On Tuesday, 19 November, the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow (RU) hosted the 2019 FEI Awards presented by Longines, celebrating since 2009 the men, women, young people and organisations that are making an outstanding contribution to the progress and excellence of equestrian sport. On this occasion, German Dressage rider Semmieke Rothenberger was presented with the Longines FEI Rising Star Award - rewarding athletes between the ages of 14 and 21 who demonstrate outstanding equestrian sporting talent. As the Swiss watch brand attaches great importance to encouraging youngsters to practice sports, the young athlete was presented with an elegant timepiece from the hands of Longines’ Vice President Marketing, Matthieu Baumgartner.
 

Coming from an Olympic Dressage family - including Longines Ambassador of Elegance and previous Longines FEI Rising Star Sönke Rothenberger - Semmieke Rothenberger already counts 21 FEI European Championship medals ranging from the Ponies category to the Young Riders’ one. Out of those, six are individual gold and nine are team gold. At only 20, she won almost every competition she took part in this year, culminating with triple gold at the FEI Dressage European Championships for Young Riders. In 2018, the Longines FEI Rising Star Award was presented to the French Eventing rider Victor Levecque.
 

Besides the Longines FEI Rising Star Award, four other categories were awarded during the Gala on Tuesday evening: the FEI Against All odds Award, presented to the Jumping rider Zhenqiang Li (CHN), the Cavalor FEI best Groom Award, presented to Madeleine Broek (NED), the FEI Solidarity Award, presented to Uno Yxklinten (SWE) for its Farriers Training Program in Zambia, as well as the Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete Award, presented to the Eventing rider Ingrid Klimke (GER). The results of the public vote and the results from the panel of judges, both worth 50%, are combined to decide the winners.