“Jessica moved to our place one week ago, with all her horses,” Edwina Tops-Alexander told Horse & Hound. “She has been training with us this week and her first show with me will be St Tropez [5-7 June] and then Cannes [the week after].”
Jessica, 23, daughter of rock legend Bruce Springsteen, has been trained by US rider Laura Kraut for the past five years. Until recently, she has combined showjumping with her university studies, winning big classes in Washington, Florida and Dublin, where she was part of the victorious USA team in the Furusiyya FEI five-star Nations Cup.
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She is best known for her partnership with Vindicat W (pictured right), the Olympic gold medal-winning ride of Great Britain’s Peter Charles, who was sold to the Springsteens shortly after the Games in 2012. Her other current top rides include the 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse Lisona (pictured top and bottom), new acquisition Carolina 31 and the 12-year-old Davendy S.
However, having graduated from Duke University and with her sights set on Olympic selection for Rio 2016, Jessica will now be under the tutelage of Australian showjumper Edwina Tops-Alexander and her former international showjumping husband Jan Tops, now president of the Longines Global Champions Tour and trainer of the Qatari showjumping squad.
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
Jessica is currently ranked number 55 in the world and, as well as her targets of the Athina Onassis Horse Show in St Tropez at the beginning of June and the Cannes leg of the Longines Global Champions Tour the following week, she is also expected to be in action at the five-star show in Paris, also part of the LGCT circuit.
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Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.
