I recently spoke with Chris von Martels who has declared for the Canadian Dressage Team for The Paris Olympics.
- Chris which horse have you declared for Paris? and does he have any personality quirks that you find amusing ?
Above Chris is riding his horse Eclipse in the Tokyo Olympics.
I have two horses that I have declared. The first one is Eclipse. That is my previous Olympic mount from Tokyo. He has many quirks and personality traits that people might find interesting he’s a very apprehensive horse, and also a very confident horse in many ways ,but also a bit of a shy horse.in other ways. But I love him him . He’s a very main character If you will.
And who is the other horse.?
The other horse is a mare, London Crown, she’s 11 years old I’ve had her for one and a half years. I competed her a couple of times last year at Small tour and she was doing very well. She’s an exceptionally talented horse in my opinion. Of course she’s green at the Grand Prix level because this is her first year doing Grand Prix. So I hope that we can be ready on time with her because she is quite special.
You were on the Canadian Olympic Dressage team in Tokyo but due to Covid Tokyo was not an normal Olympics Do you feel it gave you any idea of what to expect?
Yes Tokyo was different. First and foremost being that there were no spectators. But It still was an incredible experience and event .Of course Paris will be also a brilliant environment. Being in Europe there will be a lot of dressage fans there. There may be 20,000 spectators I hope we have that many, probably won’t be that many but lets say 10,000,Thats a big thing but I have ridden on many other occasions in front of a lot of people so for me I don’t really think that much about it .I try not to anyways .But it will be great for the sport to have another Olympic games, where you have the enthusiasts there, to really be able to enjoy the sport.
You are in Wellington to compete for the scores to qualify for the team. Do you find that this is a high pressure situation? Or because you have done it before is the pressure off a bit?
No I think there is always pressure. That’s part of it. I try not to think about it too much in the sense that I have to go this week and get this score or that score. I don’t think about it in that pressure moment. I want to go into the competitions and be the best I can at that moment in time. Hopefully it’s good enough to achieve the scores that are required. I really try not to think about it in that pressure moment.
There are so many things that have to fall into place for you to make it onto a team. Can you tell me what a few of them are?
There are many things .Everybody talks about that the horse has to be good but the rider also has to be good ,physically and mentally on that level .Just like the horse that comes with previous ring experience, training, physical training and mental preparations. So there are many elements to being ” on your best” that you have to consider.
Tell me what you are looking forward to the most about Paris?
Well if I am fortunate enough to get a spot I think that Olympics are a dream for most professional riders and It’s achieving that goal again and to improve your results from previous international competitions That is important for me and I Iove what I do .And I think that the most important thing is achieving a goal with a horse that you have worked a lot with .It’s a testament to the homework that you’ve done over the years. And it will be amazing to ride in that arena in Versailles. That will be amazing;
Thank You Chris for taking the time time to do this interview with me .I wish you all the best on your journey.
In this photo Chris is taking Eclipse into the veterinary inspection in Tokyo.
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