“Competing against professionals like this, many of whom I look up to immensely, well, it was great and inspiring too.”
Sonella) and so we decided that she would be the horse I would ride. Our first time out, we had eight faults, but I was really happy and everyone agreed that it went really well. I’m sure everyone’s first Grand Prix is a bit scary and I was very nervous,” admits Daniela, who since the summer has been making regular appearances in the Open Jumpers. To her credit, she’s been taking top ribbons against the professionals, as well as winning consistently in the highly competitive Junior divisions.
riding and showing Paso Finos, completely different than the hunter/jumper world. But he quickly found that he wanted to compete on courses and that the jumping arena was where he wanted to be! “Skill, experience, and confidence, I think, are all really
Daniela Stransky smiling over oxer on Anemone’s Vicky.
PEERS GIVE SUPPORT “Before Daniela’s first Grand Prix I really wanted to encourage her and give her confidence,” confides her friend and stable mate, Jose Fernando Bonetti, who is following the same path and focusing on the Jumper divisions. “I would say things like, ‘The jumps in the Grand Prix look almost like the last High Junior Classic you did, and you did that easily.’ It was a way to take her mind off the height of the fences and let her ride at her best. We all knew she could do it, but the first time doing anything can be nerve wracking to be sure. And it was true. She was riding great and the jumps didn’t look that much bigger, but the jumps in the Classic were maxed out too!”
important factors in putting in a winning ride at every level,” Jose says. “I’m excited about being able to really focus on my riding and hopefully realize many goals this year. That is why I decided to go to school near the stable, so I can focus and grow as a rider and put as much time and work into it as I possibly can. I would really like to do my first Open Jumper class this year. Making the jump up successfully would be a huge affirmation that I am making progress, and it would be a way of thanking my parents for all their support. Daniela is now comfortable doing both the Open classes and the Juniors, and so perhaps she’ll be the one to give me the pep talk this year!” “I found doing my first Grand Prix much more challenging than the Juniors,” recounts Daniela. “Not only were the jumps bigger and wider, but also the overall course was much more technical and it was very important to not lose focus throughout. We all felt that I was ready to do the class though; I’d been doing well in the High Juniors and winning. To help me get ready, I rode without stirrups a lot. We also did a lot of very technical courses. Competing against professionals like this, many of whom I look up to immensely, well, it was great and inspiring too. They have tons of experience and have been winning for years, some for longer than I have been alive. But there is always the chance that a young rider can sneak in a better round. Look at Reed Kessler! She’s so young, and just look how far she’s come!” When Daniela is not showing in jumper classes, she’s
Emanuel Andrade, Daniela Stransky & Jose F. Bonetti walk the course.
busy attending classes in the eleventh grade at the Miami Country Day School. Wise beyond her years, she shares her perspective on the success younger riders have found at the Grand Prix level. “I think that maturity transcends age to some degree
To help realize his own
short and long term goals, and with the permission and support of his parents, the ambitious 15-year-old decided to move from his home in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and go to school in Florida for 2013. This way he could be close to the Stranskys’ Mission Farm where he, like Daniela, rides and trains with Hector Florentino. Like many South American riders, Jose was not initially exposed to the Equitation division. Instead, he started out
Jose F. Bonetti competing on Light in Wellington.
30 March/April 2013
in a rider. Maturity comes from the discipline required to master the sport, the belief in yourself, the appreciation of the gifts you have and the desire to achieve your dreams,” she surmises. “It is the boldness to be fearless, the humility to learn from defeat, the gratitude for victory, and the ability to give to others through your success. It is understanding that your accomplishments come from teamwork with others. In the end, I don’t think you can pin this down to the number of years you are on the planet. Its kind of like ‘finding a distance’ to a fence, you can’t explain it… it’s just there! And the next thing you know you’ve jumped clean!”
Liliane Stransky
Liliane Stransky
Liliane Stransky
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