registering riders and horses are core tasks of the FEI. As an umbrella equestrian organisation, the FEI focuses on promoting equestrian sport, attracting and cooperating with sponsors, media and fans, and representing equestrian sport on various online and offline channels.
An FEI code of conduct protects the welfare of the horses from physical abuse or doping. On 2 March 2022, in the wake of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the FEI banned Russian and Belarusian athletes, horses, and officials from FEI events, and subsequently an FEI Tribunal panel dismissed an appeal by Russia's Federation of Equestrian Sports challenging the ban.
Disciplines
The FEI recognizes six disciplines under global governance in both regular and para-equestrianism competition:
- Dressage and Para Dressage
- Driving and Para Driving
- Endurance
- Eventing
- Show jumping
- Vaulting
Reining was an FEI discipline from 2000 until 2021.
The following two disciplines are under regional governance:
- Horseball (Fédération internationale de horse-ball - FIHB)
- Tent pegging (International Tent Pegging Federation – ITPF)
The FEI does not govern or provide rules for horse racing (International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA)) or polo, but in the latter case, it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federation of International Polo (FIP).
Values
Vision
To grow the unique and mutually beneficial bond between horse and human in sport globally.
Mission
To drive and develop equestrian sport globally in a modern, sustainable and structured manner with guaranteed integrity, athlete welfare, equal opportunity and a fair and ethical partnership with the horse.
Sub Federations
- Asian Equestrian Federation
- European Equestrian Federation
Regions
Normal
- Southern Europe – Group I: ALB AND AUT BEL BUL CRO CYP CZE ESP FRA GRE HUN ISR ITA LIE LUX MKD MLT MON POR ROU SLO SMR SRB SUI SVK TUR
- Northern Europe – Group II:DEN EST FIN GBR GER IRL ISL LAT LTU NED NOR POL SWE
- Eastern Europe & Central Asia – Group III:ARM AZE BLR IRI GEO KAZ KGZ MDA PAK RUS TKM UKR UZB
- North America – Group IV:ANT BAR BER CAY CAN HAI ISV JAM PUR TRI USA
- Central America – Group V:CRC CUB DOM ESA GUA HON MEX NCA PAN
- South America – Group VI:ARG BOL BRA CHI COL ECU PAR PER URU VEN
- Middle East – Group VII:ALG BRN EGY IRQ JOR KSA KUW LBA LIB MAR OMA PLE QAT SUD SYR TUN UAE YEM
- Asia and Oceania – Group VIII:AUS BRU CAM CHN HKG INA IND JPN KOR MAS MGL MYA NZL PHI SIN SRI THA TPE
- Africa – Group IX:BOT COD ETH KEN MAD MAW MRI NAM RSA SEN SWZ ZAM ZIM
World Cup
By 2024 FEI World Cup Finals (show jumping and dressage):
- FEI Western European League
- FEI Central European League (Northern, Southern)
- FEI Pacific League
- FEI North American League
- FEI Arabian League (Middle East, Northern Africa)
- FEI Eurasian League
- FEI Japan League
Events
Source:
Olympic and Paralympic Games
The first Olympics held under its authority were in 1924. Jumping, Dressage and Eventing have been a part of the Olympics since 1912. Para-Equestrian Dressage has been part of the Paralympic games since 1996. Jumping has been part of the Youth Olympic Games since its creation in Singapore in 2010.
FEI World Equestrian Games
The FEI has organized the FEI World Equestrian Games every four years since 1990. The idea of the World Equestrian Games (WEG) came into being in the mid-1980s and was strongly supported by HRH Prince Philip, who was then FEI President.
The WEG encompasses the World Championship titles in all the FEI global disciplines.
