Newly crowned European champion Laura Collett and top groom Adam Short are in the running for the prestigious FEI Awards 2025.
Laura, who won individual gold on home soil with her own, Karen Bartlett and Keith Scott’s London 52 at last month’s European Eventing Championships, is shortlisted for the Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete category.
She is joined on the shortlist by Belgium’s Justin Verboomen, whose stratospheric rise this summer earned him a pair of gold medals at the European Dressage Championships with Zonik Plus. European showjumping champion Richard Vogel, who won individual gold and led Germany to team bronze in Spain, and Dutch endurance European champion Marijke Visser are also shortlisted.
“Laura is a warrior. Her journey has been defined by resilience, overcoming life-threatening injury and the sport’s harshest lows,” states Laura’s nomination.
“Today, she stands as one of eventing’s most consistent performers, a role model, a rider of extreme talent and the consummate professional.”
Adam, groom to 2025 European individual eventing bronze medallists Tom McEwen and JL Dublin, is on the four-strong shortlist for the Cavalor FEI Best Groom category.
Adam Short cheers for Tom McEwen and his British team-mates during the medal ceremony at the Paris Olympics.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
“The relationships he has created with horses, other grooms, athletes, support staff and many more, has shaped him into the person he is today,” states Adam’s nomination. “Adam discovered for himself that giving these amazing animals all the care and attention they need to be as happy as possible, allowing optimum performance, is his life’s mission.”
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Steffi Wiegard, groom to dressage legend Isabell Werth; Oona Eerola, groom to Brazilian showjumper Yuri Mansur; and Sanne Melsen, who is groom to Belgian showjumper Gilles Thomas, are also shortlisted.
Winners are decided by a combination of judges’ vote (50%), and a public poll (50%) on Chinese social media platform WeChat, via the FEI website.
To vote and for more information on the finalists in all four categories – Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete, Longines FEI Rising Star, Cavalor FEI Best Groom, and FEI Inspire Award – visit fei.org/awards by 12 October.
Winners will be announced at the FEI Awards Gala, presented by Longines, in Hong Kong on 7 November.
Laura Collett (GBR) riding don 52 in the show jumping phase of the Agria FEI Eventing European Championship, Blenheim Palace. Held in the grounds of Blenheim Palace near Woodstock in Oxfordshire in the UK between 18th - 21st September 2025
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
