Sport | Equestrian |
---|---|
Jurisdiction | International |
Abbreviation | FEI |
Founded | 1921 |
Affiliation | International Olympic Committee, ASOIF |
Affiliation date | 1921, 1983 |
Headquarters | Lausanne, Switzerland |
President | Ingmar De Vos |
Official website | |
www |
The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (French: Fédération Équestre Internationale, FEI) is the international governing body of equestrian sports.
The FEI headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland. An FEI code of conduct protects the welfare of the horses from physical abuse or doping.
The FEI recognizes eight disciplines under global governance in both regular and para-equestrianism competition:
The following two disciplines are under regional governance:
The FEI does not govern or provide rules for horse racing or polo, but in the latter case, it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Federation of International Polo.
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.
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.
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 World, Continental and Regional Championships are held in all the FEI disciplines and age categories. Events include:
The FEI was formed in 1921 with the joining of the national organizations of Belgium (BEL), Denmark (DEN), France (FRA), Italy (ITA), Japan (JPN), Norway (NOR), Sweden (SWE) and the United States of America (USA). Today, there are 134 National Equestrian Federations affiliated with the FEI.
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 two terms. Since 2014, the President of the FEI is Ingmar De Vos from Belgium.