Shane Sweetnam (IRL) and James Kann Cruz, seen here at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, picked up their first CSIO5* Grand Prix title when winning at Falsterbo (SWE) last month to boost Sweetnam up to third in the Longines Rankings. © FEI/Benjamin Clark

The FEI oversees around 70 Rankings and Standings across all the disciplines, from World Rankings calculated on a monthly basis for Athletes, Horses and/or Combinations, to league, team and regional based standings for Series such as the Longines League of Nations™, FEI World Cup™ and FEI Nations Cup™. The FEI rankings also include a variety of youth categories, which are featured separately later in the month.

Longines Rankings: Farrington retains hold on world number one slot



Kent Farrington, despite having removed himself from selection for Team USA at the world championships in Aachen, continues to lead the Longines Rankings and has even built on what was previously a 93-point gap between himself and reigning European champion, Richard Vogel (GER). Now on his fourth month at the top, Farrington’s tally of 3,360 leaves him 147 points clear of Vogel, whose big goal this season is adding the world crown to his collection in a couple of weeks’ time. As the tussle for the top continues, there’s a stealthy Irishman sneaking up on the leading duo, however. Two-time Olympian Shane Sweetnam, who picked up his first CSIO5* Grand Prix title when scoring with Aachen-bound James Kann Cruz at Falsterbo in the middle of last month, has edged up the leaderboard from fifth to third on 3,065, and he too will be aiming for something special in Aachen. Sweetman’s ascent comes at the expense of the British pair, Scott Brash (down one to fourth on 3,024) and Ben Maher (down one to fifth on 2,879), whose CVs show multiple Olympic gold but nothing of that colour from the worlds. 

Daniel Bluman, who will be leading Team Israel at the championships, has moved up three places to sixth on 2,737 after a third-place finish with his Aachen horse Corbie V.V. in the curtain-closing Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Spruce Meadows (CAN). He has displaced Belgium’s Gilles Thomas, who has withdrawn Ermitage Kalone from Aachen and is now down a slot to seventh on 2,735, ahead of the world’s number one female, Nina Mallevaey (FRA) in eighth with 2,686. Her compatriot Julien Epaillard sits ninth on 2,676, with Paris 2024 Olympic champion Christian Kukuk (GER) in 10th on 2,642.

Longines League of Nations™ Ranking: Team USA still holding off Belgium

With Team USA counting the world number one, plus Laura Kraut sitting just outside the top-10 in 11th and McLain Ward 12th, it’s no surprise that the United States continues to reign supreme in the Longines League of Nations™ Ranking on 14,827. But the Belgians are nibbling away at their advantage and have now moved to within 675 points of the leaders. The Germans are also edging themselves closer and, on 13,892, are now just 260 further back. Thanks to Shane Sweetnam’s elevation in the Longines individual ranking, Ireland are up a place to fourth on 13,795, with Team GBR sliding down one to fifth on 13,566. France is still within reach of promotion on 13,246 for sixth ahead of Switzerland (10,807) and Italy (10,356). With the Netherlands (10,330) dropping two places to 10th, the Brazilians have happily moved up into ninth with 10,335.

FEI Dressage World Rankings

Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (DEN), the new world number one in the FEI Dressage World Rankings, and her new world leading horse, Mount St John Freestyle, featured in a dedicated press release distributed to media on 3 August.

FEI Eventing World Athlete Ranking: No changes at the top

There are no changes in the top 11 of the Eventing rankings, with Tim Price celebrating his third month at world number one going into the championships in Aachen. The New Zealander remains on 527 points after picking up three top-10 placings in Alnwick (GBR) at the end of last month, including winning the CCI4*-S with Happy Boy. Harry Meade (GBR) remains Price’s closest challenger in second and is the highest-ranked of the five British in the top-10. Meade’s tally of 485 leaves him 15 points clear of the USA’s Boyd Martin on 470, followed by two British Toms – Jackson in fourth on 391 and McEwen fifth with 386. The next six remain the same as in the end-June rankings, but there’s an important newcomer in at number 12 – the newly-crowned and first-ever U25 world champion Calvin Böckmann of Germany. Coming away from the inaugural U25 Championship in Millstreet (IRL) with individual gold and team silver for Altair de la Cense, Böckmann boosted his points tally to 345 to jump up from 24th to 12th, just two places and 10 points away from a top-10 placing and further consolidating his lead at the head of the U25 Rankings.

