During the 2026 FEI World Championships in Aachen, not only the riders but also the owners of the medal-winning horses will receive special recognition. The Jumping Owners Club (JOC) announced on Tuesday that the FEI will officially award medals to horse owners.
The initiative is the result of a joint request by the JOC and Jessica Kürten, Chair of the FEI Athletes' Committee.
"We are immensely grateful to the FEI for making time for this in the schedule," the JOC stated in a press release. "With this, the FEI is once again putting horse owners in the spotlight on the world's biggest stage. It is a wonderful public recognition of their invaluable contribution to top-level sport."
Same medals as the riders
The protocol is clear: the owner—or an official representative of the owning organization—of a medal-winning horse will be invited directly to the prize-giving ceremony in the arena. There, they will receive the exact same medal as the winning riders.
