Georg Kähny – the owner of Henrik von Eckermann's top horses King Edward (Edward x Feo, bred by Wim Impens) and Iliana (Cardento x Gentleman, bred by J.M.A. Bocken) – was awarded as the 2023 Longines Owner of the Year at Longines CHI Classics Basel on Friday evening. 

This was the second consecutive year that Kähny received the award, which was created in 2004 to illustrate the importance of recognizing the involvement of the owners in building an international career in showjumping. Present at the award ceremony were also Bernardo Tribolet – Longines Vice President Marketing, and Dominique Mégret – Chairman of the Jumping Owners Club. 

In 2023, Kähny’s King Edward and Iliana had tremendous success. With von Eckermann in the saddle, Iliana was a part of the Swedish team that won team gold at the FEI Jumping European Championship in Milan. During 2023, Iliana and von Eckermann also recorded big wins in Gothenburg, Paris, Dinard and Geneva – before they finished off the year by ending second in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup in Mechelen. King Edward kicked off 2023 by winning the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup in Basel, before claiming the title at the 2023 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final in Omaha, as well as taking the top honours in the LGCT Grand Prix classes in Stockholm and Rome during the summer season.

“After just missing out on the trophy for several years, Georg Kähny confirms his status as a major owner of our sport with this second trophy in a row," Dominique Mégret said in a press release from the Jumping Owners Club. “His unfailing support perfectly illustrates the state of mind in which owners of top-level horses find themselves. Through his investments, his patience, his judicious choices and the excellent relationship he maintains with his horses' riders, Georg Kähny is the archetypal sports enthusiast. This is based on a triptych composed not only of the owner, but also and above all of the athletic duo of horse and rider, an inseparable trio whose essential goal is the pursuit of performance with total respect for the horse. I am sincerely delighted to see the efforts of one of our most eminent members rewarded with a second trophy. This success corroborates the one won last year, and shows, as was the case in 2018-2019 with Luigi Baleri, that loyalty, trust and respect are essential to build stride after stride such a prize list.”

Ingmar de Vos, FEI President, said: “For the second year in a row, I have the pleasure of congratulating George Kähny on winning the highly coveted Longines Owner of the Year award. Over the years, we have seen many of George Kähny’s horses thrive in the sport of jumping and carve their names into the history books, the most memorable to date being King Edward, who under Henrik von Eckermann, in Tokyo became the third horse in history to complete all the rounds at an Olympic Games without incurring any penalties!”

“The commitment and passion horse owners bring to the table is phenomenal, and it is important that we continue to recognize and value their key role in equestrian sport. I am very happy and proud, that since 2004, we honour horse owners with this prestigious award. And finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Longines for their ongoing support and drive to celebrate the very best in our sport,” de Vos said.

Longines Owner of the Year Award: Rules & history

The newly-named Longines Owner of the Year Award was created in 2004 to recognize the most successful owner of each year in the discipline of jumping. For 12 years where the award was given to the owner of the best horse according to the WBFSH ranking, the Jumping Owners Club, with the help of the IT Department of the FEI, set new rules to determine the winner. Now the new formula for the Owner of the Year Award calculation focuses on the best 3 horses of each owner, whoever rides them; and only the Longines FEI Jumping World CupTM and the Longines FEI Jumping Nations CupTM legs as well as the circuits finals, continental and world championships, and the Olympic Games are taken into account. The winning owner then receives the award, a bronze sculpture specifically created for the Jumping Owners Club, as well as a Longines timepiece.

Previous winners of the Owner of the Year Award:

    • John, Pat and Lisa Hales (GBR) for Arko III (2004 and 2005).

    • Mrs Serena Hamberg (AUT) for The Sixth Sense (2006).

    • Mrs Nancy Clark (USA) for Shutterfly (2007).

    • Mr Eric Lamaze (CAN) & Mr John Fleischhacker (USA) for Hickstead (2008, 2009 and 2010).

    • Mrs Beverley Widowson (GBR) for Carlo 273 (2011) and Big Star (2012).

    • Mrs Jane Clark for Cella (2013).

    • The Holsteiner Association for Casall Ask (2014).

    • His Majesty the King, Mohamed VI, King of Morocco, for Quickly de Kreisker (2015).

    • Mr Benoît Zimmermann (FRA) for Chesall Zimequest (2016).

    • Stuteri Arch – Mrs Charlotte Söderström (SWE) for H&M All In, H&M Christian K and H&M Cue Channa 42 (2017).

    • Mr Luigi Baleri for Clooney 51 and Chaplin (2018).

    • Mr Luigi Baleri for Clooney 51, Chaplin and The Sinner (2019).

    • 2020: no award due to Covid-19.

    • Stuteri Arch – Mrs Charlotte Söderström (SWE) for H&M All In, H&M Christian K and H&M Indiana (2021).

    • Mr Georg Kähny - Dufour Stables AG for King Edward & Iliana (2022).