FEI Para Dressage World Individual & Team: Howard reclaims world number one slot

In what turned out to be a momentary blip in Fiona Howard’s unbroken 15-month run at the head of affairs, the American Grade II athlete has shot right back up from third into pole position. The triple Paris Paralympic gold medallist boosted her tally to 1,707 points after she led Team USA to victory in last month’s nine-nation pre-world championship warm-up at Hagen (GER) and, in the process, pushed pretender to the throne and team mate Kate Shoemaker back down to second on 1,649. Howard and Shoemaker (Grade IV) also top their individual Grades, while Mari Durward-Akhurst (GBR) holds onto her Grade I lead and is up a place to third in the overall rankings on 1,645 in hot pursuit of Shoemaker’s target. Germany’s Heidemarie Dresing drops two places to fourth on 1,601, some way clear of Italy’s Grade III leader Francesca Salvade’ on 1,527. Biggest mover is Great Britain’s Grade II athlete Jemima Green, who has flown up from 72nd to sixth in the overall after eight wins in a row with the aptly-named Fantabulous to total 1,480. Grade V leader Sophie Wells (GBR) holds onto 10th in the overall with 1,405.

With the Hagen win in the bag, the USA holds onto top spot in the teams ranking on 1,347, extending its lead over Great Britain from six to 20 points. Germany, which finished third in Hagen behind The Netherlands, is back up to third in the team standings on 1,319, just seven clear of Denmark, now up to fourth on 1,312. With the return of Germany and Denmark in the upper echelons, Australia has dropped two places to fifth on 1,292, a mere five points ahead of sixth-placed Netherlands on 1,287.

FEI Driving World Rankings - Four-in-Hand / Pairs / Singles: New chart toppers in Pairs and Singles

There are new names at the head of both the Pairs and Singles Driving World Rankings, but Australia’s Boyd Exell remains the man to beat in the Four-in-Hand division and the seven-time world champion heads to Aachen as one among several favourites for the title. Exell’s second-place finish in last month’s German World Cup qualifier at Rastede boosted his total to 215, leaving him just six points ahead of Belgium’s 31-year-old FEI Driving World Cup™ Final winner Dries Degrieck, who took the honours at Rastede from a massive field of 31 starters all looking to put on the final polish before the year’s feature championship. Bram Chardon (NED) in third on 194, IJsbrand Chardon (NED, 163) and the world’s best female Anna Sandmann (GER, 148) fill the next three spots, and there’s another familiar face two places further down in the USA’s Chester Weber, whose third in Rastede puts him up to eighth on 128.

Germany’s Lars Schwitte is up from third to take over at the top of the Pairs rankings, now with a four-point lead over former world number one Stan van Eijk (NED) on 66. And in the Singles, Switzerland’s Mario Gandolfo has been moving consistently upwards and now – with 79 points – can’t move any higher after deposing former world number one Marion Vignaud (FRA), who sits second on 75.

FEI Endurance Riders and Trainer World Rankings: Theolissat unchallenged out front

Melody Theolissat remains out in front in the Endurance Riders World Rankings and her points tally of 1,101 leaves her well clear of compatriot Virginie Atger, but in fact Atger is creeping closer and is now within 178 of the leader. Fellow Frenchwoman May Manifacier is up three places to third on 910 to maintain the French dominance of the world’s top-10, with Carla Mosti sixth on 826, Julia Montagne eighth with 796 and Elena Paton four points behind in ninth.

In the separate Trainers rankings, it’s a fourth month at the top for Bahrain’s Ahmed Jaafar Janahi. Now on 1,428, he has a 256-point lead over the UAE’s Ali Nasser Sultan Alyabhouni Aldhaheri on 1,172. Also flying the UAE flag is Mohammed Ahmad Ali Al Subosi, up two places to third with 1,128. New in at number seven is India’s Hari Singh Aam Singh, whose 1,014 points has boosted him up from 15th.

You can check all FEI Rankings here