Lilly Kasselmann (GER) and Vodka Soda, team gold and individual bronze medallists at last year’s FEI Dressage European Children’s Championship in Le Mans (FRA), continue their dominance of the World Youth Rankings (Children), and Kasselmann has also moved up to second in the Pony Rankings with Nasdaq FH. © FEI / Libby Law

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 is featured separately for the first time this month to put the focus on the stars of tomorrow.

FEI Jumping U25 Ranking: Belgian Spits extends his advantage

Thibeau Spits, who took over at the head of the end-February U25 Jumping Rankings with the slimmest advantage of just seven points, has extended his lead to 117 points after some solid results in March, as well as celebrating turning 25 in the middle of the month. The Belgian athlete partnered the stallion Impress-K van't Kattenheye Z to second in the mid-March Dutch Masters at ‘s-Hertogenbosch behind European champions Richard Vogel and United Touch S, and the pair were just off the Paris podium a week later when finishing fifth in the final day’s feature. Those placings have boosted his end-March tally to 2,060 points, leaving him comfortably clear of Antoine Ermann (FRA, 1,943), and also meaning the Belgian has climbed up 12 rungs to 41st on the Longines Rankings ladder. The USA’s Skylar Wireman, fourth in the previous U25 rankings, has overtaken Ireland’s Tom Wachman to sit third on 1,798 points, with Wachman (1,650) now fourth, and Wireman’s fellow American Mimi Gochman static in fifth on 1,523. 

FEI Dressage World Youth Ranking - U25: Nater keeps the Swiss in front

Switzerland’s Lynn Tallulah Nater and the stallion Flynn FRH remain out in front of the U25 combinations and, after two outings and four tests last month – including two runner-up spots at the Austrian 3* in Stadl Paura – have an end-March total of 1,809 points. Closest rivals, the Austrian pairing of Felicita Simoncic and Four Legends, are 75 adrift in second, having edged nine points closer to the Swiss duo. The Swedish partnership of Cecilia Bergåkra and My Friend are third on 1,695 points in an unchanged top-10, which includes two apiece from Switzerland, Austria, Sweden and the Netherlands. Just outside that elite group, French combination Alexandre Cheret and Bamona went through the card on their seasonal debut at Vejer de la Frontera (ESP) to post three consecutive U25 wins and passage their way up from 24th to 12th.

FEI Dressage World Youth Rankings – Y, J, P, Ch 

Young Riders: Double Dutch at top

Placings in the top-eight in the Young Riders rankings remain unchanged, although there are points differences this month, with the Netherlands’ Anniek van Dulst and My First Choice–Dutopia now on 1,796 to hold their lead in this division. Yasmin Westerink and Amphitryon OLD, another Dutch combination, are now 31 points behind in second, with Denmark’s Anna Have Larsen-Ledet and Finnigan-Vitz holding third on an unchanged 1,693 ahead of compatriots Michella Skovsager and Blue Hors Elliott on 1,686.

Juniors: Unchanged at the sharp end

Denmark’s Rikke Maria Schoubye Johansen and the stallion Baunehoejens Carpaccio haven’t been out since claiming three podium placings at the Belgian CIDJ in Lier at the end of February, but that hasn’t changed their hold at the head of the Junior rankings on 1,806 points. In fact, the top eight all remain the same and, up at the sharp end, the Netherlands’ Britt Kikkert-van der Linde and Jerenzo Texel are still second on 1,756, with Isla Sully (GBR) and Vagabond de Massa third on 1,729. The British pair will undoubtedly benefit in next month’s rankings after a great outing on home soil at Hartpury at the beginning of this month to record three wins.

Ponies: Gosmann’s lead diminished

Germany’s Leni-Sophie Gosmann and Diamantini EA WE still lead the Pony Rankings on 1,993 points, but there’s a newcomer in immediately behind them, with Lilly Kasselmann and Nasdaq FH continuing their meteoric rise up the standings on the back of an unbroken run of 13 wins since their first FEI competition together in Wellington back in January. The German pair, third in the previous rankings after leaping up from 89th, are now second on 1,936, just 57 points behind the leaders. Denmark’s Steffanie Victoria Horsted Dyrlund and Cosmo Callidus NRW are down one place to third on 1,866.

