Longines and the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) are delighted to celebrate equestrian excellence by presenting the Longines FEI World’s Best Jumping Horse and Rider Awards to the 2017 world’s highest officially rated jumping horse and rider. The ceremony, the first of its kind, will take place at the iconic Mairie de Paris on Wednesday 11 April 2018 along with the FEI World Cup’s draws for the disciplines of Jumping and Dressage.

The Longines World’s Best Jumping Horse and Rider Awards will be presented in the form of magnificent crystal winged hourglasses in reference to the brand’s emblem. Those trophies can be admired in the Longines Museum in Saint-Imier (Switzerland). Furthermore, the winning rider and the representative of the winning horse will be granted an elegant Longines timepiece belonging to the Longines Saint-Imier Collection as well as a replica trophy.

Juan-Carlos Capelli, Vice President of Longines and Head of International Marketing, said: “The Longines FEI World’s Best Jumping Horse and Rider Awards ceremony will enable us to once again celebrate the common passion for equestrian sports we share with our Top Partner the FEI. Through those awards, we aim to increase the visibility of show jumping and to bring together the heroes of the discipline on a global level. We really look forward to crowning the 2017’s best jumping athletes in the context of the prestigious Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final.”

“We look forward to honouring the achievements of the best rider and best horse at the inaugural awards ceremony in Paris”, FEI President Ingmar de Vos said. “We have established a very successful partnership with Longines, demonstrating the synergies between the brand and our sport and these awards do not only give extra recognition to the astonishing performances and dedication of our athletes, but they also give new attention to those in the industry and beyond. The creation of these awards has given an additional value to the Longines rankings and another incentive to our equestrian fans worldwide”.

Accumulating points throughout the whole calendar year, the Longines FEI World’s Best Jumping Horse is determined from the horse’s 10 best results of the year in the Longines Rankings, whereas the Longines FEI World’s Best Jumping Rider is the leading rider in the Longines Rankings at the end of the year.

Points for the Longines Rankings are accumulated in Grands Prix*, the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping and the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™, including the Finals, as well as the World and European Senior Championships. Double points are awarded at Finals and Championships.

Longines and equestrian sports

As part of Longines’ partnership with the FEI, the watch brand lends its name to the FEI world ranking for riders: the Longines Rankings. In addition, it is the Title Partner of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final, the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Western European League, the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League and the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping China league, as well as the series and Final of the Longines FEI Nations Cup^™ Jumping. Moreover, Longines participates in the FEI Awards and presents the Longines Rising Star Award to athletes between ages of 14 and 21 who demonstrate outstanding sporting talent.

Alongside its Top partnership with the FEI, Longines is also proud to be the Official Partner and Watch of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) with which it developed the sporting aspect of horseracing through a series of Awards recognising excellence: The Longines and IFHA International Award of Merit, the Longines World’s Best Racehorse, the Longines World’s Best Jockey and the Longines World’s Best Horse Race. Besides, Longines is also proud of its “Longines Ladies Awards”, which celebrates women who have consistently achieved at the highest level within the equestrian world and who made a significant contribution to it through their work.   

Notes to Editors:

*Grand Prix classes at all star levels where prize money meets the criteria as defined here