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“We're in Kentucky at the moment, and yesterday I took Is-Minka out to flat her on the cross-country course. It was such a beautiful day riding across these rolling hills of bluegrass, and I just felt incredibly fortunate to get to ride such a special horse and have the chance to do something I thought I would never have the opportunity to do again,” Elise Haas tells World of Showjumping about getting to know her new ride Is-Minka (Mylord Carthago x Flyinge Quite Easy 958) – a former World Cup winner with Steve Guerdat – and returning to the sport she loves dearly.

In their last appearance together in January, Guerdat and Is-Minka won the CSI5*-W 1.55m Championat der Stadt Leipzig at the 2026-edition of Partner Pferd Leipzig in Germany, and back in 2024 the two topped the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup leg in Bordeaux, France. Earlier this spring, Elise took over the reins on the 13-year-old mare – and for the 47-year-old American rider, building a bond with Is-Minka and seeing what they can accomplish together is another chance of reaching for a dream she thought was lost forever.

“In my late teens and early 20s, I was fortunate enough to be able to ride at a high level,” Elise tells about her background. “Back then, I had a great horse, Mr. Blue, and we had just a super year together in 2000. I was 21 at the time, and planning and hoping to continue riding.”

However, a mysterious injury to her neck left Elise unable to pursue her riding career. “We didn't know what had happened,” she recalls. “I unfortunately had to step away from the sport back then. All these years later, my doctors have a little bit more insight into what's going on.”

“I've missed riding every day. There's nothing like riding a good horse or just being able to spend the day at the barn with horses. During the last couple of years, I've been slowly coming back, building up my strength and timing and starting to show again at some of the smaller levels,” Elise tells.

“As I was getting more in a rhythm and ready to start moving up again, Alan Waldman – who finds horses for my trainer Kim Prince and myself – suggested Is-Minka,” Elise explains. “She's everybody's dream horse. However, she had never been for sale. Simply because of the timing for Steve, with some of his back injuries, he was open to the possibility, and I am so grateful to him for his trust. First of all, to let me try such a special horse, and then to trust that we will give her the home that she deserves for the rest of her career in the sport. After her sports career, she goes back to Steve, at whatever point she tells us she's ready for that.”

“Steve has done such a beautiful job with her. Beyond that, just her character is adorable; she's comfortable in her own skin, she's happy in herself and it's just really a wonderful feeling to be around a horse like that.”

“Before I went to try Is-Minka, I did the math to figure out how long it had been since I’d seen Steve,” Elise points out. “It would have been in 1999, when we were both showing at Geneva. We were both in our teens, and what a career he’s had since then! It was one more thing that felt full circle to me, this connection from 25+ years ago when I was riding before.”

“There’s this uncanny symmetry at work here, because she is the second incredibly special horse I’ve had named Minka,” Elise continues. “My young riders’ horse, and my first real jumper, was also named Minka. He came from the Edgars, where he was Marie Edgar’s young riders’ horse. We got him from Michelle Grubb here in the States and to this day we speak of him with the greatest veneration. He took me from a very green kid to the North American Young Riders podium in six months. I’ve never ridden a more generous, game horse – until now. Obviously Is-Minka is in a league of her own as an athlete. However, the lightness, the heart, the carefulness, the try… there are so many similarities between the two. I don’t know what it is about the name but, it almost feels fated.”

“I don't want to put a ceiling on it,” Elise says about her goals with the wonderful mare. “Right now, we are starting in 1.15m and 1.20m classes to get to know her, partly because I'm rusty. She's so with her rider, she's just been a dream. I want to take the time to make sure our connection is solid, and then I'd just like to keep moving up the divisions as long as my physical health and my neck holds up, and she’s happy. We'll just see where that takes us.”

“Of course, there's pressure,” Elise points out. “What helps a little bit is thinking back to the same situation with Mr. Blue, even though that was so long ago. At the time I was 19, and not a rider of Bert Romp's success, experience and expertise. And I can't expect that of myself. What I try is do the best I can by the horse and focus on her. What I can control is to ride her to the best of my ability and just try to do this really spectacular horse justice as best I can.”

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