FEI World Equestrian Games

The FEI World Equestrian Games are the major international championships for equestrianism, and are administered by the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI). The games have been held every four years, halfway between sets of consecutive Summer Olympic Games, since 1990. Prior to that year, all ten of the FEI's individual disciplines held separate championships, usually in separate countries. The modern WEG runs over two weeks and, like the Olympics, the location rotates to different parts of the world. Riders and horses competing at WEG go through a rigorous selection process, and each participating country sends teams that have distinguished themselves through competition as the nation's best in each respective discipline. At the 2010 Games, 57 countries were represented by 800 people and their horses.

The WEG gradually expanded to include eight of the FEI's ten disciplines: combined driving, dressage, endurance riding, eventing, paraequestrianism, reining, show jumping, and vaulting. The FEI's two remaining regional disciplines, horseball and tent pegging, still conduct independent championships.

The 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky marked a series of firsts in WEG history: the first time WEG were held outside Europe; the first time that championships for eight FEI disciplines were held at one location (the Kentucky Horse Park); and the first time WEG had a title sponsor (in this case the animal health and nutrition group corporation Alltech, headquartered in the nearby city of Nicholasville). Permanent upgrades added to the Kentucky Horse Park leading up to the event included the completion of a 6,000 seat, climate-controlled indoor arena and completion of a 7,500 seat outdoor stadium.

The Tryon International Equestrian Center, near Mill Spring, North Carolina, was the location of the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games.

Tryon 2018 was the last World Equestrian Games as the WEG format was discontinued during the FEI General Assembly meeting on 20 November 2018.

"We need to think carefully about the future of WEG and have the courage to look at the future of our World Championships and ask if WEG is still fit for purpose. ... So the FEI Board decided to open the bidding process to separate World Championships with a focus on combined bids. Is this the end of World Equestrian Games? Not necessarily as this procedure will still allow bidders to apply for all Championships in one event. ... The Secretary General confirmed that bids would be invited for individual discipline World Championships in 2022 in place of the WEG format."