What are the FEI Awards?
The FEI Awards are the annual honours of the Fédération Équestre Internationale, equestrian sport's world governing body, presented since 2009 at a gala held alongside the FEI General Assembly. The categories cover the sport unusually broadly: Best Athlete, Rising Star, Against All Odds, Best Groom, FEI Solidarity and FEI Inspire.[1] [2]
How are winners chosen?
Nominations open to the public and to national federations; a shortlist is published in each category; a combination of public voting and an FEI-appointed jury then decides. The Best Groom award is notable in recognising the stable staff whose work sits behind every result in the sport — a category few federations have an equivalent for.[1] [3]
Who won in 2025?
Belgium's Justin Verboomen won the Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete Award for 2025. With the nine-year-old Zonik Plus he took double gold at the FEI Dressage European Championship and reached the top of the FEI Dressage World Ranking — a first for Belgium. The winners were honoured at the FEI Awards Gala in Hong Kong on 7 November 2025.[2] [4]
Why does it matter?
Because the FEI governs every international competition in the sport — from the World Championships and the World Cup to every starred CSI and CCI — and registers both athlete and horse. Its award is therefore the one annual honour in equestrian sport conferred across all disciplines by the body that sanctions the results.[1] [2]
References
- FEI — Awards. Accessed August 2026.
- FEI — FEI Awards 2025 winners announced. Accessed August 2026.
- FEI — Awards winners archive. Accessed August 2026.
- FEI — Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete 2025. Accessed August 2026.