What is the FEI and what role does it play in dressage?

The Fédération Équestre Internationale is the international governing body for equestrian sport, founded in 1921 and responsible for establishing and maintaining the rules, standards, and competitive framework for dressage and other equestrian disciplines at the international level. The FEI establishes the rules that govern all international dressage competition — the test content, judging criteria, horse and rider eligibility, anti-doping regulations, and welfare standards that apply at FEI-sanctioned events worldwide including the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup Finals, and Nations Cup competitions. The FEI dressage levels — Prix St. Georges, Intermediate I, Intermediate II, and Grand Prix — represent the international competitive structure above the national levels established by each country's equestrian federation, and horses competing at FEI levels must be registered with the FEI and meet specific eligibility requirements. The FEI also maintains the rules governing horse welfare in dressage, including restrictions on training methods and equipment that conflict with the horse's wellbeing, and its steward system at FEI events monitors compliance with these welfare standards. The FEI Dressage Committee is responsible for developing and revising the tests performed at international competitions, updating them periodically to reflect the evolution of the sport and to address specific competitive and judging concerns. The organization's relationship with national federations — each country's equestrian governing body is a member of the FEI — creates a connected international competitive structure while allowing national federations to maintain their own domestic competition programs and levels, which is why the lower competitive levels in the United States are governed by USEF rather than FEI standards.