History of the Games

Published: 11-06-2009

The Concept of the World Equestrian Games –with the championships of all of the major equestrian disciplines held simultaneously at a single venue – is relatively new.

1990: The first Games were staged in Stockholm, Sweden, when the FEI held six world championships – including jumping, dressage, eventing, and the non-Olympic disciplines of driving, endurance and vaulting.

1994: after the successful Stockholm Games, the World Equestrian Games were held at The Hague, Netherlands, following the 1990 format of six world championships.

1998: Rome provided the next host site for the Games, where competitors in five disciplines met in Italy, with the endurance championships held separately in Dubai.

2002: Jerez, Spain was home to the 2002 Games. In addition to the traditional six disciplines, reining made its debut at the seventh world championship event.

2006: The World Equestrian Games were held in Aachen, Germany, after a spirited competition between Aachen and the Kentucky Horse park in Lexington, Kentucky. The 2006 Aachen Games had record attendance, with more than 570,000 tickets sold for the two-week event. Aachen hosted more than 750 athletes and 850 horses from 61 countries. More than 1,200 journalists and 300 photographers were on hand, making this the most heavily covered equestrian even in history.

Coming to Kentucky 2010: In December 2005, the FEI announced that the 2010 World Equestrian Games would be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. This will make the first time the Games will be held outside of Europe. The FEI also announced another first – that the
para-equestrian competition will be added to the Games. Then, in June 2006, Kentucky’s Governor and event organizers announced that Alltech, a Kentucky-based, global animal health and nutrition company, would be the $10 million title sponsor of the Games-yet another first.