Interview with Eleonora Ottaviani

Can you tell us a little about how the Young Riders Academy supported by Rolex was created and what its core mission is?

After being the director of the International Jumping Riders Club (IJRC) for several years, I realized that to be a champion today that talent is not enough. You need to know how to manage a number of different aspects of the sport. This includes being able to manage the stables, be a good communicator, and be knowledgeable about veterinary issues and several other things.

In addition, to give back to the sport you must know how the institutions in the sport such as the FEI and the IOC work. I began discussing the idea of a programme for young riders a number of years ago, maybe around 20 years ago, with the president of the German Federation. Then he told me, that with the institution you will not be able to build up something that is strong and for the future.

Therefore, Young Riders Academy supported by Rolex (YRA) is a private project developed by Athenaeum, a non-profit organization, and we have worked together to build a programme that benefits the young rider.

We are now celebrating our 10th anniversary, and I must say that I am proud of this project. There are many people around us have worked so hard to help create this incredible Academy, including Sven Holmberg and Valentina Ottaviani who are in charge of managing the sport, with Valentina also coordinating the educational aspects.  

Could you walk us through the key components of the Academy? How are the riders selected, and what do you hope they gain from the Academy?

Through my work with the IJRC, we have been able to create a selection panel that I think is the crème de la crème, this includes Otto Becker, Jean-Maurice Bonneau, Emile Hendrix, Jeroen Dubbeldam, and Thierry Pomel. Each federation can put forward three riders to the programme, and then the selection panel decides who is in that year’s cohort.

We ensure that none of the members of the selection panel train any of the riders prior to the selection, nor can they buy or sell horses to our students. This continues once the riders enter the programme, as we also make sure that the trainers also cannot buy or sell horses. This is to remove the business aspect. In my opinion, one of the big problems of the sport is that there is too much business and politics involved. So we are trying to create a balance but the main point of the YRA is for riders to have the following three values; meritocracy, fair play and to do something good for yourself but also for the benefit of the sport.

You have such a wide experience as a stakeholder in the sport, from Show Director to IJRC Director, what legacy do you want to leave the sport?

When I was 21 years old, I was riding a lot but I was also a lawyer – I was the youngest president of the jury in Italy at the time. This was only for a short period because I am not the type of person who can remain seated for eight hours a day. However, I think the most important thing I have learned is that you need to be a horseperson and it is all about your relationships not only with your horse but also the other stakeholders in the sport.  

For example, a rider has to understand officials and show organizers, and vice versa. You need to understand the range of emotions and problems that a rider has, but also what kind of emotions and issues an organizer can have. I think that today it is really difficult for one party to understand another but it is like in a marriage, to be happy you have to understand your partner. When you do not understand your partner, it doesn’t work. It doesn't work with a family, a horse, or in our sport. In my opinion, this is the main problem, there are not enough horse people in the sport in general – sometimes we even find there are not enough horse people within the riders themselves, and so this is the main point – to become a horse person.

What are your goals for the future of the Young Riders Academy supported by Rolex? Are there any exciting plans or developments we can look forward to?

When we started the YRA our dream was to have medals in the FEI European Young Rider Championships, and in the first year, we had a gold and silver medal! Then our dream was to maybe a medal in the Senior Championships, and we achieved this. So, the dream became a medal in the Olympics and this year Harry Charles gave us a big present with a gold medal in Paris. Now, the goal is to stay on this level and to have riders who are honest, and understand fair play and meritocracy – this is my goal for the future.

What has been the most rewarding part of your role in overseeing the Academy’s activities?

The problem is that when they are in the arena, I feel myself becoming nervous like they are my children. I didn’t think that I remembered all of them because in the 10 years we have running the YRA we have had 99 students. However, recently we had a celebration in Venice, I saw each of the students come into the Opera House and I realized that I know the name and situation of each one of them. We have created one big family. I know that they help each other and that the majority have very good relationship with each other – this is very important for their future.

Several of the riders who have been part of the Young Riders Academy have been successful in the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping. How important do you think the initiative is within the sport?

The Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping is one of the pinnacles in the sport. But, what is important for the YRA is that each Major provides a place for one of our young riders to compete. This is incredibly important for the development of a rider – you may not see the results immediately but competing at these shows motivates the riders for the future.

The YRA is not 100 percent or even 50 percent behind the success of the riders, but I like to think we have some influence on their success. I think that for them to be close to the YRA and IJRC, they know that if they need anything we are there for them which makes them feel safer and secure. They know there is always someone that they can talk to.  

Rolex Testimonees Richard Vogel, Harry Charles, and Bertram Allen are just some of the talented riders who have been through the Young Riders Academy supported by Rolex. Can you name a few riders that we should look out for in the future?

When they are selected this means that there is always a potential, so most of them are very talented. Looking at this year’s cohort we have Oliver Fletcher, Seamus Hughes Kennedy, and Mel Thijssen who are extremely exciting. The others in this year’s programme also have a great future. Václav Stanek is another very talented rider – he won the big 5* class at the Spruce Meadows 'Continental' presented by Rolex this summer.

To find talent and the superstars is not the only goal of the YRA. Sometimes we have some riders who do not quite make it to the very top, but what is important to us is that they can share with their students and federations our philosophy of horsemanship and working hard.

In your opinion, who do you think will take the victory in Sunday’s Rolex Grand Prix as part of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping?

Hopefully one of the riders who have been part of the YRA – maybe Richard Vogel! However, in Geneva is so hard to predict a winner, you have the world’s best horses and riders! There are at least 15 combinations that have a very good chance of winning.