Equestrian is one the most unique and most calculated sports out there. Not only do men and women compete on a level playing field but your main asset and team-mate is your riding companion – a horse you must train to guide you to success. Mark Strijbosch talked to the young Sophie Busuttil about the special bond between her and her companion, Abby.
At any age, this is a tough discipline to handle but 15-year-old Sophie Busuttil takes it in her stride and enjoys the challenges of her favourite sport.
“From before I could walk, I used to sit on my father’s horses with him,” she recalled.
“I started riding properly when I was around six. My father used to play polo and I was exposed to the sport from a very young age.”
Her love for animals fuels her contribution to her sport and she has always had a special love for horses.
“I started learning how to ride on a dressage and showjumping pony which led to my passion for this part of the equestrian sport,” Busuttil said.
The sport is not for the faint-hearted as it involves riding a horse through various jumps and lunges to which Busuttil added: “It is my favourite part of the sport because of the indescribable adrenaline rush I get when flying over the jumps which makes me feel one with my horse.”
With 30 different competitors of mixed experience, Busuttil trains regularly but she hopes to see more people join her sport.
“It would be nice to see more people competing because competition is fun and healthy,” Busuttil said.
“Since there are quite a few levels of dressage for example preliminary, novice, elementary and so on, there are not enough competitors in each category, especially at the higher levels.
“It is an easy sport to get into because we have good trainers in Malta with their own horses so as such one does not need to own their own horse when they first start riding.
“There are also riding clubs on the island with arenas to practise at.”
During competitions, Busuttil tries to keep calm but this is no easy task.
“Dressage is mentally quite stressful because, besides having to learn and remember the test, you have to control your horse and perform well too in front of an audience,” Busuttil explained.
“So apart from practising the test in the arena with my horse, I read the test and go over the routine in my head before the event.
“When it comes to showjumping, the stress is different because it’s a much quicker event and you have to remember the course that is laid out that day.”
Given her tender age, the rider is aware of the importance of ranking her scholastic commitments high on her agenda.
“I need to manage my time properly, be disciplined and responsible to be able to fit everything in,” she added.
With no team-mates beside her, she must have total trust in Abby, her horse.
“The love and respect I have for Abby is endless,” Busuttil said.
“She knows this and feels it.
“I have learnt what she likes and doesn’t like and we have learnt how to work well together.”
On an international level, Malta takes part in the World Dressage Challenge, organised by the Fédération Equestre International (FEI) where judges visit Malta to include them in the global event.
The aim is “to give the opportunity to compete internationally without having to leave their own country”.
“The riders at the FEI World Dressage Challenge are judged on the same tests and by the same judges within each geographical zone,” Busuttil explained. “Last year Abby and I placed 14th in the region and first in Malta in the junior preliminary class.”
With her success in the junior preliminary class as a springboard, Busuttil dreams of qualifying and participating in a three-day eventing competition, the Badminton Horse Trials in England.
“This event covers Dressage, Show Jumping and Cross-Country and is considered as one of the highest level trials in Europe which could be the stepping stone to qualifying for the Olympics,” she said.
These type of dreams and ambitions will keep her focused and, backed by the support of a sporting family, the future is bright for one of Malta’s rising stars.