“Athletica was the horse that put me in the spotlight,” Giulia Martinengo Marquet tells in our series That Special Bond. Photos © Jenny A Photo for World of Showjumping.
Text © World of Showjumping
In our series ‘That Special Bond’ – first introduced in 2016 – World of Showjumping highlights what equestrian sport is truly about; a unique connection between horses and humans. This time around, we had a chat with Italy’s Giulia Martinengo Marquet (46) about the horses that have shaped her career as one of the world’s best female riders and taught her lessons that have lasted a lifetime – and also discovered that Giulia has made a promise to herself: To not regret the decisions that she has made.
The special one – “Athletica showed me that your mind is everything”
"Athletica made a difference for me in my career; not only for what I achieved with her, which was a lot at that time, but also in terms of teaching me everything I believe in now – about horses, about myself, about what's right and wrong," Giulia tells.
“Athletica (Libero H x Pit I) was the horse that put me in the spotlight,” Giulia begins. “I did my first championship – the 2007 Europeans in Mannheim – with her.”
“We had an amazing connection,” Giulia explains. “She was a special horse to me for many different reasons. Sport wise, because she took me to my first championship, and on the other hand, because she later on came back from an injury which she was not supposed to have recovered from.”
Our connection was one that gives you goosebumps
"Athletica was not supposed to jump anymore, but made a miraculous recovery,” Giulia details. “I always believed she could do it though, because she was such a fighter. She was born to do the sport, and I had a gut feeling that we had to do everything we could to help her back. When she came back from the injury, she went on to win international Grand Prix classes. Later on, to prove me right, once I had to retire her, she was never a good breeding mare – she was a sport horse.”
“Athletica was just so special,” Giulia continues. “When I arrived at a show and was not sure of where our stables where, I could call for her and she would answer – our connection was one that gives you goosebumps."
"I am not a tattoo person, but I have a tattoo of her on my arm – and it's the only tattoo I have. I didn't do it when she was at the top of the sport, I did it when she came back from the injury, because she taught me so much. I still get emotional talking about her. Athletica showed me that your mind is everything. Athletica made a difference for me in my career; not only for what I achieved with her, which was a lot at that time, but also in terms of teaching me everything I believe in now – about horses, about myself, about what's right and wrong.”
“I am in a lucky position to have Delta,” Giulia tells about her current top horse Delta Del’Isle.
Another horse that Giulia has a special bond with is her current top horse Delta Del’Isle (Tibet Tame x Grain de Soleil). “I am in a lucky position to have Delta,” Giulia tells. “Everything that is in the past, you have a clear idea about, but with Delta, it's a living story. Probably in a few years, I will have more amazing stories to tell."
It was love at first sight; from the very beginning I felt at home with Delta
"While we bought Athletica as a young horse and built our connection over time, Delta was a horse that I started with when he was 10. It was love at first sight; from the very beginning I felt at home with Delta, we found each other in a special way. Luckily, I can talk about him as we are living our story and not as a closed, finished chapter.”
Hardest to get to know – “She made me a better rider”
“As a rider, she had a big impact on me," Giulia tells about Funke Van’T Heike.
The most challenging horse in Giulia’s career has been a mare called Funke Van’T Heike (Action-Breaker x Grandeur). “As a rider, she had a big impact on me. It was like a gym for me – a tough gym. However, when we clicked, it felt like a huge step forward,” Giulia tells.
With Funke, I kept growing, and because it was so challenging, the good results in the end meant so much more
“I was pregnant when we chose her as a young horse. When I got back to riding after having our daughter Bianca, I didn't have that many horses to ride in the bigger classes. With Funke, I kept growing, and because it was so challenging, the good results in the end meant so much more. She is a horse that I will always keep in my mind, and she made me a better rider – I'm sure of that.”
The one that got away – “I have decided to never regret the decisions I have made”
“There are many horses we have sold, and I have always been proud of those sales. Scouting young horses and developing them has been a part of my journey and something I'm proud of," Giulia tells, here pictured with her husband Stefano Cesaretto.
As the business Giulia runs with her husband Stefano Cesaretto at SGH Stables focuses on producing and selling horses, there are many top performers that have passed through their hands. “I have decided to never regret the decisions I’ve made,” Giulia says when asked if there are any horses that she would have liked to keep longer. “There are many horses we have sold, and I have always been proud of those sales. Scouting young horses and developing them has been a part of my journey and something I'm proud of.”
I don’t focus on what ifs
“If certain horses would have stayed longer, maybe my own sport career would have been different,” she continues. “However, out of the respect that I have for the riders that bought those horses, I don’t focus on what ifs. My biggest dream is that our horses are sold to the right riders. For each of them, I had a vision, a dream rider, and sometimes it has happened that we got there, found that perfect match – and that makes me really proud and happy.”
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