Photo: Global Champions Tour
What a few weeks Edwina Alexander-Tops is having! Having won the lucrative Global Champions Tour title for the second year running (above), she competed at the Gucci Paris Masters and then moved on to Geneva. On the second day there she took part in the Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final; an invitational competition for the 10 best riders in the world. 38 year old Edwina was once again flying the Australian flag on her top horse, Itot du Château and had a clear first round along with four others combinations. The shorter second round saw Christian Ahlmann (GER), the winner of the "Battle of the Sexes" class in Paris, set the bar very high with an incredible time of 43.57 which remained unbeaten. Edwina and her little French bred horse were very close to the German's time but she had to be content with the second place ahead of Kevin Staut (FRA).
On the podium in Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final Photo: Xavier Boudon/Pixizone.com
However before long they were on the top of the podium in Geneva. Itot and Edwina were victorious in the sixth leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2012/2013 Western European League series, rocketing Edwina up to 10th on the series leader board.
Edwina receives the Rolex watch at the World Cup in Geneva © Hippo Foto/FEI
Xavier Boudon was in Paris and Geneva and caught up with Edwina for an interview for An Eventful Life. Here’s what Edwina had to say;
I will start by asking you what everybody wants to know - how is Itot?
He's great, yes, he's ready to go. He's in Geneva this weekend
How do you explain the fact he's always as good as at the beginning?
He hasn't too many bad rounds. Of course he's had a lot of success and wins. It's just a matter of maintaining him and keeping him fit. We have a good program for him, not too heavy. He is a very strong horse and I think the key to the horse is to have him fit. For sure he has a break for competition when he needs to. But actually, we have never given him 3 whole weeks off totally unless he had to. I think that's one of the key points in maintaining a horse, just keep them as fit as possible. Not to overdo too much, to keep their mind fresh, their body fresh and it's just really knowing your horse. We have a great connection together, I know him very well. I can feel when there's something not right and when things are going right. He always gives his best.
How did you live your Olympic Games this year? Did it mean a lot of pressure for you, maybe with too many expectations?
You know, I didn't ride or do anything different that I would have done. The only thing out of light that have been different was to have the same program as they had in Beijing. The FEI is always talking about the welfare of the horses. I'm not sure who had made this decision whether the FEI or IOC but the scheduling of the horses for the competition was absolutely not in my favour. My horse was tired. He didn't get enough time to rest. It's a first time ever that I noticed this with Itot. I felt like I needed more spur than normal and it pushed me to ride him totally different than I'm used to. I was disappointed because he was in super shape, he jumped fantastic, he was qualified for the final, he was in 3rd position going into the final. So he had great performance. He still jumped very well the last two rounds. One fault was from me, the other from him, but the horse gave himself maximum...it's a shame.
What is your opinion about this format?
The format of the Olympics at the end of the day is "who is the best in that day". A Global Champions Tour is for me a true championship that shows consistency over the year. It's not just about one particular competition. I think something could be changed because I understand the IOC wants to have the same rules and planning in every sport Olympics but every sport is different, and they're not dealing with horses. I totally agree with the hundred metre sprint and they shouldn't go onto the final with all the times added up. But for us, the horse is performing over a period of time. You have people that came back into the final with a score of 12 or 16 faults and not a great performance, and they start back on zero, so they are particularly good only on that day.... so I don't really think it's a fair championship in my opinion. The world championship is far too demanding to the horses, way too much jumping on the horses, it's a great competition for the public but it's not a great competition for the horses. But at least, in the world championship, you carry your points right until the final until the change of horses. That's another issue again. I was not disappointed with the team at all in Kentucky. Of course I would have loved to have a medal like everybody else would have. It just tuned out like that. Itot is still showing to be the most winning in prize money horse in the world to date now so I'm not unhappy.
You are the best woman in the world ranking today. Did it change something in the way Australian people pay attention to your career?
For sure they have a lot of respect for me as a rider but I guess probably more for women, it gives hope to women. They've seen me, they've read my book, they know my story and how I got here. It's great you know. I would prefer to be Number 1 in the world, that's definitely a goal I'd had for a while. There's a lot more coverage on Internet and social media and this definitely pushed my career to a different level. I’m lucky that I have come into this sport at this time when things are evolving and changing. My family in Australia can see what's going on, the live streaming etc. There is definitely much more information than when I grew up in Australia. I think they now pay attention to me with the success I have had and I see now more and more Australian riders wanting to compete in Europe.
The fact that your husband, Jan Tops, is one of the biggest horse traders in the world, the fact he can find the best horse just for you, does it change something in the way you try to find the one which fits to you?
Because I'm not such a big person some horses just fit me a lot more than others. I do have to compromise sometimes depending on what I've got. All my horses are different, totally different. You can't just ride every horse the same way. Some need more legs, some more hands, some need more pressure, some less pressure..... He's absolutely found me amazing horses and that's definitely why my situation is the way it is at the moment. I got some fantastic young ones coming up. He's very good at putting combinations together. He's proven that for many years for a lot of riders.
What are your goals for next season, which will be a "low" season for you without any big competition?
Of course I'd like to go to the World Championships in Normandy 2014. I'm not terribly focused on the World Cup. I'm doing the shows because these are the best indoor shows. If I qualify I'll go (and she has so she will!) But it's absolutely not a priority for me. My priority at the moment is to stay in the top 10, to reach Number 1 hopefully one day, and to build my young horses with the help of a good great team that comes up behind you.
CLICK HERE to find out more about Edwina’s biography
