Elite riders and horses aim for new ‘World’s Best’ awards

But while these competitions reward athletic feats at specific moments in time, two new awards will determine the global No.1 horses and riders based on their performances throughout the year: the Longines FEI World’s Best Jumping Horse and Longines FEI World’s Best Jumping Rider.

Announced at the recent FEI Nations Cup Final in Barcelona by International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) President Ingmar de Vos and Longines Vice-President Juan-Carlos Capelli, the horse award will be determined by taking into account the horse’s 10 best results of the year in the Longines Rankings, whereas the rider honour will go to the leading rider in the Longines Rankings at the end of the year.

Every month, the Longines Rankings are published, providing an ever-changing snapshot of the leading show jumpers in the world. As officials explain, “Points for the Longines Rankings are accumulated in Grands Prix, the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping and the Longines FEI Nations Cup Jumping, including the Finals, as well as the World and European Senior Championships. Double points are awarded at Finals and Championships. Full information on rankings points is available here.”

And while there is movement up and down the list, big names in the sport typically fill out the Top Ten, as is seen in the current rankings published at the end of September (the full rankings are here):

1) Kent Farrington (USA)
2) Mclain Ward (USA)
3) Kevin Staut (France)
4) Lorenzo de Luca (Italy)
5) Scott Brash (Great Britain)
6) Harrie Smolders (The Netherlands)
7) Gregory Wathelet (Belgium)
8) Peder Fredricson (Sweden)
9) Eric Lamaze (Canada)
10) Maikel Van der Vleuten (The Netherlands)

“These awards will add an exciting new dimension to the already coveted monthly Longines Rankings leader title, and build engagement with our audiences as they follow the top athletes and horses throughout the year,” De Vos feels. And Capelli adds: “We hope that these awards will inspire more people to follow the results of the leading athletes and horses in the Longines Rankings throughout the year, get to know the many different competitions and understand how they are linked….”

The winners of the two new awards will be presented with a Longines watch and trophy during the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final in Paris in April 2018.