Edwina Tops-Alexander may be one of the most successful showjumpers in the world, a brand ambassador for Gucci and Jaeger-LeCoultre, and as comfortable being interviewed by Vogue as she is winning top-class competitions, but she is also an altogether agreeable lunch companion.
We are tucking into the buffet in the hospitality tent at Abu Dhabi’s Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club, where Tops-Alexander has been competing. Sporting a sleek ponytail and, on her ring finger, one of the largest diamonds I have ever seen, she is entirely devoid of any airs and graces. In fact, the only time she is anything but relaxed and engaging is when members of the Qatari national team are competing in the ring in front of us. Her husband, Jan Tops, a former Olympic-Gold-winning showjumper himself, has been training the team since 2013, so she is heavily invested in their success, visibly squirming as they approach each jump and sighing with relief once they are over.
The Australian born Tops-Alexander is currently ranked at number 21 in the world, according to the Fédération Equestre Internationale Longines showjumping ranking, but spent the best part of the last decade in the top 10, and is one of the most successful female riders in the sport. In fact, she embodies the greatest things about showjumping – that it doesn’t matter what gender you are, or how big you are (Tops-Alexander is incredibly petite, although she is still, she is quick to point out, “quite strong”) or how old you are (she turned 41 this year). In one of the only Olympic sports where women and men compete against each other, it’s all about the talent, the hard work and, most importantly, the horses. If anything, says Tops-Alexander, being a woman is an asset rather than a hindrance, given how the sport has evolved in recent years.
“In our sport, the horse is the athlete, so everybody needs to have a very good horse under them. I think horses used to be much heavier and stronger – not so delicate or light-footed, and the equipment and the ground were different. But I think now it is actually in favour of women because we are generally softer and we adapt more, rather than going against the horse. As a rule, we give our affection more and horses thrive on that; they know when you get on if you are mad or unhappy, they sense it straight away. So there are a lot of advantages for women. But I don’t see it as me competing against men. I see it as horses competing against each other.”
That being said, the demanding nature of the sport – Tops-Alexander is based in Monaco but spends some 48 weekends a year competing, not to mention the rigours of training and managing a team of both horses and people – has required sacrifices. “There have been sacrifices. Especially for me with my family being so far away. I’m fortunate that they come over once a year and I go and see them once a year. I guess there’s also the fact of not having a normal life. But then, what’s normal is different for everyone. And I haven’t had a child and am now 41, so I have some decisions to make in the next few years. That’s definitely been a big sacrifice for me.”
Tops-Alexander grew up on the outskirts of Sydney and started out riding her neighbour’s horses at the age of 8. She tried out a number of sports but it was the riding that stuck. By 13, she had started competing seriously. A successful two-year stint ensued, but at 15 things started taking a turn for the worse. “I went from being super-competitive and winning everything and loving it, to falling off all the time and people laughing at me. We got some bad advice and some bad horses. I even had one trainer who didn’t want to train me any more. I was totally insulted but he was right.
“It was a very negative experience for me and I got to the point where I said to my next trainer: ‘You have to tell my parents that I’m not good enough and that I should stop riding. I don’t want them to waste all their time and money and efforts on me.’ But he refused. He said: ‘I know how much you love this and you’ve got the talent. We just need to find you better horses.’”
It is these experiences that contribute to Tops-Alexander’s solid work ethic and, I assume, are a major reason why she remains so grounded. “My parents really made me work for everything I did,” she adds. “They made me appreciate everything.”
A few years ago, Tops-Alexander’s mother gave her some videos of her competing in those days. “I couldn’t believe how bad I was,” she laughs. “It was really fun to watch. In one class I fell off twice. It is unbelievable if you think about how strong-minded I was and how much I believed in what I was doing. I was so determined. I think that video would give a lot of kids inspiration and hope. Believing in yourself and persevering can give you success in anything.”
