How are you feeling ahead of the next Major of the year?
RV: To be honest, I try not to remind myself too much that I am the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping live contender. At the end of the day, I have to try to approach the TSCHIO Aachen like any other show, although of course it is an extremely important one!
Aachen is always a very special show for us, and each of the Rolex Grand Slam Majors is among the highlights of our calendar every year. Coming to Aachen as the live contender certainly adds another level of importance, but I do not think we – as a team – should change anything in terms of our preparation, or how we plan towards the show.
United Touch S is an incredible partner to have. The aim now is to keep him in the same form that he was in at ’s-Hertogenbosch, and to try to perform well on Sunday at TSCHIO Aachen.
You secured your place as live contender with an incredible victory at The Dutch Masters. Looking back, what made that performance with United Touch S so special?
RV: I think United Touch S proved once again what an incredible horse he is. He has such a huge stride and tremendous scope, but over the years we have also grown so much together as a partnership. He is really with me everywhere now.
Even in a relatively small indoor arena, he showed the world how competitive he can be, and how good he can be in the rollbacks to the fences. Earlier in his career, I think many people would have said that a smaller indoor arena would not necessarily be the ideal place for him to shine. Aachen, for example, seems more suited to his strengths, with the space to use his big stride and scope. But he showed once again that he is not only incredible outdoors, but indoors as well.
You said after The Dutch Masters that being the live contender brings pressure, but “a nice pressure to have”. How do you manage that expectation as you prepare for Aachen?
RV: I think, as riders, it is almost our obligation to manage that pressure. I do not want to say that it is easy, but we work on staying focused, calm and concentrated, and on not allowing ourselves to become too nervous.
It is also very important that the horse does not feel that pressure. Horses are very sensitive, and the more relaxed they are, the better they can focus. If United Touch S feels that I am more tense, or different from normal, then he will sense that something has changed. He will think, “What is happening today?” and I do not think that helps to create the right atmosphere in our work.
He is very experienced and has been in the sport long enough to understand when it is an important day. He knows when Sunday comes and when it is a Rolex Grand Prix day. These horses are very smart. I think it is important to show him that, yes, it is an important day, but everything is under control. We have a plan, we know what we are doing, and we will try to perform as well as possible.
The Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping brings together four of the most prestigious Majors in the sport. What makes the challenge of trying to win back-to-back Majors so unique?
RV: To win one Rolex Grand Slam Major is something incredible. It is something every show jumping rider dreams of. I still remember when I won my first Major at the CHI Geneva. Normally, I would say I am quite a clear-thinking person, and someone who realises what is happening quite quickly, but it took me a few days to understand what we had achieved that weekend.
To be in the situation again, as the live contender, is a very special position. It is a nice pressure to have. Winning back-to-back Majors has happened before, so it is definitely possible, but it is extremely difficult.
Aachen is at the top of many riders’ lists this year, particularly because the FEI World Championships will also take place there later in the summer. Everyone will bring their best horses, and many riders will already be looking to make a statement about how well their horses can perform in Aachen.
Even without that added context, any Rolex Grand Slam Major guarantees the very best horse and rider combinations. The field will be incredibly strong, and there will be many competitors trying to make sure it does not happen for us. But on our side, we are working towards trying to make it happen.
You have already experienced some remarkable moments with United Touch S at Rolex Grand Slam Majors. What is it about him that gives you confidence on the biggest stages?
RV: He is an incredible horse with physical abilities that I do not believe any other horse has. With him, you know that whatever they build at the Rolex Grand Slam Majors, whether it is outdoors at Aachen or Spruce Meadows, or indoors at Geneva and The Dutch Masters, there is nothing he cannot jump. If they do build something that he struggles to jump, then many other horses will have struggled before him. That gives you, as a rider, a lot of confidence. It is almost a comfortable situation to have a horse like him.
At the same time, we have had to develop a lot as a partnership. Having those abilities did not always make everything easier, especially in the early stages. Because he has such a big stride, we really had to work on the rideability, on his ability to shorten his stride, carry more weight behind, and stay balanced through doubles and short lines.
But he also has such a good mind. He wants to do well and wants to improve every day. That is probably his greatest strength, even though it is something people do not always see. It is easy to see his scope and his big stride, but his character, his willingness to improve, and his attitude to the sport are what make him so special.
The TSCHIO Aachen is one of the most iconic venues in equestrian sport. From a rider’s perspective, what makes competing in the Main Stadium so special?
RV: Since I can remember, I have always watched Aachen on television. For us as Germans, Aachen is ‘the show’. Any of the Rolex Grand Slam Majors has special importance in our calendar, but Aachen is something extraordinary.
The Main Stadium has its own atmosphere and its own intensity. You can feel the history of the venue, and you can feel how much the sport means to the crowd. As a rider, it is one of those places where you really understand the significance of the moment when you ride through the gates into the Main Stadium.
It is a venue that every rider wants to compete in, and every rider dreams of winning in. To be there with a horse like United Touch S, and to have the chance to compete in the Rolex Grand Prix, is something incredibly special.
Aachen is also a home Major for you as a German rider. What would it mean to win the Rolex Grand Prix there, in front of the German crowd?
RV: It would be a dream come true. In my childhood, it was almost something I was afraid to dream of because it felt too far away and too big. To win there, even outside the context of being the live contender, would be incredibly special. It is something I would never have dreamed of as a child.
Now, competing at this level, I feel like I am allowed to dream about it. If we were able to make it happen, we would never forget it.
The Rolex Grand Slam Majors each have their own distinct character. How do you adapt from the indoor atmosphere of The Dutch Masters to the vast arena and unique intensity of Aachen?
RV: United Touch S has shown that he can be competitive in very different settings. At The Dutch Masters, he proved how good he can be in an indoor arena, with tight turns, rollbacks and technical questions. Aachen is a different type of challenge. It gives him more space to use his natural strengths, especially his stride and scope, but it also brings its own intensity and pressure.
For us, the focus has been on preparing him for the grass and making sure he feels comfortable in the conditions he will meet there. Aachen will be his first grass show of the year, so at home I have jumped him a lot on grass. We have tried to recreate that situation as much as possible, to make him comfortable on grass and with studs in his shoes.
We have also made some changes to his shoeing, together with our farrier and vet, and had a lot of discussions about the ideal set-up for him and how he feels his best. Indoors, he had been jumping without shoes, so there are many details to consider. It is not about changing the whole system, but about making sure every detail is right.
The Rolex Grand Prix at Aachen attracts the very best horses and riders in the world. What qualities do you believe a horse needs to succeed in this class?
RV: A horse needs the scope, carefulness and athletic ability to jump whatever is built, but at Aachen that is only part of the challenge. The horse also needs rideability, balance and the ability to stay focused in a big atmosphere.
The class is demanding in every way. It asks horses to be powerful, but also adjustable. They need to cover the ground, but they also need to shorten, turn, and stay with the rider in the technical parts of the course.
United Touch S has those physical qualities, but what gives me the most confidence is his mind and his willingness to work with me. He wants to do well and wants to improve every day. That character is probably what makes him so special.
If you were able to win at Aachen and continue your Rolex Grand Slam campaign, what would that mean to you at this stage of your career?
RV: It would be something incredibly special. To win one Rolex Grand Slam Major is already a huge achievement. To win two in a row, and to continue the Rolex Grand Slam campaign, would be something very rare and very meaningful.
At this stage of my career, to be in this position with a horse like United Touch S is something I am very grateful for. We know how difficult it is, and we know how strong the competition will be, but we also know what he is capable of. That gives us confidence, and it gives us something very exciting to work towards.
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