International Federation for Equestrian Sports facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Fédération Equestre Internationale

Sport	Equestrian
Category	Sports
Jurisdiction	International
Abbreviation	FEI
Founded	28 May 1921; 104 years ago (1921-05-28)
Affiliation	International Olympic Committee ASOIF
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

The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (often called FEI) is the main organization that looks after horse sports around the world. It was started in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1921.

The FEI makes the rules for many horse sports. It also makes sure these rules are followed. The organization oversees big international competitions. It works with national horse sport groups. The FEI also helps train officials and keeps track of riders and horses. A big part of its job is to make horse sports popular. It works with sponsors, media, and fans to do this.

The FEI has rules to protect horses. These rules stop horses from being hurt or given illegal substances. In March 2022, the FEI stopped athletes and horses from Russia and Belarus from joining its events. This decision was made because of the conflict in Ukraine.

Horse Sports and Disciplines

The FEI is in charge of six main horse sports. These sports are for both regular riders and para-equestrian athletes. Para-equestrian sports are for riders with disabilities.

• Dressage and Para Dressage: This is like horse ballet. Riders guide their horses through a series of movements.
• Driving and Para Driving: Here, horses pull a carriage through different challenges.
• Endurance: This is a long-distance race for horses and riders.
• Eventing: This sport combines three parts: dressage, cross-country, and show jumping.
• Show jumping: Horses and riders jump over obstacles in an arena.
• Vaulting: This is gymnastics and dance on a moving horse.

Reining was an FEI sport from 2000 to 2021. It involves horses performing patterns with spins and slides.

Some other horse sports are managed by regional groups, not the FEI directly. These include Horseball and Tent pegging. The FEI does not manage horse racing or polo.

FEI Goals and Values

What the FEI Hopes For

The FEI wants to help the special bond between horses and humans grow through sport. It wants this to happen all over the world.

What the FEI Does

The FEI works to make horse sports better and more modern. It wants to make sure sports are fair and honest. It also focuses on keeping athletes safe and treating horses well. The FEI believes in equal chances for everyone. It also believes in a fair partnership between riders and their horses.

FEI Groups Around the World

The FEI works with many smaller groups. These groups help manage horse sports in different parts of the world.

• Asian Equestrian Federation
• European Equestrian Federation

Major Events and Competitions

Olympic and Paralympic Games

The FEI first oversaw horse events at the Olympics in 1924. Show Jumping, Dressage, and Eventing have been Olympic sports since 1912. Para-Equestrian Dressage became part of the Paralympic Games in 1996. Show Jumping has also been in the Youth Olympic Games since 2010.

FEI World Equestrian Games

The FEI has held the FEI World Equestrian Games every four years since 1990. This idea came from Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was the FEI President at the time.

These games are like the Olympics for horse sports. They include world championships for all the main FEI disciplines.

FEI World Cup Series

The FEI World Cup is a series of indoor competitions. Riders compete in qualifying events around the world. Then, the best riders go to a final competition. The Show Jumping World Cup started in 1978. Later, Dressage, Driving, and Vaulting also got their own World Cup series.

• FEI Show Jumping World Cup (since 1978)
• FEI Dressage World Cup (since 1985)
• FEI Driving World Cup (since 2001)
• FEI Vaulting World Cup (since 2010)

Other Important Jumping Events

The FEI also organizes many other jumping competitions:

• 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 (since 2016)
• Continental & Regional Games

World, Continental, and Regional Championships

The FEI holds many championships for different horse sports and age groups. Some examples include:

• World Dressage Championships
• World Eventing Championships
• World Show Jumping Championships
• FEI World Eventing Championships for Young Horses
• FEI World Driving Championships
• FEI World Endurance Championships
• FEI World Vaulting Championships
• FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships

FEI History

The FEI started in 1921 with eight countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and the United States of America. Today, there are 136 national horse sport groups that are part of the FEI.

FEI Presidents

FEI Headquarter in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The FEI has had 13 different presidents. Major Jhkr Karl F. Quarles van Ufford is the only person who served as president twice. Today, a president can serve for a maximum of three terms. Since 2014, the president of the FEI has been 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

In Spanish: Federación Ecuestre Internacional para niños

• French Equestrian Federation