The nominees have been announced and voting opens today for the 2024 FEI Awards. There are 16 candidates from nine countries—none from the Americas this year— nominated across the four award categories: Longines FEI Rising Star, Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete, Cavalor FEI Best Groom and FEI Inspire Award. They include Olympic and world champions, emerging talents, hard-working grooms, living legends, inspirational volunteers and pioneering Federations.
Established in 2009, the FEI Awards celebrate individuals and organizations that are making an outstanding contribution to the progress and excellence of equestrian sport, both in and outside the arena.Â
Longines FEI Rising Star
The Longines FEI Rising Star category spotlights young talents who have already left their mark on the equestrian landscape. The nominees are:
• 21-year-old French para dressage athlete Chiara Zenati, who finished fourth and just off the Grade III podium on home soil at the 2024 Paralympic Games
• 21-year-old Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi of the United Arab Emirates, who was the youngest jumping athlete at Paris 2024 and qualified for the individual final in his Olympic debut
• 20-year-old Australian international Grand Prix dressage athlete Jessica DertellÂ
• 19-year-old multi-talented Mathies Rüder of Germany, who combines skill sets across both eventing and jumping
Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete
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The nominees are:
• Germany’s Christian Kukuk, who won individual jumping gold at Paris 2024 with Checker 47 after an incredible three-way jump-off for the medals
• Great Britain’s Laura Collett, whose inspirational story has seen her recover from terrible injury to help win and defend Olympic eventing team gold in Tokyo and Paris
• France’s Théo Gardies, who claimed his first world title in vaulting in Bern (Switzerland) in July of this yearÂ
• Bram Chardon, who recently clinched world team gold and individual silver for The Netherlands at the FEI Driving World Championships 2024 in Szilvásvárad (Hungary).
Cavalor FEI Best Groom
The Cavalor FEI Best Groom category celebrates the unsung behind-the-scenes heroes. This year’s nominees are:
• Germany’s Lisa Fundis, jumping groom to compatriot and Paris Olympian Philipp Weishaupt
• Denmark’s Mette Klose Nielsen, para dressage groom to Norway’s multi-medalled seven-time Paralympian Jens Lasse DokkanÂ
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• France’s Bettina Cardinael, eventing groom to Belgium’s Lara De Liederkerke-Meier, who won this year’s Luhmühlen CCI5* (Germany) with Hooney d’Arville
 • Estonia’s Pille Riin Roosileht, driving groom to the Hungarian Youth team under Zsolt Rimarcsik of Hungary
FEI Inspire Award
The FEI Inspire Award showcases the incredible spirit and determination of individuals and organizations serving as role models and showing that anything is possible. The nominees are:
• Georgina Urwin of Great Britain for her work with Summerfield Stables—Horses in the CommunityÂ
• “Enabling Through the Horse,” a heartwarming program created by the Namibian Equestrian Federation
• Dr. Salom Nghinamito of Namibia as an FEI permitted treating veterinarian
• Lucinda Green of Great Britain for her cross-country coaching skills with the Lucinda Green Academy
The public have until Oct. 13 to vote online. The winners are decided based 50% on public votes cast online and 50% based on a panel of seven expert judges (their biographies are available here). They will be announced at the FEI Awards Gala presented by Longines on Nov. 13 in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates).