What is the FFE?

Set up in 1987, the French Equestrian Federation is the body that runs everything to do with equestrian sport in France, from leisure riding to trail riding.

As the third largest French Olympic federation, the FFE has taken on a wide range of roles. From running competitions to issuing licences, from drafting the rules to managing high-level sport, the FFE is now one of the most essential organisations in French riding. But what exactly is the FFE? That is what this article is about.

What is the story behind the FFE?

The first thing to know is that the French Equestrian Federation (FFE) came about when three bodies merged in 1987: the Fédération Française des Sports Équestres, founded in 1921; the Association Nationale pour le Tourisme Équestre, founded in 1963 with the support of the Haras Nationaux; and the Poney Club de France, created in 1971 following the intervention of the Haras Nationaux.

The FFE was therefore a grouping of three different national delegations: the national delegation for equestrian sport, the national delegation for trail riding and the national delegation for pony riding (DNEP). All the delegations were dissolved in 1999 and absorbed into the FFE. The steering committee created at that point comprised a horse committee, a pony committee, a trail riding committee and a competition college.

Today, the French Equestrian Federation is one of the country's leading sports federations. As of 31 August 2025, it had 9,574 member centres and 625,422 licence holders. FFE, assemblée générale 2025. Riding is the fourth largest national sport by number of licences, with 648,254 licences in 2024, including 293,101 "pony" licences. IFCE, annuaire ÉCUS 2025. Most of these licence holders are women and young people.

What does the FFE do?

The statutory tasks the FFE sets itself generally cover issuing licences and maintaining the licence register, as well as properly assessing the technical level of the riders holding those licences and issuing the corresponding certificates.

Another role played by the French Equestrian Federation is organising sporting events at international, national, regional and departmental level. The FFE also handles the development and approval of establishments, facilities and equipment used in equestrian activities, including competitions.

The FFE also runs various training courses and awards federal qualifications. It takes part in defining and organising the courses leading to state-issued and state-approved riding instructor qualifications.

The FFE also draws up the rules for both sport and equestrian activities in general. It oversees high-level sport across the various equestrian disciplines. It enables local and regional bodies to be set up and manages international relations with federations in other countries.

Finally, the FFE looks after equestrian activities in the broader sense, such as publications and the organisation of general meetings, conferences and so on.

In figures, the FFE has secured riding's position as the only Olympic sport in which women and men compete together, has made France the leading trail riding nation on the continent and oversees around thirty competition disciplines. Each year it awards the Galops and federal certificates that mark out a rider's progress.