How does it feel to know you made history by winning consecutive Rolex Grands Prix at CHI Geneva in front of your home crowd? 

It is always amazing to win a Rolex Grand Prix, but to win one back-to-back, and in front of my home crowd made it so much more special to me. Leone Jei is such a young horse as well; it was certainly a very big win for me! 

Do you think that Leone Jei could be the next Clooney 51?

I do not compare them; Clooney 51 was the most successful horse in the history of Swiss show jumping. So, I really cannot expect to have the next Clooney 51 straight away. However, I do think that Leone Jei has shown that he has all the qualities and I think that he is one of the best horses on the circuit right now. 

Looking ahead to The Dutch Masters next month; which horses will you compete with, and who have you selected for the Rolex Grand Prix? 

I will ride Chaplin in the Rolex Grand Prix. He is in very good form, and I think that The Dutch Masters will really suit him. I am planning to take Leone Jei to the bigger outside rings, such as CHIO Aachen, as I think that they suit him better. 

Which horse and rider combinations do you think have what it takes to win the Rolex Grand Prix at The Dutch Masters? 

I don’t think that there is one specific combination. At every Rolex Grand Slam Major, you find the best horse and rider combinations, and therefore everyone there has a chance to win. In my opinion that is why the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping is so special and unique. I think that our sport is different from most other sports, it is much harder to win regularly or back-to-back, as we work with animals which makes the sport so unpredictable. This makes winning the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping, like Scott Brash and Hello Sanctos did, such an incredible achievement.

What is the proudest moment of your career so far? 

One of my proudest moments was competing at my first Rolex Grand Prix at CHI Geneva in 2018. I also competed there in 2019, and it was a huge step in my career. Last year, I won my first 5* Grand Prix, which was an amazing moment in my career. 

When did your love for show jumping start, and who has inspired you the most throughout your career? 

Everyone in my family is involved in horses, my parents have a big training and sales operation in America and they are a huge inspiration to me, so I have grown up with horses in my life. When I was 15-years-old, I went to train and work for Eric Lamaze. I was with Eric for five years, and he has really been my mentor in the sport. We have travelled the world together, and he was the one who first took me to Europe to compete. I have learned so much from him and really appreciate the chances he gave me. I really admire Daniel Deusser and love the way he rides, too – I try to emulate his style in my riding. 

What attributes do you believe a successful show jumper needs?

I think that you have to be competitive, but you also have to be able to take the losses. In show jumping, you lose a lot more than you win, so you have to be able to cope with the ups and downs of the sport. Often when things don’t go well it is easy to want to change everything, but you just have to take a step back and make sure you are doing the basic things right. I think to be the best and win the biggest classes you need to have the balance between patience and drive.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

I got a great piece of advice this year from Denis Lynch, which was to always push ahead and to try not to make changes when things go wrong. You should stick with your plan. It has worked in the past and it will do in the future.

How did you get into the owning side of the sport?

I decided to start buying horses for Daniel Deusser 10-years-ago. Before that I had bought horses for other riders for over 20-years, but I decided that I really wanted to get to the top level of the sport. From there, I made the decision to find a top-level rider, and my decision was Daniel. I then threw everything into that decision and really went for it. Once you start to win Grands Prix and become a serious competitor it becomes very addictive, and you want to continue that success by having the best horses and riders. 

I now have multiple riders, including my two daughters [Emilie and Zoé] and watching them succeed on my horses is very motivating for me. I am also very proud when I see horses that I have bred or sold doing well. We sell a lot of horses, in the Grand Prix in Wellington last week, we had two horses that I still own in the jump-off as well as a few others that we used to own, and watching the horses being successful gives me such a kick. 

With your breeding programme, how do you decide which horses to keep and which to sell? 

Normally, I say every horse is for sale. If a horse has had very good results, then of course the price of the horse will increase. I do not keep all my best horses because if you look at all of the horses we have sold, there are so many that have achieved incredible results. For example, if you look at the Olympic Games last year, we had seven horses jumping there and I only owned one, so that shows the quality of the horses that we sell. 

If a horse is a really good match for one of my riders, then I will wait for a season before we think about selling that horse. Davidoff De Lassus is a very good match for Zoé, and so we will keep him for another year unless we have an exceptional offer. 

Out of the four Majors that make up the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping, which of them is your favourite, and why?

This is a very easy answer for me – CHIO Aachen. It was my dream to win at Aachen so to achieve that was incredible. In my opinion it is the best show in the world.