The
Fédération Équestre Internationale (commonly known as the FEI) or in English, the
International Federation for Equestrian Sports, is the international governing body of equestrian (
horseThe horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
) sports. It recognizes ten international disciplines. Eight disciplines are under global governance:
dressageDressage is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as "the highest expression of horse training." Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the World Equestrian Games...
,
combined drivingCombined driving also known as Horse Driving Trials is an equestrian sport involving carriage driving. In this discipline the driver sits on a vehicle drawn by a single horse, a pair or a team of four. The sport has three phases: Dressage, Cross-country Marathon and Obstacle Cone Driving and is...
,
endurance ridingEndurance riding is an equestrian sport based on controlled long-distance races. It is one of the international competitions recognized by the FEI. There are endurance rides worldwide....
,
eventingEventing is an equestrian event comprising dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This event has its roots in a comprehensive cavalry test requiring mastery of several types of riding...
,
para-equestrianismThe Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
,
reiningReining is a western riding competition for horses where the riders guide the horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins, and stops. All work is done at the lope and gallop; the fastest of the horse gaits...
,
show jumpingShow jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes commonly are seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics...
, and
vaultingEquestrian vaulting, or simply Vaulting , is most often described as gymnastics and dance on horseback and, like these disciplines, it can be practised as a non-competitive art/performance or as a competitive sport. Vaulting has been an equestrian act at the circus from its early days. It is open...
. Two disciplines are under regional governance:
horseballHorseball is a game played on horseback where a ball is handled and points are scored by shooting it through a high net . The sport is like a combination of polo, rugby, and basketball. It is one of the ten disciplines officially recognized by the International Federation for Equestrian...
and
tent peggingTent pegging is a cavalry sport of ancient origin, and is one of only ten equestrian disciplines officially recognised by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports. Used narrowly, the term refers to a specific mounted game with ground targets...
.
The FEI does not govern or provide rules for
horse racingHorse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
or
poloPolo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
, but in the latter case, it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the
Federation of International PoloFederation of International Polo was founded in 1983 with headquarters in Beverly Hills, USA, and currently represents the national polo associations of more than 80 countries. It was the brain child of Marcos Uranga, then President of the Argentine Polo Association. The first World Polo...
. The FEI has organized the FEI World Equestrian Games quadrennially (every four years) since 1990.
The FEI headquarters are in
LausanneLausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
,
SwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
An FEI code of conduct protects the welfare of the horses from physical abuse or doping.
History
The FEI was formed in 1921 with the joining of the national organizations of
BelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
(BEL),
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
(DEN),
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(FRA),
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(ITA),
JapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(JPN),
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
(NOR),
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(SWE) and the United States of America (USA). Today, there are 134 National Organizations who are affiliated with the FEI, the newest members being
AlbaniaAlbania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
,
CambodiaCambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, and
YemenThe Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
who joined in 2007.
Presidents
There have been 12 different presidents of the organization, serving 13 individual terms. Major Jhkr Karl F. Quarles van Ufford is the only individual to have served twice.
| # |
President |
Term |
| 1 |
 Baron du Teil |
1921–1927 |
| 2 |
 General Gerrit Johannes Maris |
1927–1929 |
| 3 |
Major Jhkr Karl F. Quarles van Ufford |
1929–1931 |
| 4 |
 General Guy V. Henry Major General Guy Vernor Henry, Jr. was an American horse rider who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.-Biography:Guy V. Henry, Jr. was born into the military life...
|
1931–1935 |
| 5 |
 Baron Max Von Holzing-Bertstett |
1935–1936 |
| 6 |
Major Jhkr Karl F. Quarles van Ufford |
1936–1939 |
| 7 |
 Magnus Rydman |
1939–1946 |
| 8 |
 Baron Gaston de Trannoy |
1946–1954 |
| 9 |
HRH Bernard, Prince of the Netherlands
|
1954–1964 |
| 10 |
 HRH Prince Philip, Duke of EdinburghPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
|
1964–1986 |
| 11 |
HRH The Princess RoyalPrincess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
|
1986–1994 |
| 12 |
 HRH La Infanta Pilar, Duchess of BadajozInfanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz, Grandee of Spain, Dowager Viscountess de la Torre is the elder daughter of Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona and Princess Maria Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and older sister of reigning King Juan Carlos of...
|
1994–2006 |
| 13 |
 HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein |
2006– |
See also
See
Concours de Saut InternationalConcours de Saut International is a ranking system for the equestrian competition show jumping. All CSI events are approved by the international governing body of equestrian sport, the FEI....
for rules on show jumping
See Concours Complet InternationalThe Concours Complet International and the Concours International Combiné are ratings for the equestrian sport of eventing, given by the international governing body for the sport, the FEI....
for rules on eventing
Also see each individual sport
External links