Text © World of Showjumping

“If I could give one piece of advice to a young showjumper, it would be: Be patient. With patience and true will, all dreams can be reached,” Latvia’s Kristaps Neretnieks says. “And secondly – love what you do. You must enjoy riding, because it takes years to learn.”

With Palladium KJV (Falkenhof’s Lancer x Cornet Obolensky), Neretnieks carried the Latvian flag at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, while Valour (Verdi TN x Calido I) took him to the Olympic Games in Tokyo three years prior and to the 2022 World Championships in Herning. With Conte Bellini (Cornet Obolensky x Ramiro), Neretnieks competed at the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Caen, and he has also participated at four FEI World Cup Finals.

I didn’t even dream about riding at the Olympics – even to dream about it felt impossible, like going from Earth to Mars

“When I was eighteen, I didn’t even dream about riding at the Olympics – even to dream about it felt impossible, like going from Earth to Mars,” says the 36-year-old, currently ranked 113th in the world. “But year by year, with training, it started to seem more realistic. In 2019, when I qualified for my first Olympics with Moon Ray (Cornet Obolensky x Contender), I realised it was actually possible.”

“Today, I don’t make spectacular long-term plans – I just work hard and want to see how far we can go. Of course, winning a medal at a major championship would be amazing, even though I know how difficult it is. I have been at a few by now. However, now I also believe that one day, it can be done.”

Neretnieks is based at his own stable in Latvia, near the city of Limbaži, but spends much of the year travelling with his horses. “With our competition horses we migrate like birds,” he says. “In summer we’re more to the north, in winter to the south – not because of the weather, but because of the competition calendars in those regions. I love spending summer at our stable in Latvia. In autumn, we move to Central Europe, near Wroclaw in Poland. In winter, we usually go to the UAE with a few horses, while the rest stay in Spain, around Valencia. In spring, we slowly travel back north again.”

For me, it takes a small village to keep this operation going

“Right now, I have around ten competition horses aged seven and older, so I need to compete often to keep them all going,” he explains. “In total, we have between 40 and 50 horses at home in Latvia – including those of my student Abdurakhmon Abdullaev, a talented young rider from Uzbekistan. I ride his family’s horses as well, and we compete together. Having the chance to work with such nice people and such horses is fantastic – I’m very grateful.”

Neretnieks daily life is full of variety. “In the summer, from Monday to Thursday, I’m mostly at home in Latvia – not only riding, but also doing farm work: Driving tractors, preparing hay, maintaining buildings and machinery. Those are long, hardworking days. From Thursday to Sunday, I’m mostly away at shows – which, compared to home life, feels like a bit of a rest! I also try to make time for other activities, like playing tennis or basketball with friends, or going on motorbike trips with camping. These things keep me fresh and make me enjoy riding even more.”

Although not born into an equestrian family, horses came into Neretnieks’ life thanks to his mother. “A friend convinced my mother to buy a horse when me and my brother were young boys,” he recalls. “We started riding on forest roads and in the fields. We even made fences from trees and jumped them – it was really wild. Only a few years later, when I was 13, my mother sent me to a trainer.”

The first horse, a mare named Formula, sparked Neretnieks’ love for the sport. “She lived up to her name – fast, careful, but with a lot of character,” he remembers. “At small local shows, we won a lot. But when the courses got bigger, she would stop, and I would fall off. In one day, I could feel everything: Winning one class, crashing in the next. Those ups and downs made me curious and pushed me to improve.”

Nothing was handed to me on a silver plate – I had to work for everything

Neretnieks path was never easy. “I had a tough childhood. Nothing was handed to me on a silver plate – I had to work for everything. At my trainer’s stable, I had to clean countless boxes before I was allowed to ride. In summer, my main job was to break in young horses and get them to jump a 1.00m course. I fell off every day and enjoyed it! I had no fear back then – it was fun,” he tells.

At seventeen, his dedication was rewarded. “The vice president of the Latvian Equestrian Federation owned a stable and bought quality horses from Germany and Denmark. He gave me a few to ride, and the next year I won the national championship in my first 1.50m class.”

At 18, Neretnieks began competing internationally in the Baltics and Russia, and by 20 he was working as a trainer at the national riding school. In 2012, a phone call changed his life: An invitation to ride for a modern stud farm near Moscow. “The next morning, I was already on the Russian border with my old Audi,” he laughs.

In Moscow, he got the ride on Conte Bellini as well as other top-quality horses. “When I first sat on Conte Bellini, it was unbelievable – his take-off and flight over the fences were something I had never felt before.”

With Conte Bellini, Neretnieks qualified for his first World Cup Final and gained invaluable 5* experience. “Those three years in Russia gave me a huge amount of experience, and I am very thankful to Marina Fedorovskaya and the stud-farm ‘Westfalen-Swit’ for that chance,” he says. “After returning home, I later spent three years in Germany before starting on my own.”

While Conte Bellini brought Neretnieks to his first championships, it was Moon Ray who changed everything. “When I started on my own, I bought Moon Ray. It was a huge risk – he was expensive, and I had no money. But somehow, I made a deal. Moon Ray taught me that everything is possible, even when it seems unrealistic. We won nearly every show and overcame very difficult moments, both in and out of the ring. He is the most special horse in my life.”

With Moon Ray, Neretnieks topped the FEI Olympic qualifying group C in 2019, securing Latvia’s first-ever individual quota place for the Olympic Games. Sadly, Moon Ray was not sound enough to compete in Tokyo. But when the Games were postponed, luck was on Neretnieks’ side. “We had one more year to find another horse. In December 2019, we found Valour in Germany, and the Abdullaev-family bought him. With Valour, I got to ride at the Olympics in Tokyo and at the World Championships in Herning, before my student took over the reins.”

To carry the Latvian flag at the Olympics or any other competition around the world is an honour

The Abdullaev-family also helped secure Palladium KJV, Neretnieks’ Olympic partner for Paris 2024. “I’ve had Palladium for three years now. He’s a horse of very high quality. In Paris, he tried so hard. In the qualifier, he jumped one oxer too high, touched the back pole, and we had it down. After that, I knew we had to ride for time. We ended with 12 faults – in the Olympic format, with only one qualifier and a final, it’s very tight. But I’m proud of what we did.”

“To carry the Latvian flag at the Olympics or any other competition around the world is an honour. I’m the only Latvian to have competed at this level. Right now, we have a few talented young riders, but we need more top horses and support. I think we can build a good team for 1.50m level, and hopefully we will compete in some team events soon,” Neretnieks says.

“I’ve learned a lot simply by watching other riders and trainers,” Neretnieks reflects. “Before my first World Cup Final, I trained with Susanne Behring. Later, Rolf-Göran Bengtsson helped me fix some small details before championships. Every now and then, I’ve gone to his place for a few days – it’s been very valuable.”

“I enjoy competing at bigger shows, because riding alongside the best makes you better too. Everyone has their own way of doing things, and I try to see what could work for my horses,” Neretnieks points out.

In the end, there’s no easy way – you just have to work hard and have a team around you

“Of course, getting into those big shows isn’t easy. Sometimes you need a wild card, or you get lucky when several five-star events take place on the same weekend. To my surprise, I got into the five-star show in Hamburg this year through the ranking system and we had great results there. Maybe the invitation system could be adjusted in some ways, but overall, I think it works fairly well.”

“In the end, there’s no easy way – you just have to work hard and have a team around you,” Neretnieks concludes. “​​For me, it takes a small village to keep this operation going – from my family to teammates who have been with me on this journey for more than ten years. Their commitment, passion and devotion is something I am deeply grateful for.”