May 1, 2025 
Were he a solider on the Night’s Watch, today, Henrik von Eckermann would receive a proper, albeit solemn send-off from his sable-clad peers.
On May 1, after 32 months at the top of the Longines Rankings, the Swedish rider will officially pass along that white, World No. 1 armband to the USA’s Kent Farrington. Farrington, who officially closed the rankings gap to within 50 points of von Eckermann in April, will once again take over the top spot for the first time in seven years.
Thankfully, when it comes to the Longines Rankings, neither life terms nor results are determined by White Walker battles. But if you’re still left feeling a little misty eyed by the transition, we can’t blame you.
“I wanted to be number one,” von Eckermann told I Am An Equestrian Le Podcast. “When that day came, I felt like, Okay, I achieved that. I for sure didn’t think, Okay, now I’m going to be [No. 1] for 30 months.
“It’s just, at that time, everything came together with my horses. The group of horses came up to an age and a time in their career where they were all ready to go to the shows and try to win.”
Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, who maintained her World No. 1 ranking for 24, non-consecutive months in the early aughts, echos the importance of having a string that peaks at just the right time.
“To reach World No. 1, you need to have a number of talented horses,” Michaels-Beerbaum told Glorious. “I had three excellent horses—Shutterfly, Checkmate, and Le Mans—which got me ‘round the global circuit. But to make it to the top of the world rankings, I really think you need more than three.”
For von Eckermann, who took over the top spot from Martin Fuchs (SUI) in August of 2022, those horses included Iliana, Glamour Girl, and of course, the indomitable King Edward—the best horse in a quarter century—who might as well have done the winning for two.
In August of 2022, in fact, the same month as his official World No. 1 ascension, von Eckermann and King Edward won double gold at the ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning, Denmark (pictured). Those wins came on the heels of their Olympic team gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
They kept on pace, and by November of the following year, the Swedish rider and King Edward had taken home three, CSI5* wins in Samorin, Slovakia (October 2021), St. Tropez – Grimaud, France (April 2022), and Verona, Italy (November 2022).
In the years since, von Eckermann and “the King” have added a total of six, 5* Grand Prix wins to their resume—putting them among the top 10 winners of all time. They’ve also amassed more than €4.2 million in prize money and finished on more than 30, 5* podiums (Jumpr).
What’s more, their back-to-back FEI World Cup Finals wins in 2023/2024 added their name to an elite list of historic champions that includes the likes of the aforementioned Shutterfly, Milton, and E.T.
All of it has helped to cement von Eckermann—who also earned a career-first 5* win with Iliana in the Longines Grand Prix of Basel, Switzerland in January—as not only the longest but most dominant World No. 1 in FEI history.
Take the ranking list back in May of 2023, when von Eckermann’s 593-point lead over then-World No. 2 Julien Epaillard (FRA) was the widest gap registered in the last 14 years. Only two previous World No. 1s—Scott Brash (GBR) and Harrie Smolders (NED)—have ever achieved a 500+ point lead. Von Eckermann’s was nearly 600.
“The [Longines World No. 1 armband] doesn’t bring extra pressure. I try to enjoy the moment—I know this moment will not last forever,” von Eckermann told the FEI in 2023.
“I always put pressure on myself when I go in the ring. I want to do the best ride that I can for the horse, to be able to be satisfied when I go out, knowing that I did everything that I could.”
It would be hard to argue that, after 32 record-breaking months at the top, von Eckermann could be anything but satisfied.
