Brianne Goutal aboard Nice de Prissey. PHOTOS BY JAMES PARKER & KATHY RUSSELL/THE BOOK LLC
Wellington’s Brianne Goutal Finds Show Jumping Success At Home And By Sarit Schneider
Brianne Goutal is one of the top-ranked show jumpers in the United States and across the globe, a rising star in the equestrian world. The Wellington resident competes nationally most of the year and throughout Europe during the summer, drawing attention as she wins prestigious competitions and climbs the rankings. In a sport where athletes anywhere from ages 18 to 65 — male or female — compete against each other, Goutal has found tremendous success, and she is only 25 years old. Goutal first got on a horse at the age of four at a farmer’s market offering pony rides. After some persuasion, her parents finally let her take a turn. “After that first ride, I was hooked,” Goutal recalled. “I knew I wanted to be an equestrian. While most of my friends were spending their summers splashing
around in the pool or playing kickball, I spent my time at pony camp learning to care for my new four-legged friends. I had already found my life’s passion.” Goutal made history even before graduating high school. In 2005, she became the first rider ever to win all four Junior level competitions: the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s (USEF) Show Jumping Talent Search, the Washington International Equitation Classic Finals, the USEF/Pessoa Hunter Seat Medal Finals and the ASPCA Maclay National Championship. As if competing for a chance to make history did not provide enough pressure, Goutal’s journey was documented, along with some of her fellow riders, in the Animal Planet television series Horse Power: Road to the Maclay. “No one had ever taken the top prize at all four competitions. Not only did I
Abroad
want to do it for myself, but I wanted to do it for my family and friends who had always supported me,” Goutal explained. “As great as it felt, the pressure during those competitions was nothing compared to what I would feel going forward, striving to prove that my Junior years were not the peak of my career.” Currently ranked the No. 6 show jumper in the United States, Goutal has shown that she is a force to be reckoned with on the professional level as well. She helped the U.S. to Nations Cup wins in both Finland and Sweden, and competed in the World Cup Finals in 2008. In September, she won the prestigious $200,000 Grand Prix at the American Gold Cup in New York, one of the most iconic horse shows in the nation. Goutal has also found success here in 10th Anniversary |wellington the magazine| February 2014
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