Release date: 11/10/2011 |    

Interview with Edwina Tops-Alexander- lead in to the final round of the 2011 GCT series to be held at the Al Forsan International Sports Resort in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

GCT: You’ve made a lot of history this year being the first rider to meet the million euro milestone, first professional sportswoman to be sponsored by Gucci, leading money earner this year, leading lady rider to have jumped the most amount of clear rounds on the GCT circuit..what’s next?

Edwina: Winning the final and reaching the 2 million milestone.

GCT: How do you sum up the GCT season so far for you?

Edwina: It is the best season I have ever had.  Itot is jumping better than ever and seems to be aging like good wine.  Consistency is obviously the key to success.

Above: Edwina and Ciske van Overis warming up in Doha, Qatar this season.

GCT: What has been the most memorable GCT moment this year?

Edwina: Winning in Cannes! I won last year and I was asked if I thought Itot could ever win it again.  I was determined to win Cannes again and we did.

GCT: What has been the most trying GCT competition this season?

Edwina: Almost falling off in Valkenswaard. We came around the corner to the jump and I felt that Itot lost his footing behind.  The jump got further away from us and he took off and landed with his front legs hard on the back pole and this jumped me loose. I thought I was going to fall off and somehow I managed to push and pull myself back on.  Itot was already looking at the next jump and if my hat had not fallen over my eyes we would have kept going and maybe run third. (image sequence at end of article)

Edwina and Itot winning the Grand Prix of Cannes, France this season. (right)

GCT: What factors do you attribute to your successes in the 2011 year?

Edwina: Experience and riding against the best riders gives me a bigger challenge, so it’s more exciting to win. Itot had a break at the beginning of the year and he came back in super shape.   The management is very important.  He is very short in body shape and his weak point is his back.  We pay a lot of attention to his physical well being.  This year we set a very good program for Itot that revolved purely around setting him for the Global Champions Tour. With the tour as the main focus he has not had the pressure of Nations Cups or European Championships.

GCT: There is also a particular mental toughness required as a jumping rider.  How do you regroup after a not so successful round knowing that the GP is to follow in the next days?

Edwina: Again experience and thinking positive.  I’ve fallen off one day and then the next won a Grand Prix.  So it is all about remembering about the success in the past and believing in yourself.

GCT: You have a winning formula with Itot. What mental attributes does Itot possess that sets this miniature superstar so consistently successful?

Edwina: Itot just loves jumping with a crowd and he seems to know they admire him.   For a small horse he has a very adjustable stride and covers the ground quite fast. He has a special character and he never gives up - which is also my motto.

Above: Jan Tops and Edwina during the course walk of the  Grand Prix of Monaco

GCT: The GCT ranking – in the race to the final round.  The final now comes down to you and Ludger battling it out for the top cheque of 300,000.  What extra pressures are put on you? How do you mentally prepare?

Edwina: I just try to follow the same regime.  The plan is not to change anything as the formula is obviously working.  I think that Ludger probably feels the pressure more than me, but it is not over until it is over.  Anything is possible. If I had earned one more point then I would have won the final by the Rio de Janeiro leg of the tour. It is good for the tour and for the spectators, who love the GCT, that the concluding round in Abu Dhabi will be very exciting.

GCT: What will be your approach between now and Abu Dhabi?

Edwina: Keeping Itot and myself fit.  I will ride at four World Cup shows between now and Abu Dhabi: Oslo, Helsinki, Lyon, Verona and Stuttgart.  Itot will be at Oslo and Lyon while Ciske van Overis will do the other ones.

GCT: Once in Abu Dhabi what will be your initial preparation with Itot in relation to classes?

Edwina: I will probably start him in a nice lead in class, but it depends how I think he is feeling once he arrives there.

Above: Sheikh Shakboot Bin Nahyan Al Nahyan (UAE rider) walking the course with Jan Tops and Edwina Alexander in Doha, Qatar in 2011

GCT: Aside from the top show jumping in Abu Dhabi, what are you looking forward to in Abu Dhabi?

Edwina: My parents and cousins will be coming to support me.  I really love Abu Dhabi.  In fact, I competed in Abu Dhabi some 10 years ago on a borrowed horse.  Since then I have been back a few times and it is great to see how this exciting city has grown. Whenever I go there Sheikh Shakhboot (who also rides on the Global Champions Tour) always makes me feel at home.  Abu Dhabi has become one of my favourite cities in the world and I am so happy that we have managed to have the Global Champions Tour there.

Photo credits: Stefano Grasso/GCT