Passion
Anne-Sophie was swept into it by a pure, extinguishable passion for those wonderful quadrupeds – a passion the thrill and excitement of which can be shared only those who have experienced it.
When you ask her if she remembers of any particular event or moment that could have triggered this fervour, she replies that she can’t actually pinpoint one: “Ever since I was a child, horses have been part of my life for as long as I can remember either in reality or in my dreams!”
First horse, first mistake?
Anne-Sophie didn’t dream for a very long time, putting her first foot in the stirrup at the ripe age of five.
At eleven, she convinced her entrepreneurial parents − neither of which had ever been near a paddock – to purchase a four-year old chestnut 14,2 hands quarter horse that she called Mousseline.
Despite her enduring friendship with her ginger pony mare, Anne-Sophie casts a critical eye on her earliest equine acquisition.
“Today, I would raise several red flags about such a match – especially for a first horse. Mainly, she was much too young for me and she lacked blood.” And blood was required, for Anne-Sophie quickly set her views on one of the most demanding equestrian sports, both for the riders and their mounts − showjumping.
So with the help of her first coach, she trained Mousseline as a hunter jumper.