For nearly three decades, Pedro Cebulka has been directing horse-and-rider traffic and calming nerves at the ingate at major show jumping tournaments, Olympic Games and international championships around the world. Famously recognizable for his dashing haberdashery, humour, and flair, this Invermere, BC, resident followed a rather natural evolution to his current status of ringmaster extraordinaire.
The Early Days
Born in Germany, Pedro began travelling extensively in the mid-70s, and by 1977 he found himself at Spruce Meadows during the facility’s early days, mucking out stables, doing maintenance, building courses, announcing – whatever needed to be done. As he was fluent in several languages (German, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese, and some French), he became an interpreter for the Mexican and European teams that came to compete, and fast friendships were formed.
At Equitana in 1986 he was asked to control the in-gate, getting horses and riders in and out of the ring, keeping them calm, communicating with the ground jury, vets and TV crews. As it turned out, he was a natural.
At first, Pedro wore a suit and tie to perform his duties; then one day he donned a pink cap, which made the riders laugh. Then he wore a Hawaiian helmet which was a big hit. And so it began … Pedro now possesses more than a hundred outfits, and over the years he has been Napolean, a musketeer, a sheik, a cowboy, and a Mountie, among other wacky personas. He even showed up in a wig and pink curlers to the FEI jog at the 2014 WEG. Some of his signature hats are made by American Hat Makers, whose clients include rocker Steven Tyler and golfer Rory Sabbatini; four of his custom top hats were designed by Head ‘n Home out of Freedom, CA, “but all others I collected over time, and people also give special hats to me as presents.”
Pedro’s wife of 31 years, Janet, is a horse trainer/instructor from the Netherlands. The couple have two girls, Stephanie, 30, and Jessica, 28, who both used to ride when they were younger. “We’ve always had horses as a family,” said Pedro. “When the kids were young we would have up to six at a time. My wife just sold our last one this past fall to have a bit more time to travel. I haven’t been on a horse for a while, but always love to be around them.”
On average, he works about 14-15 tournaments each year, and is sometimes accompanied by family members, although less often now that the girls are adults. “My kids used to come to Spruce Meadows and Europe’s German Friendships. Janet has been to the Olympics, World Equestrian Games, World Cup Finals, and shows in Mexico, Central and South America, North America, Europe, and Australia.”
This hopeless workaholic does manage to find some time for hobbies and other pursuits. “I love to play golf. My friend [and real estate development partner] John Newton and I once played 226 holes in one day to raise money for cancer research. I also really enjoy physical fitness training, which is very important for my job as ringmaster.”
‘Mister Loyal’
Pedro likes to refer to himself as “Mister Loyal”: “It’s a call-back to the tradition of the ringmasters who were always called ‘Monsieur Loyal’ after a famous circus personality, Anselme-Pierre Loyal,” he explained. “The ringmaster has always been charged with managing the performance, introducing different acts, and guiding the audience through the entertainment experience. I see the importance of this balance and always bring it to my work; that balance between the show – and behind the scenes – the riders’ and the crowd’s experience. There’s entertainment, but there’s also organization and helping it all run smoothly.”
During the course of his career he has seen some remarkable sights, such as at the 2002 WEG in Jerez. “During a riders’ course walk, a couple of people started jumping over the arena enclosure and all of a sudden we had 3,000 people on course and nobody could move! Security was much tighter the next day.” There are many stories of loose horse mayhem in the ring or during horse inspections, or other odd situations, such as “Marcus Ehning’s horse Noltes Küchengirl refusing in every round at the 2007 Europeans and later winning $500,000 in just one show alone in Rio.”
While Pedro is hesitant to name a single show as his favourite, he does have a special fondness for several events. “For almost 30 years I was fortunate enough to have been involved in tournaments at Spruce Meadows, and for sure those will always be on the list of my favourites. Olympic Games, World Equestrian Games, Pan Am Games and European Championships deliver lots of pressure for the athletes and everybody involved and make my work very interesting and challenging. It gives me real pleasure to work with young people of many nationalities and bring them together at German Friendships, FEI Childrens Finals and Continental Championships.”
One particular favourite show memory involved para-dressage. “Assisting in the prize-givings of the para-dressage at the 2010 WEG in Kentucky was a very special moment for me. Since then I have made many friends in the para-world and love to watch it and be involved in the ceremonies.”
Pedro is also involved as an ambassador with the non-profit JustWorld International, an organization which strives to improve the lives of children in some of the poorest communities in Honduras, Cambodia, Guatemala, and Colombia. “I always stay in touch with Jessica Newman and her great team. I would like to go with my wife and a group to Cambodia and visit our project there and go back and see our friends at Los Patojos in Guatemala. I also do as many shows as possible as a Justworld International Mascot.”
Next stops on the horizon for Pedro include the Pan American Games in Toronto this summer, RMSJ in August, and the Royal West in October. Next year he has the 2016 Olympics in Rio, “and I have been asked by my Japanese friends to work with the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.”
By all accounts, it appears that Pedro just might have the best job in the world. “To do what you love to do, to give 100 percent of your energy and get back even more in return, to make people smile and let them have a positive experience, what could be better?” he asked. Now 62, the tireless world traveller admitted, “In reality, I feel almost like I did 30 years ago … maybe a bit more crazy now.” And when asked if he had plans to retire any time soon, Pedro replied, “As long as I can stay mentally and physically fit, let the show go on!”
