Awards winners: L-R Charlotte Fry, Kerryn Edmans, Alice Casburn, Muthoni Kimani and Dianne Smith
It was a ‘girl’s night out’ as an all-female line-up of winners were celebrated at the FEI Awards Gala 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa
Two of the winners came from the Eventing community. British eventing rider Alice Casburn won the Longines Rising Star Award and Kerryn Edmans, groom for Tim and Jonelle Price, took the Cavalor FEI Groom of the Year at the 2022 FEI Awards
The evening saw the young eventing rider Alice Casburn (GBR) take home this year’s Longines FEI Rising Star Award that was created to recognise young athletes between the ages of 14 and 21 who demonstrate outstanding equestrian sporting talent.
Alice, who competed in her first CCI5* event only 12 months after her first 4*, has taken the eventing world by storm. The youngest entry on the 2022 Badminton Horse Trials entry list having turned 20 in January this year, Casburn went onto win Individual bronze and Team gold for Great Britain at the FEI Eventing European Championships for Young Riders in July 2022.
At her 5* debut at the 2022 Burghley Horse Trials, and the youngest athlete at the competitions, she recorded a double jumping clear on her second generation home-bred horse Topspin.
Alice Casburn receives her award
“I have to thank my mom for the amount of time and dedication that she has given to helping me succeed,” says Alice
“And she's not just my coach, she's also the driver and groom and she's my mental support. With the amount that she juggles year and year out, I just couldn't imagine doing it without her. The Longines FEI Rising Star Award is always something that I've sort of followed in the past. And you know, I voted for other people so I never even anticipated to be shortlisted.
So the fact that I've won, I just can't thank everyone enough that has made the time to vote for me and it really does mean so much as it's a really difficult sport. And to get award as honourable as this is, is really special.”
The Longines FEI Rising Star Award and an elegant timepiece from the FEI’s Top Partner Longines was presented by Longines’ Vice President Marketing Matthieu Baumgartner.
The recipient of this year’s Cavalor FEI Best Groom award went to Kerryn Edmans (NZL) who has groomed for New Zealand’s Eventing couple Tim and Jonelle Price for the past six years.
“I was so shocked to have been nominated, let alone actually given the Cavalor FEI Groom of the Year!” Kerryn Edmans said. “It is amazing. I just didn't expect it.
“I just love my job and I love what I do, and to get a bit of recognition here is amazing. But to have been nominated for this Award was even better. It's a massive honour to have been recognised with such a calibre of grooms across all disciplines.
Every groom deserves to have some form of recognition for the amazing work they do behind the scenes for the riders and the horses.”
Flying the flag proudly for the home country, was South Africa’s Dressage SA Solidarity Stars Project that won the FEI Solidarity Award 2022.
26-year-old Dressage sensation Charlotte Fry (GBR) took home the coveted Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete Award.
Jumping athlete Muthoni Kimani (KEN) received the FEI Against All Odds Award
A delighted Kerryn Edmans
