I am Richard Kierkegaard
and I practice show jumping
Show Jumping is unique because the relationship with the horse is incredible
and you cannot compare it with any other sport
because you compete with an animal that weighs over 500kg
and you need to have control over the animal
so the connection with the horse is very important.
At the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires 2018,
we won’t be able to use our own horse
as not all horses from around the world will be able to come to Argentina.
So everyone competing will get a horse assigned at random.
All horses will be unfamiliar to the rider
so it comes down to how good of a rider you are,
you have to be ready to ride any type of horse,
that is why I train with 7 different horses.
This is helping me a lot, as I am learning to ride all types of horses,
which is making me a better rider.
Where I live is the same place as where I train
it is a great advantage
as I am able to spend all day with my horses, and look after their development.
I ride every day of the week except on Sunday as this is the day they rest.
I spend 30 minutes to 1 hour with each horse.
Training is important but it depends on the horse and the rider
because every horse is different and they have their own character
all of my horses are unique
and I have to train each of them in a specific way.
Some horses need to work on being relaxed and calm,
because they can get nervous. When they are nervous they do not perform well.
Similar to any other athlete.
I jump in training once a week,
the rest of the week is work on the ground
I work on improving the horses’ imperfections
for example I look to improve the control or the power of the horse.
When we are practicing jumps
the horse has to warm up like any other athlete
the horse cannot jump straight away
as it could get injured.
Similar to what stretching is for us,
it is the same for horse, they have to stretch
start activating all of the muscles around their body.
For me, the warm up of the horse is more important than the warm up of rider
as they are the stars of the show.
As a rider, you are using your whole body.
Personally, I use my back a lot
because I maintain my posture when I jump and change directions.
The beauty of equestrian is being able to hide your movements.
As well as using my back, I use my legs to hold onto the horse
It depends how much trust I have with the horse
but I always try to feel like we are one
I try to have the best connection with the horse
as that will make us perform better together.
From the first moment the Olympic qualification started
there has been a lot of pressure
mainly because the games are going to be in Argentina
and everyone is going to be watching me.
I think I still feel the pressure because the competition level is very high in Argentina
but if I am able to qualify to the Youth Olympic Games,
I will transform that pressure into motivation as I am representing my country.
To win a Youth Olympic medal,
it would be more than a dream
as it has been my goal since I started to ride.
It will be everything to win a medal,
and it will mean even more to win it in Argentina as I will make history.