HEALTH & FITNESS 
TEACH ME 
HORSE & HUMAN 
MY EQUESTRIAN LIFE 
We look back at the stories from each year...
The FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ season celebrates its 10th anniversary this year with the 2022 season beginning this coming week at the famous Italian venue of Pratoni del Vivaro.
Sweden will defend their title over the course of the nine-round series, while Olympic and World champions Great Britain will be contenders as usual and multiple winners Germany are never far away from the top.
As we celebrate 10 years of FEI Eventing Nations Cup™, we thought we’d look back at the story of this fantastic annual competition in which countries go head to head…
2012
Winners: Germany
Michael Jung and Ingrid Klimke were the big names in Germany’s team as they took first place in the inaugural FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ series.
Germany actually won four of the six legs in the first season, finishing on a high with a win in Boekelo just weeks after taking Olympic gold at London 2012. The Netherlands came second in the overall competition, with France in third.
The first season was a big success, finishing with a 12-team competition in Boekelo.
“It’s been a very pleasing first year and I’m delighted to see how many nations have really bought into the concept,” said FEI Eventing chief Guiseppe della Chiesa.
“We deliberately started the series off quietly to see how it worked, and it seems that riders, team trainers and federations are really prepared to get behind it because it’s such a great opportunity to give different combinations of riders team opportunities.”
2013
Winners: Great Britain
Great Britain won the 2013 title by just one point after an epic battle with the previous year’s champions, Germany.
The two countries had been neck-and-neck all season, but while Germany won the final round in Boekelo, the British just did enough! France finished third overall for the second year.
Kitty King and Laura Collett were in the GB team while Michael Jung caught the eye with his exciting new young horse, the eight-year-old mare FischerRocana FST who went on win Kentucky three times.
“We made a big effort with the series this year, so we’re absolutely thrilled to come out on top in what was a very exciting finish to a successful concept,” said Britain’s team manager, Philip Surl.
2014
Winners: Germany
Germany’s five consecutive wins during the season was enough to give them a second title in three years.
The Germans were fortunate to have amassed a big lead in the series ahead of the finale in Boekelo as they performed poorly, despite World champion Sandra Auffarth being among their ranks.
Great Britain came second overall while France took third place for the third consecutive year!
2015
Winners: Great Britain
Great Britain and Germany again dominated the Nations Cup series, with the former matching their rivals’ two title wins during the championship’s first four years.
Ireland secured their first-ever Nations Cup win in the season finale in Boekelo, while New Zealand became the first team to benefit from the Nations Cup’s offer of an Olympic qualification place. They finished ahead of Japan in Boekelo to secure their ticket to Rio 2016.
Australia enjoyed their best performance in the competition to date as they came third overall, with big names such as Andrew Hoy and Chris Burton among their ranks.
2016
Winners: Germany
Germany made it three championship wins in the year that included a US event for the first time.
The home team won the inaugural leg at The Plains, with Canada and Great Britain also on the podium. However, Germany won the series overall ahead of the Brits, with both teams achieving three victories. 2016 Olympic gold medallists France finished third.
GB finished the season on a high with victory on Boekelo, with Tokyo 2020 gold medallists Laura Collett and Oliver Townend among their ranks.
“It’s been a long season and we’ve been all over the world, so this is a great way to finish – I couldn’t be happier,” said British team manager Philip Surl.
2017
Winners: Germany
Germany secured their most comprehensive title victory to date with five wins during the seven events they entered.
On their way to a fourth championship, the Germans this time took top spot in the season finale to ensure they finished clear of Great Britain and France.
A total of 18 nations took part in 2017, with new entrants including Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
2018
Winners: Great Britain
GB denied France a first-ever FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ championship victory with a stunning win in Boekelo to leapfrog their rivals.
France headed to the Netherlands 10 points clear of GB, but a poor performance in the season finale saw them drop down the order. Germany finished the season in third place.
GB secured the series win just weeks after taking FEI World Equestrian Games gold in Tryon.
2019
Winners: Sweden
Sweden ended Germany’s and Great Britain’s domination of the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ series as they became the third winner in the event’s eighth year.
The Swedes were rewarded for their consistency as they secured the title despite not winning any of the seven legs. They finished just ahead of Italy, while Great Britain came third. Germany won all four of the rounds they took part in, with Michael Jung, Ingrid Klimke and Sandra Auffarth helping them to victory in Boekelo.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to be 10th,” laughed a relieved Fred Bergendorff, Chef d’Equipe for the Swedish team, who had done just enough to hold on to their title.
The season finale was a thriller for those hoping to secure the Olympic qualification spot on offer from the 2019 series. Ultimately, Switzerland edged out Belgium and the Netherlands to punch their ticket for Tokyo 2020. Watch the action here...
