WEF
Venezuelan Show Jumping Star Emanuel Andrade Feels At Home In Show Ring Story by Julie Unger • Photos by Starting Gate Communications
Back in Wellington for the 2017 Winter Equestrian Festival, Venezuelan show jumper Emanuel Andrade has an impressive list of accomplishments for any rider. But when you factor in his age — he’s only 20 — his success in just a few short years is astounding. Just in 2016, Andrade racked up almost 100 top-10 finishes. His love for horses, and show jumping, started at a young age. “I was 5 years old, and I was always into the horses. I started in my country, Venezuela, with ponies, how everyone starts. I just kept going until now. It has been a long time,” Andrade said. A few years after he began riding, his sister, Maria, took to the saddle. The rest of his family quickly followed suit. “Everyone is into horses now,” Andrade said. “It wasn’t something from my family — it started with me.” The 20-year-old has won enough ribbons and classes to put him in the same category as more seasoned, experienced riders — he qualified, and competed, at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. “It was a great experience,” he said. “I had already jumped everything, and
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I was only 19. I didn’t even realize it. I didn’t even think about it.” Competing with the best riders and horses in the world, a moment that elite equestrians long for, was a dream come true. “It was very, very nice. It was an amazing experience for me. The place was beautiful,” he recalled. “It is different; it’s not like a normal game.” While Andrade didn’t finish near the top of the show jumping field in Rio, he was the youngest jumper competing, and he still considers it a high honor. “No matter what your score is going to be, you just want to be there,” he said. Andrade earned his spot in Rio by placing sixth at the Pan American Games in 2015. “It was amazing,” he said, of qualifying. “I didn’t get a medal. I jumped off for a medal, and I got sixth place. That’s
what got me the pass to go to the Olympics. The Pan Ams were probably more important for me, because if I didn’t do good there, I wouldn’t have gone to the Olympics.” Andrade is humble about his Olympic experience, noting that he feels lucky to be able to be called an Olympian — a title no one can ever take away. “Some people think it’s easy, and it’s just because I have a lot of horses that I got into the Olympics. But I feel that, you can give all of my horses to a lot of people, and the results won’t be the same,” he said. “It’s a lot about intuition… It’s not about just the horses, it’s about how hard you work. Be there every day and jump, jump, jump. I don’t have a kid’s life. I don’t have a 20-yearold’s life. I work really hard for what I want with my horses, which is good, because it’s paying back, and I’m happy.” His hard work, dedication and tireless attitude got him to the Olympics, and his future goal is to return and do better. “I want to do it better next time, and next time better, and I want to go again,” he said. “I feel like that’s the goal — always try to do better.” One of the secrets to his success, he said, is always competing. While he hopes to continue his education, for now, Andrade is focusing on his riding. He’s working hard and preparing for the future. Andrade is looking forward to competing in the Great Charity Challenge at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, as well as the Winter Equestrian Festival itself. Since competing at WEF, Andrade has enjoyed taking part in the Great Emanuel Andrade and his mount Bonjovi (left) in the show ring at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center and (right) spending some quality time together.
february 2017 | wellington the magazine