Children: Kasselmann maintains dominance

Lilly Kasselmann, still an age away from her 13th birthday, has maintained her stranglehold at the top of the Children on Horses rankings with Vodka Soda, although the pair still hadn’t set foot in an FEI competition arena this year at the end of March. Their tally of 2,353 keeps them 164 points clear of Shirley Vanerom (BEL) and Ogami van het Beukenhof, whose total of 2,189 doesn’t yet include three wins in Tolbert (NED) earlier this month. With 2,009 points, Anna Schmieder (GER) and Freispiel hold onto third.

FEI Eventing U25, Young Riders & Juniors World Rankings 

U25: Böckmann unchallenged out front

Calvin Böckmann, who spoke eloquently about the elite pathway during the second of two impressive youth panel sessions at last month’s FEI Sports Forum, didn’t let that distract him from partnering Kasparow FRH to victory over 99 other starters in the Dutch 3* at Kronenberg (a week earlier. Böckmann, who turns 25 at the end of this month, continues to top the U25 rankings on 276 points, well ahead of Oliver Barrett (204 points), who campaigns Down Under in his homeland of Australia. Alice Casburn (GBR), the 2022 European Young Riders champion with Topspin, hangs on in third on an unchanged 197. Switzerland’s Angelika Dubach has leapt up a cool seven places to 10th after a fifth-place finish with Amore de Chignan at last month’s Italian 3* in Montelibretti, where Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Julia Krajewski took the top three places.

Young Riders: Sheehy takes over at number one

Momo Sheehy is the new world number one in the Young Riders rankings, having reversed placings with former leader Elizabeth Barratt (GBR). The Irish athlete, who steered Da Vinci to a pair of top-six finishes in Mata do Duque (POR) two weeks’ apart and is now fifth in the U25 rankings (up from seventh), sits on 137 points at the top of the Young Riders, four ahead of Barratt on an untouched 133. Sheehy’s compatriot Ben Connors is up two places to third on 123.

Juniors: Howard unopposed at helm

There’s some reshuffling of the order in the Juniors, but the top-three remains the same, with Ella Howard (GBR) still unopposed at the top on 98 points, and also holding onto her 10th place in the Young Riders standings. Matis Cogniet maintains second for France in the Juniors with 82 points, followed in the order by Germany’s Pia Sophie Schreiber on 72 for third. Fellow German Jona Isabelle Heine is up one place to fourth on 62 points.

FEI Para Dressage U18 World Individual Ranking: Walsh remains in front

Ireland’s Clodagh Walsh is still the queen of the U18 Para Dressage rankings, with her points tally of 1,132 leaving her 59 clear of fellow Grade I athlete, second-placed Elan Williams on 1,073. In an unaltered U18 top-five, Hong Kong’s Lok Yee Louie Lam (Grade II) sits third on 904 points. Leader Clodagh Walsh’s compatriot Katie Reilly, who previously occupied the world number one spot until she aged out at the beginning of the year, was another of the international athletes invited to speak at the FEI Sports Forum on the youth panel that focused on the topic of pony to podium.

FEI Endurance Junior/Young Riders World Ranking: Nieminen Fast & Furious out front

Saana Nieminen, who turned 21 at the start of the year, is the one to beat at the head of the Endurance Youth rankings. The Finnish athlete, who brought out Fast And Furious Rio to claim sixth at last month’s Spanish 160-kilometre ride at Ademuz, has boosted her points to 746, also moving Nieminen up to 11th in the senior world rankings. Bahrain’s Faisal Hameed Dakeel Al Anezi is still second on an unaltered 697 points, ahead of the UAE’s Essa Rashed Mohammad Saeed Almazrouei, in third on 675. Ali Abdulla Ali Bin Zayed Alfalasi hangs on in fourth with 635, but there’s a new face in fifth – the USA’s Annamaria Clarke, who has boosted her total to 590 points after winning last month’s CEIYJ1* 100-km at Williston with Crème Bree le Gold.

FEI Endurance Junior/Young Riders Combination World Ranking: Almutairi & Follow Me Font Noire retain lead

Kuwait’s Dekheel E D Almutairi and Follow Me Font Noire, who have moved up to seventh in the senior combinations, have held their lead in the youth equivalent on 293 points. In an unchanged top-three, Celia Soler Capdevila (ESP) and F Ghazwan Al Shaqab are second on 285, ahead of Rayan Louhichi (TUN) and Karawene Carthage in third on 280. Annamaria Clarke (USA), who had already had five starts this season by the end of last month, has moved up from 13th into fourth with Southern Justice on 266 points, which has also boosted the American pair up 50 places to 13th in the senior combination rankings.

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