Omaha, NE – With just one competition remaining in both Jumping and Dressage, the race to qualify in the North American League for the FEI World Cup™ Finals Omaha 2023 is coming to an exciting finish.  The Finals, which take place on April 4-8, 2023, at the CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska, is the culmination of the hotly contested FEI World Cup™ 2022-2033 season, featuring the world’s best athletes vying for international glory. Through qualification, riders will have earned their place to represent their country at the most prestigious equestrian event of the year.

Jumping Standings

     Jumping athletes in the North American League have had the opportunity to gain valuable qualifying points at seven competitions, with the eighth and final event taking place at Live Oak International in Ocala, Florida, on March 18, 2023. At the beginning of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ season, athletes must declare which league they will earn points in, with their top four performances counting toward qualification. The current FEI Jumping World Cup™ - North American League standings are as follows:

Daniel Coyle (IRL) – 66 points

Conor Swail (IRL) – 56 points

Daniel Bluman (ISR) – 54 points

Hunter Holloway (USA) – 40 points

Natalie Dean (USA) – 33 points

Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) – 32 points

Lillie Keenan (USA) – 30 points

Elisa Broz (USA) – 28 points

Devin Ryan (USA) – 26 points

Kent Farrington (USA) – 26 points

McLain Ward (USA) – 26 points

Ireland's Daniel Coyle leads the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ - North American League, propelled by a win in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Toronto at the Royal Horse Show in Canada. Photo courtesy of Jump Media

     Coyle scored points with top finishes throughout the season, including a win in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Toronto at the Royal Horse Show in Canada; a second-place finish in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Las Vegas in Nevada; and most recently, a victory in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Fort Worth at the Fort Worth International in Texas. Fellow Irishman Swail earned wins in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Sacramento in California and in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Washington at the Washington International Horse Show in Maryland, while Bluman topped the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Lexington in Kentucky and was second at both The Royal and Washington. 

     Fourteen North American qualifying places are available for the Final, including up to 10 U.S. Jumping riders represented by three West Coast-based athletes and seven based on the East Coast. Four additional berths are awarded to the top two Canadian and Mexican riders. Holloway will be looking to make her second trip to the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final after her debut in 2022, while Dean and Keenan would be making their first FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final appearances. Ward, notably, made his last trip to Omaha a winning one when he hoisted the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ trophy for the first time in 2017.

Dressage Standings

     Dressage riders in the North American League can contest up to six competitions throughout the FEI World Cup™ 2022-2023 season, with their top three performances counting toward qualification. Nine shows have taken place thus far with riders earning points in CDI-W Freestyle classes. The last qualifier is at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida, on March 3, 2023. The current FEI Dressage World Cup™ - North American League standings are as follows:

Steffen Peters (USA) – 60 points

Alice Tarjan (USA) – 57 points

Sarah Tubman (USA) – 54 points

Anna Buffini (USA) – 51 points

Claire Darnell (USA) – 42 points

Adrienne Lyle (USA) – 40 points

Michael Bragdell (USA) – 30 points

Charlotte Jorst (USA) – 28 points

Three-time Olympic team medalist Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper sit atop the FEI Dressage World Cup™ - North American League leaderboard after three wins at the Desert International Horse Park in California. Photo courtesy of Megan Giese/Desert Horse Park

     Only three North American athletes will qualify to compete in Omaha, putting a lot of pressure on the results of the final qualifier. Three-time Olympic team medalist Steffen Peters has already scored three wins at the Desert International Horse Park in California with his 2020 Tokyo Olympics partner Suppenkasper to guarantee his spot. With enough points for the second-place position, Alice Tarjan and her own Serenade MF have earned the same achievement. However, Pan American Games individual gold medalist Sarah Tubman with First Apple and young talent Anna Buffini riding Davinia La Douce can still shake things up. Unfortunately, Tokyo Olympic team silver medalist Adrienne Lyle is out of the running for the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final after her mount, Salvino, incurred a small injury.

Vaulting Standings

     Vaulting athletes have already completed their qualifying period for the Burlington Capital FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final, but the athletes that will come to Omaha are to be determined. Notably, Kimberly Palmer of the U.S. is the second-ranked female in the world and is expected to compete in Omaha. Palmer was the bronze medalist at the FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final Leipzig 2022.

Photo at Right: The second-ranked female in the world, Kimberly Palmer of the U.S. was the bronze medalist at the FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final Leipzig 2022 and is expected to compete in Omaha. Photo courtesy of Richard Juilliart/FEI

     Produced by the Omaha Equestrian Foundation and located in the heart of downtown Omaha, the FEI World Cup™ Finals Omaha 2023 will feature everything under one roof – stabling, warm-up, competition arena, dining venues, and shopping expo – with hotels, restaurants, and entertainment within easy walking distance. The 2017 Finals, also hosted in Omaha, drew visitors and volunteers from all 50 states and 38 countries.

     The FEI World Cup™ Finals Omaha 2023 will pay homage to the Great Plains horses’ cultural impact by infusing tributes to Native American heritage through the theme “1723.” The Omaha Equestrian Foundation partnered with Bluebird Cultural Initiative to develop the theme that will be part of the event’s educational and entertainment programs that are free to the public. For more information about the FEI World Cup™ Finals Omaha 2023, visit Omaha2023.fei.org. All-session and single-session tickets and tables are on sale now via Ticketmaster.com.
About the Omaha Equestrian Foundation

     The Omaha Equestrian Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that strives to bring equestrian sport into the mainstream by changing the way it is presented and to develop Omaha into a hub of the sport horse industry, attracting and developing championship competitions as both educational and economic development opportunities for the community.