Reflecting on his early years, Schmitz shares, "I was definitely an outsider. As a kid, I tried a lot of sports. I think my parents knew how risk-friendly I was, and they preferred me living that risk friendliness in a pool or on a soft mat rather than on a horse. For many years, I had to beg my parents to let me get on a horse. And when I finally did, I never stopped."

Schmitz candidly discusses the challenges he faced breaking into a sport dominated by those from established horse families. "At first, I felt completely lost. I had only seen these athletes on TV before, and the first reaction was that I was not really taken into account. That's difficult when you don't come out of a horse family. Once they saw how dedicated and excited I was about the sport, they opened up and welcomed me."