Alexander Peternell is riding the joint-youngest horse at the Paris 2024 Olympic eventing competition, a Quidam De Revel nine-year-old named Figaro Des Premices. They scored 39, which was a “disappointing” mark for a horse that has posted sub-35 on his past two four-star outings.
“He can produce a much tidier, better test – the atmosphere probably got to him,” said Alexander, a South African rider based in England. “For the arena familiarisation there were no crowds, and the overall ambience of the noise wasn’t quite the same. So he was a bit distracted and not quite as into the bridle as he can be.”
Alexander feels that the Olympic test is “not a horse-friendly test”, going against their formative training.
“From a very young age you teach a horse to strike off on the inside lead, so now this is the first time in any test that you are asked to strike off on the incorrect lead,” he says. “You don’t do the zigzag half-pass in any other eventing test, only if you’re planning to go to the Olympics, and how many people know that? Suddenly they have to start practising, so for a young horse that’s a lot to take in.”
However, Alexander was thrilled with his young horse’s efforts, having owned him since he was two and a half years old.
“He’s got an amazing heart, he’s so trainable, and has an incredible future ahead of him,” he says. “He went into the arena, thinking ‘what’s going on here’, and walked out on a loose rein with people cheering. He’s never seen anything like this before.
“I know if I went in and did the same test, he’d improve another 10% already. So in two years’ time, watch this space.”
The pride Alexander feels in his young horse is paralleled in his passion for his homeland’s eventing talent. While they couldn’t quite pull a team together for this year’s Olympics, Alexander is sure the future is bright despite the logistical issues of exporting horses due to African Horse Sickness.
“The pool of riders coming from South Africa is increasing and the talent is incredible,” he says. “I can name four junior riders who I would like to compete on the team – but if they keep going I won’t be on the team! We need a broad base of riders to encourage the elite.
“I do a lot of training and honestly think that the South African riders are easily capable of being among the best, but it’s very hard because it’s about a partnership with your horse,” says Alexander, who has been based in England for the past two decades. “It’s hard to take that step into Europe without the family structure and not even having your horse to ride. You come to a different pool of horses, so you’re starting from scratch against some of the best riders in the world.
“It’s tough, but it’s doable.”
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