Isabelle Costantini Returns to the International Arena at 2019 CDI Nice

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2019 CDI Nice

Luxembourg's former Grand Prix team rider Isabelle Costantini has returned to the international arena at the 2019 CDI Nice. Aboard the 9-year old Dutch warmblood mare Fifth Avenue she scored a hattrick in the small tour.

The Barcelona based Costantini hasn't been in the CDI show ring for almost 2.5 years. After representing Luxembourg at the 2013 European Championships in Herning aboard Rimbeau (by Royal Diamond x Westrich), Isabelle retired her top horse who is now 20. She made a brief come back on the now 12-year old Danish mare Pari Aiko (by Akinos x Loran) in 2015 but rode only one CDI in October 2016.

Costantini moved from Luxembourg to Barcelona, Spain, three years ago in search of the sun and settled at Annabelle Collins and Agusti Elias' yard in Can Alzina. There she discovered Annabelle's 9-year old KWPN mare Fifth Avenue (by Romanov x Jazz). Collins rode her at the 2016 World Young Horse Championships and finished 24th in the consolation finals. In 2017 her husband Agusti Elias took over the ride for a year, claimed the title in the 7-year old division at the Spanish Young Horse Championships and then sold her to Costantini.

At their first CDI together Isabelle and Fifth Avenue took away three throphies in Nice. They scored winning marks of 68.627% (Prix St Georges), 68.471% (Inter I) and 71.575% (Inter I Kur).

"Fifth Avenue was very spooky when I bought her, but as I am a very very patient rider, I trained a lot on her self confidence and were able to present her in her first international small tour with great moments," Isabelle told Eurodressage. "She felt every day a little more self assured and I have the feeling she loved being in the spotlight. It was her first international small tour and second Inter 1 and she came out with no sweat and happy to ge there. I think she is a world class horse. Besides she has the most adorable character."

Costantini is a professional movie and theatre actress and works with a small number of horses at home. Pari Aiko has had a short break to be a brood mare, but Isabelle might pick her up again for a sport career.

"Pari was never really happy with me and we never became a team," Isabelle admitted. "So I let her become a mother. She got a superb filly foal by Vitalis. We are putting her back into work and she will probably be a great junior horse."

Isabelle, who celebrated her milestone 50th birthday one day after the CDI Nice on Monday 25 February 2019, is looking forward to an active show year with Fifth Avenue.

"It takes a long time to find a new real horse partner. My Rimbeau was the first "horse-love-partner" in my riding career," Isabelle explained. "I never thought I find another that could give me this riding harmony again. But there she is."

Costantini has check marked four internationals she wants to ride this year, but it will also depend on her daughter India Gavroy's school schedule.

"I will ride some CDI's in Madrid or Segovia in Spain, Leudelange, Nice and Crozet in the summer and the Spanish Championships for 7-9 years old in the autumn," Isabelle explained. "But being a mother of a teenager, I have to organise the private priorities first."