With the majority of FEI events suspended this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the "best of the best" from the past decade were instead recognised across five award categories.

More than 70,000 votes were cast by the public on 55 nominees from 19 countries. 

The winners were revealed in a video narrated by British Paralympic champion Natasha Baker.

Germany's Klimke was named FEI Best Athlete after first receiving the accolade last year. 

The 52-year-old earned Olympic gold in the team eventing at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, and also competed at Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Rio 2016. 

She also achieved back-to-back individual eventing European titles in 2017 and 2019.  

"This is all still a little bit unreal but I'm so thrilled and happy," Klimke said. 

Semmieke Rothenberger of Germany was the recipient of the FEI Rising Star Award, having also won the title in 2019. 

"I'm very grateful that so many people voted for me and that there is such a big fan base of people that support me," she said. 

"It is also quite surreal because there were so many good athletes in this category, including my brother Sönke, so I didn't really expect that I would win it again."

The 21-year-old Rothenberger has claimed 22 FEI European Championship medals across all youth categories.

German Paralympian Angelika Trabert took the FEI Against All Odds Award.

She had just won individual gold at the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2010 when she picked up her first FEI Against All Odds award, given to the person who has pursued their equestrian ambitions despite a physical handicap or extremely difficult personal circumstances.

Trabert, who has won six Paralympic medals and four at the FEI World Equestrian Games, is the current Para-athlete representative on the FEI Athletes' Committee and a member of the FEI Para Equestrian Committee.

Carmen Thiemann was given the FEI Best Groom Award after first receiving it in 2013, while Ebony Horse Club in Britain was the recipient of the FEI Solidarity Award 10 years after first winning the accolade. 

The organisation, which is based in Brixton in London, provides young people from low income families with the opportunity to ride horses and take part in a variety of sporting and educational activities. 

"Our global and diverse community is built on our shared passion for horsemanship and the team spirit, which is so present in all five of our winners, is replicated around the world and at every level of the sport, both on and off the field," FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.

"Passion and resilience define our community, and these values are echoed in the stories of each of our FEI Awards winners for 2020.

"Congratulations to all the nominees and especially to our winners, thank you for your commitment to the sport and the values which make the equestrian world so rewarding and inspiring."