Riding to the top
FOURWAYS - Back home from the Youth Olympic Games, Beaulieu College pupil Alexa Stais is a show jumper with grand ambitions.
Despite an “extremely hectic” year juggling matric with training for the Youth Olympic Games and World Equestrian Games, Stais maintained that she always managed to get everything done on time. That’s easy to believe of this dynamic and ambitious young equestrian.
Recently returned from Nanjing, China, after competing as a show jumper for South Africa in the Youth Olympic Games, Stais said she wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.
“Not only was the show jumping competition out of this world, but the Olympic village…the opening and closing ceremonies, and the general vibe that was always there for the 19 days was unbelievable too,” Stais enthused.
To ensure fairness, all competitors rode borrowed horses, which Stais said added to the challenge.
“I feel that I must remain calm in the competition environment to keep my horse calm and relaxed too. There were quite big crowds at [the games], which my horse didn’t really enjoy, so I had to be very soft and relaxed to help him calm down a bit,” she remembered.
Encountering new people and places through experiences such as the games is part of what Stais loves about the world of competitive equestrian sport. But the fairness characterising show jumping is what attracted her to the discipline.
“I really like that there is no judgement involved. If you knock a pole, you knock a pole. No one besides you, the rider, could influence what goes on in the ring,” she said.
“I also love how humbling this sport is because you can be the leading rider in the world one day, and fall off the next.”
The ambitious Stais hoped to combine passion for riding with her love of travel. While she would like to compete in the Galencia Property South African Derby, the toughest show jumping challenge on the local circuit, her greatest dream is to compete on the international circuit from a base in Europe.
“I am not afraid of working hard and I know that it’s going to be a tough journey, but I am willing to do whatever it takes,” she declared.
Read our previous story here:
Beaulieu rider to compete in China
