FEI Awards 2024: FEI Inspire

Georgina Urwin – Summerfield Stables (GBR)

Georgina is the director of Summerfield Stables – Horses in the Community, a charity in Birmingham providing access to horses for those who would otherwise not have this opportunity. Founded in 1970 by Georgina’s mother, Roslyn Tedd-Urwin, Summerfield is now the permanent home to 33 rescued and reschooled horses and provides weekly lessons to over 200 children.

Georgina is a true champion of inclusion, breaking down barriers and making riding accessible to everyone. Last year Summerfield Stables expanded to a second site to provide participants with the opportunity to enhance their career options by gaining increased riding experience and the opportunity to explore recognised qualifications.

It was none other than the indefatigable Georgina who built the new site herself with a small team of volunteers – putting in the fences and doing the groundwork with the required machinery.

In 2024, Georgina took things a step further, developing a partnership with the British Dressage's pilot urban centre initiative, and providing a group of riders with the opportunity to try out dressage and develop certain skills.

Georgina’s belief in horses to unite, heal and inspire is remarkable, as is her incredible generosity. Georgina's passion is only matched by her tenacity to bring horses to everyone, no matter their background and position.

This tenacity is underlined by the fact that Georgina also somehow finds the time to be a parttime A-level philosophy teacher – a vital source of income for her considering the running of the stables and teaching is a voluntary unpaid role!

The NAMEF programme "Enabling Through the Horse" (NAM)

“Enabling Through the Horse” is an equestrian Para Athlete development programme created by the Namibian Equestrian Federation (NAMEF) in November 2023 and supported by FEI Solidarity.

The programme creates opportunities for the differently disabled communities within Namibia through equestrian sport. It starts at therapeutic riding level with the aim of advancing to the Para athlete level (dependant on the athlete’s level of ability), over a four-year development cycle.

Five schools were chosen to be part of the programme in the Khomas Region of Namibia and 30 children passed an assessment undertaken by both occupational therapists, physiotherapists and educational psychologists. These children entered the programme that started in January 2024.

The programme, under the tutorage of Susan de Meyer, underlines the wonderful characteristics of the horse, the true heroes of this story, in exuding sensitivity and intuition, picking up on human emotions and body language that allows them to respond to the children in a way that can be incredibly reassuring and supportive, helping individuals to feel understood and connected. Meanwhile, the grooming and riding helps fine as well as gross motor skills, and the act of working with a horse enhances body awareness and coordination, mindfulness, responsibility and commitment, builds confidence, while the forming of a bond with a horse is therapeutic in itself.

The impact of the programme on the children has been nothing short of astounding. Children that were once non-verbal began speaking to and greeting their teachers after only two weeks of riding. One child with cerebral palsy is now able to take the reins by opening his hand that once remained tightly shut. One child’s mother proudly proclaims, “I have seen so much improvement in terms of his self-esteem, confidence, social skills and emotional awareness."

Dr Salom Nghinamito (NAM)

Salom Nghinamito’s journey in equestrian sport and veterinary medicine is truly inspiring. Born in rural northern Namibia, he discovered his passion for equestrian sports via a unique path. After his father relocated to Walvis Bay to work as a groom at the Walvis Bay Equestrian Centre, Salom joined him at the age of five to begin primary school.

Initially, he struggled academically due to a language barrier. It was then that the Gebhardt family decided to give him riding lessons, encouraging him to speak English with the other students. They recognised his talent and love for horses, and with their support, he excelled, earning accolades in endurance riding, show jumping, and dressage.

Being a natural with horses, Salom always wanted to become a veterinarian, and this dream came to life when he was accepted into the program at the University of Namibia's School of Veterinary Medicine.

Six years later he graduated and was immediately employed in the School's Equine Clinic as a Staff Development Fellow under the guidance of Ian Baines (FEI Official Endurance & Eventing Veterinarian) and Dr Fred van der Linde (FEI Official Endurance veterinarian). Salom has been accepted to begin his master’s degree in Equine Medicine (Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome) at the University of Namibia School of Veterinary Medicine.

He has become a respected teacher and is always eager to better himself and others who look up to him. Salom has become an integral part of the Equine Clinic at the vet school and has gone above and beyond his required duties as a Staff Development Fellow.

Combining excellent leadership with humility and gratitude, Salom is a true example of someone who has persevered against all odds to achieve his dream – inspiring other Namibian youngsters to enter the field of equestrian sport and equine care.

Lucinda Green for The Lucinda Green Academy (GBR)

Lucinda is one of the best Eventing riders of all time. She is world and double European Champion, Olympic team silver medallist, dual Burghley, and a record six-time Badminton winner. Lucinda has been teaching riders from grassroots to Olympic level around the world since the early 1980s.

The last four years has seen tremendous online activity around the Lucinda Green XC Academy. She demonstrates her great teaching skills and brings other knowledgeable people from around the world to help her members develop their horse management as well as their training and competing.

Lucinda has enormous passion for teaching and promoting Eventing in Great Britain and across the world. All her life she has fostered a paradox in her training and riding, saying that the horse must be allowed to think for himself while still listening to his rider. Her ‘Greenprint’ is made up of her fundamental principles, established over 50 years of competing and teaching, that help athletes and trainers to do exactly that.

She feels that cross country must remain the heartbeat of the sport. If a similar balance of the other two phases with cross country is not maintained, then Eventing could change into a combined training competition of dressage and show jumping with an "exhibition" cross country. As such, she believes it would lose its ‘USP’ (Unique Selling Point) and become a second-rate sport.

Currently Lucinda is investigating ideas of how to develop a programme that will help iron out horse abuse that has recently been highlighted. She believes it is such a difficult nettle to grasp that it has taken exposure of abuse at the highest level to stress the necessity for a line in the sand now to be more emphatically drawn.

FEI Awards 2024 

This year’s FEI Awards features four categories with the short-listed nominees hoping to add their names to a roll of honour that dates back to 2009.

The public have until 13 October to cast their vote for the 16 shortlisted nominees. The winners will be decided by a voting system that is based 50% on the public vote and 50% on the judges’ panel featuring equestrian experts.

The winners will be announced at this year’s FEI Awards Gala presented by Longines, in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on 13 November. Vote here today!