American equestrian Jessica Springsteen refused to follow in her father’s footsteps and took up horse riding instead. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics team silver medalist has had a stunning 2023, the most noteworthy event being the Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix. But when the world celebrated the pop artist’s daughter, she praised someone else.

At the fifth edition of the Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix, 15 show-jumping contenders competed in Prague. As the final playoff concluded, Julien Epaillard stood tall with the €1.26 Million win. Having said so, there was more besides the on-track performance which required special mention.

Equestrian Jessica Springsteen brings out her benign side

According to Longines Global Champions Tour, the show jumping champion rider gives a great deal of credit to her beloved equine Don Juan van de Donkhoeve. The post was captioned as “An angle you don’t usually see – Behind the doors.“ Walking with slow steps, Don Juan entered the backstage with its rider on the back. The duo didn’t win that night but caught the attention of the event host.

But the Duke University graduate couldn’t skip acknowledging her child-like horse, who accelerated her performance for an Olympic silver finish. The two met in 2019, when Springsteen was training for the upcoming Olympics. Over the years, the bond has developed so much that the human pats on the equine’s back like a mother appreciates her child. But people haven’t talked much about the other aspects of Don Juan and Jessica’s journey.

The beautiful human-equine relation

When the equestrian breeder Gustaaf Quintelier was looking for a permanent home for Don Juan, he had the Springsteen family in mind. Since Gustaaf bred Juan’s mother and grandmother, the Olympic entry of the youngster was the most called for. So, after Don came under Jessica, its career became more colorful and full of triumphs. The duo anchored the US team to victory at the Nations Cup Wellington during spring that year. Moreover, at the ROLEX Grand Prix of Rome, they earned a third place finish leading to an Olympic entry.

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Springsteen shed light on her feelings towards riding Don, said, “I think your natural reaction when you’re jumping big is to ride a bit stronger, but with him, he really doesn’t need that. I’ve learned to ride of my feeling and trust in his ability.” Now, as the duo makes an entry into the 2024 season, the world awaits for the partnership to standout.

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