Zoe Conter is still one of the best riders in the country. Despite her young age, she has been competing at CSI5* level for several years and this was no different at Knokke Hippique. She was one of the strongholds of the Belgian delegation and that is why the Rolex Grand Slam team had an interview with the Belgian rider.
What have you been focusing on recently, and what are your plans and goals for 2021?
My plan for this year is to compete in five-star shows. I haven’t been able to compete at that level in over a year now. My first show is actually this week, Knokke, which includes 2*, 3* and 5* classes. So, definitely one of my first goals is to ride at a 5* level, to have a solid performance and actually be competitive at this level. I would really like to have a few Rolex Grands Prix finishes and to get placed – that is definitely a goal for this year.
For the 5* class, I will be taking my number one horse, Davidoff de Lassus – nicknamed Dave – and Dawa de Greenbay. In the 3* class, I have Univers du Vinnebus and Dolitaire Chavannaise. These are my four good horses at the moment.
I haven’t really shown much since I got back from Wellington, where I spent the winter. I’ve done a few shows, but my main goal was to get everything ready for Knokke, to make sure we’re all geared up for the week ahead. I have high hopes for it because I have worked hard to be in top form. For the rest of the year, the aim is to be competitive. I feel a lot faster since I started working my new trainer, Eric Lamaze, who I began training with at the beginning of May, so I am excited for this new chapter and to see where it goes.
Which horses are you most excited to be competing with this year?
I am excited to show my first horse, Davidoff. I haven’t been able to show him at all because he’s been injured since last November. He has been out for nearly six months, so it's definitely exciting to have him back, as now I’ll be able to compete in bigger classes again. He is a very special horse to me, he’s a big bay gelding and he’s super comfortable to jump big fences on and he’s also super scopey. He has the best character, just like a gentle giant. Every day he is super fresh, there’s not a single day where he’s quiet. He has all the energy in the world, so he is without a doubt one of my favourites.
I also have a few eight- and nine-year-old’s that are stepping up, who I’m excited about showing, such as Dawa. He is a nine-year-old and I’ve had him since he was seven, and he is showing some real promise. He did his first 3* show in Florida, jumping bigger classes, and he was really good, so I’m excited to see him step up this year. I think he is going to be a Grand Prix horse, as he is very confident and scopey, which makes me incredibly excited.
I then have one more nine-year-old mare called Ma Belle. She is also one of my younger ones that is really stepping up to 2* and 3* events. She is a bit greener than the others, but she is going to be a really nice mare, so I am excited for her, as well.
I am also looking forward to showing my stallion, Univers. I have had him for three years now. He is my partner to jump the bigger classes on and has jumped a few 5* Grands Prix with me. I actually have a very good squad for this year, so I am excited to start showing and really trying to be competitive with all of them.
What have you learnt over the course of the last year, about yourself and just generally, and what positives will you take?
One thing that I have learnt about myself over the past year, is that I want more than anything to succeed in this sport. Especially this past year, when I was in Florida and the shows started again, I had a really rough few months, where it didn’t go too well, which isn’t a nice feeling. So, I feel that I have come back and I’m giving 100%, as well as working really hard to be successful for the rest of the year.
Over the last few months, it’s made me come to the realisation that I need and want to do everything to be successful in the sport. I have also learnt to appreciate the good moments more, because there are ups and downs, just like in any sport, and sometimes the good moments are taken for granted. For some riders, there are more ups than there are downs; however in my case, I experience far more downs, so it is important I learn to appreciate when I've had a good round or a good result and remember to take it all in.
Regarding the pandemic, with shows not happening and the world slowly coming to a standstill, I learnt to appreciate the smaller things, like spending more time with my horses and spending more time at home with my family – those two things are really important to me.
Source: Press Release Rolex Grand Slam