Written by : Nikola Aleksandra for BRIDL.CO
A bond between a horse and its rider is a bond that carries the weight of dignity, care and teamwork. For Santiago Nunez Riva, Spanish Grand Prix Rider life with the horses has been nothing but sweat and tears of joy as he works his way through to the top.
Pursuing his education whether it was in Germany doing Applied science or a Master’s degree in industrial engineering, he always found time for the one thing he loved the most, riding. Balancing work and such responsibilities being a rider knocks on, it surely puts a strain on a routine.
During a virtual interview, Santiago was able to tell Bridl what his starting stages as a rider looked like, being able to learn from athletes and Olympic riders shaped and pushed his career forward, he also learnt the system and management of the industry which resonated with his passion and admiration for horses.
What’s the importance one might take away from a 10 month trip to Canada? To our surprise it’s not as Santiago mentioned techniques, new strategies although they do play a big part in the equestrian world but something far more humane, something that every rider agrees with at heart – its the horse. The horse is a big foundation of a skilled rider, that it is a partner. All partners share one common goal amongst all the blood and sweat they might pour out during training, they share success, they share their failures and most importantly they share a bond.
During the interview, he also talked about having strong foundations that allow the rider to fall back on the basics when in doubt or striving for higher achievement. Each horse is different, so the demand on your body may be different with each one, but a rider can never underestimate the knowledge and skills that were taught at the very start.
His parents own Cuadra Casa’l Capellan in Nembro, Spain, where they breed competition horses. It all started from love for these magnificent creatures, little did they know, they would be breeding Sports Horses with excellent strength and ability.
Without disclosing too much information about what the rider discussed with us, you can have a listen to Santiago Nunez Riva on our Youtube channel talking about most fond memories with his horse, what it’s like as a competitor and surprising details of ‘building up a horse’.
Written by : Nikola Aleksandra