Dressage is an art, no question, but what really defines the talent of a great rider is not their build, their training method, their financial status nor profile. What it all comes down to is their mentality.
What allows some people to push through all the barriers, to let go of the fear, to tackle the ups and downs that come with owning horses? What enables some people to walk up and pat a horse without hesitation, while others may feel anxious at the hint of the horse's approach? What is it that we see when a great rider connects with a great horse and the two create something magical in the arena?
My sister and I grew up on an Australian cattle farm and both of us were put on a horse before we could walk. One of us loved chasing cattle, loved going flat out and enjoyed anything on horse-back that involved being out of control, or at least, out of the arena. One of us had a talent for structure, enjoyed riding but preferred being in control and definitely in an arena. Later on, our mother would lead both of us to take up dressage, but right up until the day of the competition, one of us would still be yahooing her way around paddocks while the other had been very diligently learning and practicing the dressage tests.
It seems difficult to guess which one went on to pursue her dream of becoming a top dressage rider and while I may never make it all the way, the decision and desire to do it, is a part of me. My sister had the talent, the physique, and the opportunity, but she chose a different path in life, perhaps for many reasons, but largely because she suffered a bad fall and broke a part of her back.
Today, she would tell you that I chose to pursue dressage to please my mother but anyone who knows my mother or me would know that we are not unduly influenced into anything we do.
Having suffered depression for more than a decade, I discovered that my childhood days of yee-hawing on horseback were my greatest memories of true mental freedom. I returned to the saddle and left to train in Europe for one main reason: On the horse, when he and I are together, working, listening, feeling, my mind becomes quiet and for those 60 minutes every day I am at peace with myself and the world.
Perhaps I will never have the talent that my sister had, but I have realized that our sport is as much a mental journey as it is a physical one and that a great rider will have a mind that can neither see a life without horses nor a day without the freedom they experience on the horse's back.
Now my sister is married with kids and I am on the other side of the world riding horses.
Testing One's Perseverence: The Ramel Sisters
Talented sister team, Juliette and Antonia Ramel, were also led into horses at an early age, loved them from the word go and both found that dressage would be their chosen career path.
"I started riding because my sister and I were given a pony. That's how I got interested in riding and then I continued," says Antonia. While sister Juliette has been celebrating a year of Grand Prix success, speculation was that Antonia had given up the sport, when in actual fact she was just facing some tough times horse-wise.
"During my career I have had the opportunity to have several good horses. I first had a horse which was meant to be my schoolmaster for the Grand Prix. Unfortunately he broke his leg when my vet made a routine check and I had to put him to sleep," Antonia reminsced. "I now have a horse which I bought when he was eight. My plan with Seigneur this year is to start the Grand Prix. He has been competing on the small tour circuit internationally, but the journey to get where we are today has been long. He suffered a severe injury which has taken a long time to rehabilitate . Against all odds he is now doing very well. I also have another horse on which I want to ride the small tour this year."
Purchasing a top Grand Prix horse in 2012, Antonia was expected to be out on the circuit in no time, but again, she was held back but not due to lack of determination. "The top Grand Prix horse I bought was Insterburg TSF. The plan was to ride the Grand Prix and try to get in the Swedish team. I got the horse in May 2010 and in July 2010 I went to Aachen to compete the U25 GP. The horse was lame in Aachen. It turned out to be an old injury, about which the seller of the horse did not inform me," she explained. "I bought this expensive horse to compete with at the top level, but Insterburg turned out not to be suitable for this goal. I regret there are some bad practices in equine business which do not reflect the beauty of the horse nor the sport. At this moment litigation is pending in Germany. I do hope that the German judges will punish the malpractice."
Never intending to stop competing, Antonia has only had a time out because of bad luck with injuries. Despite all the hardships, she has never considered giving up riding. "Riding is a lifestyle. If you want to compete at a higher level you do not have a 5 day working week from 8 am to 5 pm, nor 5 weeks of vacation every year. I think you have to be dedicated to this kind of life and in the end love the horses to be able to enjoy this kind of life. There are many hours of hard work before you taste success in the arena but the feeling when you finally achieve success is one of the best feelings, I think. You need to keep that in mind on the days when you wish you didn't have to go to the stable. I believe everyone has those days."
Ramel explained that the greatest challenge for 2012 was getting Seigneur back to work. "I had five different veterinarians look at the injury, four of them said that the possibility for him getting back to work on a higher level was almost impossible. My own vet was the only one giving me a little bit of hope and she has done a fantastic job. After a very long rehabilitation, Seigneur is doing fine today. He has a very special place in my heart."
Juliette adds that what it really comes down to is willpower and those who want it badly enough, will find a way to go on! "Of course things can happen in your life that make it very difficult to go on, but until now I cannot mention a specific situation that would make me give up," said Juliette Ramel. "It's something I really enjoy doing every day and I want to be as good a rider as I can be and see how far that can take me."
A Life with Horses or Family? Nicole Uphoff
However, there are extreme circumstances where even the greatest desire to pursue a dressage career will be suffocated or put on hold. One is money, and the reality of our sport is that it is very expensive and even though a person may wish to continue, in many cases they just can't afford to own a horse.
Another is family, and while some parents can be supportive, and some husbands learn to cope with a bank balance in the red and a wife always away at the horses, sometimes it is the people closest to us that insist we must give up on our horse dream or not allow us to begin it in the first place.
There was always that one girl in class that would draw ponies in her notebook and almost wet her pants at the invite to pat your real, live horse. She would visit, completely entranced, and then her parents would arrive to pick her up, and then they would refuse to get out of car because of all the dirt and animals.
Then, there are the people who make it to the top, and while continuing their riding for pleasure and fulfillment, choose to place family above a continued competitive career. Winner of two gold medals at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, and a further two Olympic Gold medals in the 1992 Barcelona Games, Nicole Uphoff was without question a truly gifted dressage rider.
"The wins in Seoul were a big surprise and I was very proud of the two in Barcelona, because I got it with the same horse and nobody expected it from us," said the now 46-year old Uphoff-Selke.
With many great riding years still ahead of her, Nicole decided to take her quadrupal gold and let go of her show career to start a new dream at home. "I decided to stop because there is a life after show riding like having a wonderful family," she said. "And show riding and family don't match. You can do only one or the other thing perfectly."
I wondered then, after all this time, if the Olympic Champion ever regretted her decision? "I do not ever regret my decision, because I do have a wonderful family and like this I am able to enjoy my boys and my husband!"
by Sarah Warne for Eurodressage
Photos © Astrid Appels
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