Text © World of Showjumping

At the beginning of February, the French Equestrian Federation announced the appointment of Edouard Couperie as the new chef d'equipe for the French senior jumping team. Couperie succeeded Henk Nooren, who stepped down at the end of 2024 after five years at the helm of the French team.

The 68-year-old, who himself competed internationally until 2019, has a successful riding career to look back at. With Pro Pilot II, Couperie competed at the 2003 FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Las Vegas (USA) and the two were also part of the French team at the 2001 FEI European Championships in Arnhem (NED). For the past four years, Couperie has assisted Nooren with the senior jumping team – mostly attending the Longines EEF Nations Cup-events, as well as being responsible for the French young riders.

“I have my own stable in Barbizon,” Couperie tells World of Showjumping. “Now, my son is taking care of the stable so I can concentrate on my new job.”

“We have been very lucky in France,” Couperie tells about the status quo of the French team. “We did good at the Olympic Games on home soil, taking team bronze. I think Henk did a very good job with the team. I took the job mainly because most of the French riders pushed me to do so; they said they wanted me, which helped me make the decision.”

Having previously been in charge of the next generation of French showjumpers, Couperie believes in the strength of the youth. “We did well last year, and got a team silver at the European Championships for young riders. We have some good young riders coming up, and I think the system we have in place is working well. During the winter, we train a lot with them, organize clinics and take time to help them improve. This is something we will definitely continue to do.”

“We can never have enough horses and riders,” Couperie points out about the importance of focusing on the next generation. “What I also want to do is to sit down with the owners we have and try to convince them to keep more horses with a long-term plan in mind. This way, owners can help the sport improve – and it would be easier for us to plan ahead as a team.”

“I really appreciate the Longines EEF-series,” Couperie continues. “Those shows are perfect for improving the young riders. When it comes to the FEI’s own series Longines League of Nations™, I don’t agree with the dates. I think it would make more sense to first finish the World Cup-season and start with the Nations Cups when that is done. Now, we are in between the two; when we went to Abu Dhabi, we still had the World Cups running indoors. This makes it impossible for the riders and puts them in a difficult position.”

“We should not create a situation where these two FEI series compete with each other. I think FEI should think about this, and change the dates for the Longines League of Nations™.”

With ten five-star shows in the FEI calendar for the 2025-season being organized in France – two of them CSIO5* events – Couperie is in a lucky position when it comes to access to high-level jumping for his riders. “We are very lucky, because especially at the Nations Cup shows organized in France, we can have many French riders competing. This year, Fontainebleau is going to feature a five-star as well as hosting the French championships. This show will be very important for us, and I will use it for my selections for the rest of the season. I have asked all our riders to come to Fontainebleau.”

Naturally, Couperie loves team competition. “I really like the Nation Cups,” he tells. “As a rider, I jumped many Nations Cups and I really like to go with the team to these events. I would like to further improve the French team spirit, so that we can reach for the best possible results together. This year, we have the European Championships in La Coruña – a clear goal for us. However, we have to keep the bigger picture in mind; next year, there will be the World Championships in Aachen and the preparations for that have already started. This year, we have over 20 Nations Cups where we can participate and my aim is to test new teams, new riders and try out some new horse-and-rider combinations."

19.2.2025 No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.