World Cup
The FEI World Cup is an indoor series and takes place throughout the world with qualifying leagues leading to a final in each of the disciplines. The FEI World Cup series began with show jumping in 1978 and has since been extended to the disciplines of dressage, driving, and vaulting. Main events include:
- FEI Show Jumping World Cup since 1978
- FEI Dressage World Cup since 1985
- FEI Driving World Cup since 2001
- FEI Eventing World Cup 2003–2012
- FEI Vaulting World Cup since 2010
- FEI Endurance World Cup since
FEI Jumping Main Events
Source:
- Global Champions Tour
- Longines League of Nations™
- FEI Jumping World Cup Series
- Longines FEI Jumping World Cup
- FEI Jumping Nations Cup Youth – Since 2018
- FEI Jumping Children's Classics – Since 2008
- FEI Jumping Ponies' Trophy – Since 2017
- FEI Jumping World Challenge (FEI World Challenges exist in Jumping, Dressage, Eventing, Vaulting, Driving and Para Dressage) – Since 2016
- Continental & Regional Games
World, continental and regional championships
FEI World, Continental and Regional Championships are held in all the FEI disciplines and age categories. Events include:
- World Dressage Championships
- World Eventing Championships
- World Show Jumping Championships
- FEI World Eventing Championships for Young Horses
- FEI World Driving Championships for Singles, Pairs, Pony and Four-in-Hand
- FEI World Endurance Championships for Seniors since 2012
- FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Horses since 2012
- FEI World Vaulting Championships for Seniors
- FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships
European
- European Dressage Championships
- European Show Jumping Championships
- European Eventing Championships
- Equestrian at the Friendship Games
- Ljubičevo Equestrian Games
- 2019 FEI European Championships
- 2017 FEI European Championships
- 2009 FEI European Championships
- 2013 European Para-Dressage Championship
American
Asian
- Equestrian sports first time at the 9th Asian Games in 1982.
- Equestrian at the Asian Games
- First Asian Equestrian Championships in Pattaya (THA) 30 Nov to 8 Dec 2019
Ratings
History
The FEI was formed in 1921 with the joining of the national organizations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, Norway, Sweden and the United States of America. Today, there are 136 National Equestrian Federations affiliated with the FEI.
| Year | Number of affiliated nations |
|---|---|
| 1921 | 8 |
| 1928 | 21 |
| 1938 | 31 |
| 1960 | 48 |
| 1970 | 54 |
| 1975 | 62 |
| 1986 | 81 |
| 2014 | 132 |
| 2015 | 133 |
| 2016 | 134 |
| 2018 | 135 |
| 2020 | 138 |
| 2021 | 136 |
| 2022 | 137 |
Russia and Belarus suspension
On March 2, 2022, in the wake of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the FEI banned Russian and Belarusian athletes, horses, and officials from FEI events, and subsequently an FEI Tribunal panel dismissed an appeal by Russia's Federation of Equestrian Sports challenging the ban.
The suspension was extended in 2023. At the end of 2023, FEI announced the capacity and criteria for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at competitions as neutral athletes. In early November 2025, the Russian and Belarusian athletes was allowed to participate in international team competitions in a neutral status starting in 2026, and that FEI competitions in Belarus will also resume under the same conditions.
Presidents
There have been 13 different presidents of the organization. Major Jhkr Karl F. Quarles van Ufford is the only individual to have served twice. Nowadays, a President can serve for a maximum of three terms. Since 2014, the President of the FEI is Ingmar De Vos from Belgium.
| # | President | Nation | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baron du Teil | France | 1921–1927 |
| 2 | General Gerrit Johannes Maris | Netherlands | 1927–1929 |
| 3 | Major Jhkr Karl F. Quarles van Ufford | Netherlands | 1929–1931 |
| 4 | General Guy V. Henry | USA | 1931–1935 |
| 5 | Baron Max Von Holzing-Bertstett | Germany | 1935–1936 |
| 6 | Major Jhkr Karl F. Quarles van Ufford | Netherlands | 1936–1939 |
| 7 | Magnus Rydman | Finland | 1939–1946 |
| 8 | Baron Gaston de Trannoy | Belgium | 1946–1954 |
| 9 | Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld | Netherlands | 1954–1964 |
| 10 | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh | UK | 1964–1986 |
| 11 | Anne, Princess Royal | UK | 1986–1994 |
| 12 | Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz | Spain | 1994–2006 |
| 13 | Princess Haya bint Hussein | Jordan | 2006–2014 |
| 14 | Ingmar De Vos | Belgium | Since 2014 |
See also
- French Equestrian Federation
- French National Olympic and Sports Committee
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