Last year’s Grand Prix winner, Georgina Bloomberg, sat down to answer some questions with Land Rover before competing in the U.S. Open $212,000 FEI 3* Grand Prix.
Q: As a rider/competitor, what makes the Central Park Horse Show unique?
GB: A horse show in the middle of a big city is very special for a rider. We get to show our sport to people who normally don’t have exposure to it and hopefully gain some fans. For myself and the other riders here today who are New Yorkers, it’s also very special to have our sport back in the city that we love. We had Madison Square Garden for many years – that was an amazing horse show – and we were trying so hard to have a horse show again in many places in New York, so it was worth the wait to have one back in a location that I think is even better than before.
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Q: How did you prepare for this week – anything particular or new for this show?
GB: We prepare for this week in a different way because we’re coming off our outdoors season where we’re used to competing in big grass arenas. This is our first show competing in a kind of indoor experience; even though it’s not technically indoors, the small sand arena rides like an indoor arena in open air. From now on we actually start our indoor season – this is the kickoff for it – so at home, we prepared the horses either in a small sand or indoor arena with gymnastics and practice courses that help us get a feel for a small sand arena again, and for jumps that come up out of a turn very quickly. Some horses need a little more practice with that and as a rider, you need to practice that a lot as well with little exercises to keep both you and the horse sharp.
Q: Tell me more about your experience at the Pan Am games – your first time winning a medal for your country. What's a day in the life like at a team event?
GB: It was incredible. It was our big goal for the year. My trainer and I have this system where we sit down and map out what our goals are, and it doesn’t matter how lofty or realistic they are, we figure out what steps we would have to take to accomplish those goals and we work toward them. Sometimes we accomplish it, sometimes we don’t, but if you don’t at least try to accomplish your goal you won’t ever do it. This system has taught me to handle failure—learning how to lose is very important, not only in life but especially in this sport because you’re going to have more bad days than good days. You’re going to have more classes you don’t win than you win. It’s a fact – every rider in the world is going to tell you that. So for me, the PAG was a goal we set, and when it actually came through it was an incredible moment for me. When I got the call that I made the team, I started tearing up and was so relieved, because it was something we worked so hard for, and we had our ups and downs on the way to accomplishing that goal. It taught me that sometimes you can work your ass off for something and it pays off! That was my first championship, my first IOC experience, and it was such an honor to be associated with the International Olympic US team. It that was definitely a dream come true, just being there with a group of riders that I normally consider friends but also really respect as athletes and people.
Q: The Pan Am games and Olympic Games are unique for riders in that they only have one horse to ride instead of a whole string of horses. What did you do to relax and focus?
GB: We were there for nine days with one horse, which gives you a chance to really focus on that horse and get to know him better than you did going into the games. My horse there has, this year, stepped into the place of my top horse that was injured, and we’ve been able to get to know each other so well. To be with one horse and really work on your relationship really pays off for the riders when they go into the arena, but it can also pose a challenge, because we are used to competing with a couple different horses at every competition and sometimes not having a chance to be in the ring going all the time and getting the experience of being there, you can go in a little rusty. Being away for nine days with one horse and only showing three or four times per week, you have to really be on your game and be fully prepared every time you go into the arena. I had to keep myself sharp without a warm-up.
Q: What’s next for you? Next year’s an Olympic year – what is your plan between now and summer?
GB: This has already been an amazing year so far. I won a Grand Prix, I’ve competed on my first championship team, I won a medal … I’ve really accomplished everything I wanted to this year. My goal for the rest of the year is to enjoy it. I have a couple of really awesome shows coming up that I’m looking forward to and I want to enjoy having had a good year and appreciate how good the horses have been for me. We’re going to take November and December off, let the horses rest up, and I’ll be rested and ready for the New Year. Come January, everything we do will be focused on making sure I’m as prepared as I can be to be accepted to the [Olympic] team.
Q: It looked like Jasper really enjoyed the Land Rover Kids Car ride at Tuesday’s press conference! You had an adult-sized Land Rover last week – did you enjoy it as much as Jasper did the Kids Car?
GB: Jasper had an amazing time! He’s obsessed with cars, so for him to be able to sit in a real little car, he figured it our really quickly. His legs weren’t quite long enough to reach the pedals but if he had that extra inch he would have been tearing around the arena. You never would have stopped him. I loved driving the big Range Rover – I had it for a week, it was such an honor to drive around and I got so many compliments on it. It’s a car I’ve been looking at, especially being a mom; I think it will end up being my next car.