Image Credit: Manfredi Equestrian
Meet the Holland based, American Show Jumper, Reed Kessler. Born into a passionate equestrian family, the innately talented athlete began ridding at just 6 months old, long before the now 23 year old could even walk. First having established herself as a shinning star in the world of Showjumping when she became the youngest ever Show Jumper to qualify for the Olympic Games. Wherein the vast majority of her teammates were well into their 30’s or 40’s. Reed now focuses the majority of her career on the European circuit, where regular Grand Prix’s occur just a relatively short distance from her 25-acre farm in the Netherlands.
Just this April, we were given the exclusive privilege of interviewing Ms. Kessler during her off time; read on to learn more about the incredible Equestrian, Philanthropist, and Fashionista.
“I’m constantly inspired by Serena Williams. She is more than an icon, more like a force of nature. I really admire the balance she has between her immense success and her happiness as a human being who makes time for family and life.”
“My parents both rode as amateurs, so I grew up with horses. I started riding before I could even walk.”
“There’s no such thing as a typical day! It completely depends on where I am, what horses I have with me, where we are competing etc. When I’m home, I wake up between 7-7:30, I’m on my first horse by 8:30. I ride an average of 5 horses a day when I’m home, sometimes more or sometimes less. Again, it depends if all the horses are home, or if some are traveling to/from a show. I’m normally only home Monday-Wednesday, so I try to fit as much into those days as I can! After riding, I’m always in the gym. Then probably cooking at home with friends, taking it easy when I’m not competing. At shows, we can have anywhere between 2-7 horses depending where we are. The schedule could be all day, or late at night. It’s always changing!”
Image Credit: Digishots
“Probably the greatest lesson is to appreciate the highs and be gentle with yourself during the lows. We have a lot of longevity in our sport unlike gymnastics for example. So it’s normal that some years will be incredible and others less so. Very rarely do you have the best horse of your career every year of that career. Sometimes we have an incredible team at their peak, other times we are building the next star. It’s a marathon, not a sprint!”
“The sport is much more accessible in Europe. There are more shows every week and most of the breeding takes place in Europe. It’s also far less expensive. Basing in Europe, I get to be home at least 3 days a week, sometimes even the whole week when I’m doing shows close by. It’s a lot more traveling being based in the States.”
“I appreciate that! Mostly I’m not glammed up, but when I’m in a big city it’s nice to take off the breeches and boots and slip into something more fun! I love Dior, Vince, Zadig Voltaire, Helmut Lang, and Michi.”
Image credit: World of Showjumping – Jenny Abrahamsson
Image credit: World of Showjumping – Jenny Abrahamsson
“My favorite places are the exotic ones I haven’t taken the horses! Bali, Capetown, Cambodia, Tokyo are a few”
“Moisturizer, lip balm, my iPad, [and] a good book!”
“I’ve been an ambassador for Just World since I was a kid. I’ve volunteered at the sites in Honduras and Cambodia. It’s difficult with my schedule to do as much as I’d like to, it’s an amazing organization. There’s nothing like going to see the projects for yourself.”
Image credit: World of Showjumping – Jenny Abrahamsson
“My Instagram and Twitter are both @ReedCat5000 and I have an official page on Facebook. Also [at] ReedKessler.com”
