Dressage Fashionista Silvia Rizzo New Brand Ambassador for Equestrian Queen and Sedik

Fashion & Lifestyle

Italian Grand Prix rider Silvia Rizzo has welcomed two new clothing brands to her list of sponsors as she continues to build her business as a dressage rider, trainer, and sales agent at the Dutch branch of "Hof Marabunta" at Resim Dressage in Harskamp, The Netherlands.

One year after her big move from Germany to Holland, Rizzo continues to work on improving her equestrian performance as well as grow her network of students and clients.

Well known for her ever-changing, stylish competition outfits, Silvia combines top sport with self-development. Her sense of style at the highest level of international dressage sport has triggered two new brands to sign her up for sponsorship.

Ever Improving

With the Hanoverian gelding Ducati (by Don Crusador x Rotspon) Silvia had a very busy show season in 2022 competing at CDI's in Opglabbeek, Compiègne, Samorin, Grote Brogel and Ermelo. The highlight of the year was at the CDI Troisdorf where she posted 66.02% in the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special.

Rizzo in a full Sedik outfit at the CDI Ermelo

In 2023 she focused on fine-tuning of her skills with trainers Michele Betti and Jeroen Okkema, who knows Ducati in and out as his previous rider. Silvia also invested much time in her horse sales business, which thrived at Hof Marabunta in Germany and now with an annexe in The Netherlands. Rizzo runs Hof Marabunta with her life partner Michele Betti, a former Italian Olympic eventing coach and dressage trainer, who mainly teaches in Germany and Italy but also flies across the world for clinics at all levels in all three Olympic disciplines.

Her fire for competitions keeps burning and at the 2023 CDI Ermelo in August she put herself and Ducati to the test in the 3* tour for the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special. She has also been showing at nationals in The Netherlands, including Houten were she finished second and third. Her focus now lies on the winter show circuit with her string of horses.

"I love to compete and always try to do my best in every single test," Rizzo explained. "It's a good way to find out which elements need more attention in the daily training and to find out where you have made progress according to the fresh eyes of the judges."

At Resim Dressage in Harskamp, Silvia not only trains her own horses Ducati, Donnerbaldo and Orfeo Sollenburg, but she also has horses in training from clients, most of them to be sold, and room to welcome more. Rizzo has a vast network of contacts, which stretches from pleasure riders and amateurs to competition riders and demanding professionals, carefully built over three decades.

Rizzo with Ducati at the 2023 CDI Ermelo

Owners and breeders choose to work with her because of her work ethic which revolves around respecting the horse and its wellbeing. Her extraordinary patience and commitment to giving each individual horse the time it needs to grow and develop according to its age. She will not push horses to perform or compete at a level they are not ready for.

Motivation

Rizzo recently launched a motivational blog with regular post full of affirmations, support and self-reflection for the challenges dressage riders and humans in general face on the path of life.

She recently wrote, "never give up on something you can’t go a day without thinking about. Have you ever had a dream or a goal that consumes your thoughts day in and day out? A vision so vivid that it dances before your eyes, a passion that refuses to fade, even in the face of adversity? The path to our goals is not always smooth, and there are moments when we are tempted to let go, to surrender to the weight of doubt and uncertainty. But then there are those dreams, those burning desires that light a fire within our souls. They are the dreams that haunt our thoughts, that refuse to let us forget them, no matter how hard we try.

She stated, "it's in those moments, that you find your true purpose. It's a sign that this dream is not just a passing fancy but a calling. It's a signal that you have stumbled upon your life's mission, your destiny, your reason for being. If it matters to you, you'll find a way."

Equestrian Queen Silvia for "Equestrian Queen"

At competitions Silvia catches attention as the flamboyant character she is: not only with her big smile, her to-the-point attitude, but also with the bold outfits that express her sense of fashion.

Polish Ewa Nowicka resonated with Silvia's composure and sense of fashion and invited her to be a brand ambassador for her company "Equestrian Queen".

"My first thought was 'she is unique,' Ewa Nowicka explained about her choice to sign fashionista Silvia. "I was sick of all the brands copying each other all the time. Equestrian Queen focuses on style and mindset: growing consciousness within the riding world and helping women upgrade their attitude, with a help of fashionable stylisation and support."

Nowicka has developed her own line of active wear, riding clothes and tack and sells them via their curated webshop across the world.

"Equestrian Queen has always been about the positive mindset," said Nowicka; "Showing real women, their stories and challenges. Being authentic. Designing clothes with love. We want to dress ladies all around the globe and help them feel beautiful, feel like a queen, and find their inner Goddess. Because it’s all about the mindset – and even your horse feels that!"

Rizzo at her base in Harskamp, wearing
Equestrian Queen

For Nowicka her EQ-brand is about building relations. "We always treat every horse lady individually. We've created lots of outfits for women and behind my brand you will find a real person, who is a horse and fashion lover. Silvia and I have lots in common! First of it all we share the sense of style and are not afraid of experimenting with fashion! We both have that confidence as a woman and a rider! Last but not least I should also mention the positive vibes that keep us going!"

Sedik Milan

Not afraid to wear bold outfits in the arena, Rizzo closes the gap between equestrian sport and fashion. A second brand who picked up on that eager to pick up on tha was Sedik Milano, a haute couture fashion house in Silvia's birth city Milan.

Rizzo triggered Isabella Sedik's fascination for dressage which externalises her mottos of "elegance, passion, style and innovation."

"Silvia is an ambassador of elegance," said Isabella Sedik. "To me she is the only international point of reference. I have known her for almost 12 years and she has always been an image of elegance and beauty on the horse, embodying the lifestyle I covet. Silvia is my choice for my maison."

Rizzo is thrilled to have partnered with Sedik. "I love to be innovative, show courage and pride in the saddle. I am aware that my spontaneity in the sport attracts attention and leaves an impression," said Silvia. "Sedik flawlessly matches the style, quality and look that I want to identify myself with. It encompasses elegance, strength and style and is created for women who know how to dominate the scene."

Isabell Sedik explained that her garments are "distinguished by the technical research of fabrics, which enhance the performance of athletes. I want the equestrian world to understand my brand, even though it is a high fashion brand that takes inspiration from the fashion system."

Tuxedo inspired tailcoats by Sedik Milan

At the CDI Ermelo, Rizzo wore Sedik's black tailcoat, which is inspired by the tuxedo, and she also premiered an innovative red blouse by Sedik which radiates elegance in combination with great comfort, without the need for wearing a stock tie.

Discover Silvia Rizzo's Motivational Blog - Sedik Milan - Equestrian Queen