Federação Equestre Portuguesa (FEP): Portugal’s Official Equestrian Federation
Federação Equestre Portuguesa (FEP): Portugal’s Official Equestrian Federation
Established on 5 December 1927, the Federação Equestre Portuguesa (FEP) is one of the oldest national equestrian bodies in Europe, predating most of its Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) peers by decades. FEP was later recognized as a sports public-utility entity on 7 November 1977, cementing its official standing fifty years after its founding. Headquartered in Lisbon at Av. Manuel da Maia, 26 4º Dtº, the federation is a member of the FEI, the Portuguese Olympic Committee, and the Portuguese Sports Confederation.
FEP’s own history page, História, traces the country’s equestrian pedigree back to Olympic medals won at Paris 1924, Berlin 1936, and London 1948, long before FEP existed in its modern federated form. More recently, Portuguese riders won the European Endurance Riding Championship in 1999 and took the Vice World Championship title in carriage driving (attelage) in 2001.
The Federation’s Role in Portugal
FEP describes its mission as being "mais que um desporto" — more than one sport — reflecting the breadth of its remit. It governs nine distinct equestrian disciplines: show jumping, dressage, cross-country eventing, endurance riding, carriage driving, working equitation, TREC, horseball, and combined disciplines under its umbrella. The federation manages athlete and horse registrations, trainer professional certification (TPTD), national and regional competition calendars, rankings, and results, all under published statutes and an ethics and whistleblowing channel called "Integridade no Desporto."
What Federação Equestre Portuguesa Does
| Function | With FEP | Without FEP |
|---|---|---|
| Competition eligibility | Riders and horses can compete in FEI-sanctioned national and international events | No FEI eligibility for Portuguese riders |
| Trainer certification | Official TPTD professional trainer accreditation | No recognized professional coaching credential |
| Discipline governance | Nine disciplines organized under one national structure, from show jumping to working equitation | No unified national competition or ranking system |
| Olympic pathway | Member of the Portuguese Olympic Committee, linking riders to Olympic-discipline development | No structured Olympic pathway |
| Public-utility status | Recognized sports public-utility entity since 1977 | No official governmental recognition of the sport’s governing structure |
3 Real-World Scenarios
- A young dressage rider in Lisbon registers with an FEP-affiliated club to compete in national rankings before pursuing international FEI eligibility.
- A trainer pursuing official coaching credentials completes FEP’s TPTD professional certification process to teach at an accredited riding school.
- A working equitation rider — a discipline with deep roots in Portuguese ranching tradition — competes in an FEP-sanctioned national championship to qualify for international representation.
2 Portugal Equestrian Facts
- FEP was founded on 5 December 1927 and gained recognition as a sports public-utility entity exactly fifty years later, on 7 November 1977.
- Portuguese riders won the European Endurance Riding Championship in 1999 and finished Vice World Champions in carriage driving (attelage) in 2001.
