The FEI world championships, which get under way Saturday, are about more than medals.

For dressage, show jumping and eventing, they are qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics, while the para dressage is a qualifier for the 2024 Paralympics. Who doesn’t want to go to Paris? And that’s especially true since the Tokyo Olympics had to run without spectators, or much in the way of atmosphere due to Covid restrictions last year.

The top six teams from the dressage world championships will qualify for Paris, while the host country, France, automatically gets into its Games without being in the top six.

Dressage is first up at the ECCO FEI World Championships Herning 2022 in Herning, Denmark, not what you usually think of as a destination city, but still very nice.  Para will follow, then show jumping. (The non-Olympic discipline of vaulting is also on the program.) Eventing won’t be held until next month in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy.

U.S. dressage team anchor rider Adrienne Lyle and Salvino. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian/Shannon Brinkman)

The World Equestrian Games, which ran from 1990 to 2018, combined all the championships for the FEI disciplines, but has been dropped in favor of an arrangement that doesn’t require so much heavy lifting from a host site.

We just got the starting order for the dressage Grand Prix, which (unlike the case in Tokyo) will determine the team medals. Also unlike the teams of three that competed in Tokyo (and sadly, will be the case in Paris as well), each nation can have four starters. That means the worst score can be dropped from the team totals, which can be a game-changer.

The growth of the once European- and North American-centric discipline of dressage is reflected in the addition of competitors representing countries that are farther afield, including India, Singapore, Moldova and Armenia. They won’t be close to the medals, but you have to start somewhere. Widening the pool of participants is important in terms of keeping horse sport in the Olympics.

The Olympic roster is very competitive, with a new emphasis on sports that don’t take forever to run and appeal to the young. Among the events seeking admittance for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are motor sports (likely go-karts), flag football and breaking, (or break dancing as we called it when it was an exhibition in the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics.) So you can see what legacy sports like equestrian are up against, and why they have to keep evolving with an eye toward staying in the Games.

Ashley Holzer is riding Valentine on her first U.S. championship team (she rode for Canada in the Olympics). (Photo courtesy of US Equestrian)

Likely dressage medalists for the world championships this time around aren’t necessarily the usual suspects. Denmark is a heavy favorite for team gold with its star, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Vamos Amigos, touted as the likely recipient of individual gold.

Germany, normally the championships’ powerhouse, is short of its usual muscle as world number one Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, is pregnant and won’t be part of the team. Ingrid Klimke, better known as an eventer, is on the squad.

She’s following in the steps of her father, Reiner Klimke, who earned double gold in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Who can forget his impressive one-handed victory passage lap there with the magnificent Alherich? He would be pleased to know she’s on the team for his discipline in Herning.

Isabell Werth, the most decorated equestrian Olympian of all time, doesn’t have a superstar in her Herning mount, DSP Quantaz. It says a lot that she’s not riding the anchor leg for Germany on Sunday. That honor goes to Frederick Wandres on Duke of Britain FRH. He is new to this level of the sport, but was impressive as he improved on the Florida circuit last winter.

Don’t discount Britain as a threat. Although Valegro is long retired, Charlotte Dujardin still knows how to win. She was selected with Imhotep, a 9-year-old Dutch warmblood, partially owned by her mentor, Carl Hester, with Valegro’s groom, Alan Davies, at her side. While Imhotep is rather inexperienced, don’t forget that she earned double bronze in Tokyo on Gio, another horse that was short on mileage.

While Carl isn’t on the team as a rider because he didn’t have a horse available, you know he will still be active, and part of whatever success Britain enjoys in Denmark with its other riders, who are worth a look

Sweden is also a medal possibility–can you imagine the excitement at Herning if it’s a Scandinavian 1-2?

Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Defore and Vamos Amigos. (Photo by Kim Lundin)

I’ll be posting a story every evening, so come back to this website for updates.

The competition will be livestreamed on clipmyhorse.tv, but you have to subscribe to watch. If you want to see the U.S. riders, championships newcomer Katie Duerrhammer leads off at 8:11 a.m.  Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday, followed by Ashley Holzer on Valentine at 1:54 p.m. EDT.  Steffen Peters rides Suppenkasper on Sunday at 10:14 a.m. EDT and Adrienne Lyle will be the anchor with Salvino at 1:54 p.m. EDT

Click here to view the start list. The time in Denmark is six hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time in the U.S., so bear that in mind, since the list gives times that are local to Herning. I did the math for you on the U.S. riders.