At the age of 24, she decided to try her hand at the European circuit. It took a lot more of that trademark hard work and determination, but at the 2006 World Championships in Aachen, Germany, she made history by becoming the first female Australian rider to make the final, and eventually claimed fourth place. She attributes that success and many subsequent victories to her horse at the time, Itot du Château – or Itot, as he is more affectionately known. “That one horse changed my life, basically,” she says.
Since then, there have been Grand Prix wins in Brussels, London, Zurich, Cannes, Geneva and Doha, to mention but a few. Tops-Alexander was part of the Australian team for the World Championships in Jerez de la Frontera, Aachen and Kentucky, and rode in the London Olympics and Beijing Olympics, finishing ninth in the overall individual and team seventh. But she still counts the first time she rode the now-retired Itot as one of her all-time career highs.
“I won a lot with Itot and he’s won more prize money than any other horse, so there were a lot of special moments with him. Normally when you buy a horse you go and try it and see how it is. But with that horse, we saw him at other shows and we bought him over the phone. It was very risky. I don’t know any other people who would do it, but Jan is so good at putting horses and riders together. It’s one of his specialities and what he’s known for. He knew straight away that the horse was going to fit. It was the most amazing feeling the first time I got on Itot and jumped him at home. I felt like I’d ridden that horse all my life.”
Tops-Alexander made the difficult decision to retire Itot last year. “I knew physically he was maybe getting to the end. With Itot it was quite obvious to me when to retire him. That horse is only at his best when he feels good, and I knew he wasn’t feeling as good. I was having to ride him differently. He didn’t have the same stride. I didn’t want to do some big competitions where it wouldn’t go well and I would be showing a bad side to him. I wanted to finish on a good note. A lot of people might have done differently and squeezed everything out of him, but that horse did so much for me and gave me so much.”
The nature of the sport means that Tops-Alexander doesn’t need to think about retiring herself any time soon – but she does say that she can’t imagine competing once she’s over 50. “It depends what horses I’ve got, but I don’t really want to be doing this beyond 50. I’ve been travelling like this for 10 years and I’d like to do other things with my life. A lot of people ask me what, but I don’t think I’ll know the answer until closer to the time. I love fashion. So who knows, it could be something to do with that.”
Her long-standing relationship with Gucci has seen Tops-Alexander compete in exclusive Gucci get-up, and partner with the brand on its first-ever equestrian line. And her appreciation of Jaeger-LeCoultre is obvious. “One of the things I love is the way they market it. It’s so subtle and discreet and classy; very luxurious. And of course I love the watches.”
But before there is any more talk of retiring, Tops-Alexander wants to get back in the top 10 and ideally win an Olympic medal. With Itot out of play, the immediate challenge is to develop new horses, but recreating such a special partnership is the all-elusive holy grail of showjumping. Finding those top-level horses is challenge enough in a sport that is becoming increasingly competitive. “These horses are like pieces of art; it’s really unbelievable. And it’s not only about finding a really good horse, but putting it with the right rider and creating this special combination.”
For all her success so far, this is what keeps her motivated. “I always have new horses coming along and they motivate me because there are always new challenges. I have a couple of amazing, unbelievable horses right now that I know have a very interesting future. Tequila is one of them – she’s turned out to be amazing. She’s a little bay mare that has stepped up from being what we thought was a speed horse to what could be one of my best horses. She’s a little bit the talk of the town at the moment.
“What I love most about this sport is when you know you’ve got that really special horse and you know you’ve got a good chance to win. And you know that when things go in the right direction, all that time and effort that you’ve put in will start to pay off. It can go the other way, though.”
With Tops-Alexander, it always comes back to the horses. It’s a genuine love of animals that can be traced back to her childhood, when she would join her mother taking the family dogs to training sessions. “I used to love how you could have a special relationship with them, plus teach them how to do things and how to listen to you, and react to you and respect you. I noticed that it was the same with the horses. Although you can’t really keep the horses in your house – unfortunately. I just think it is such a special connection.”
sdenman@thenational.ae