Tales from Tokyo: ‘He’s my first grand prix horse – we’ve gone through a lot together’

Pippa Roome's avatar
By
Published In Features
Martha Fernanda del Valle Quirarte and Beduino Lam at the Tokyo Olympics
Martha Fernanda del Valle Quirarte and Beduino Lam at the Tokyo Olympics.
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

There cannot be an single athlete at the Tokyo Olympics whose preparations have not been interrupted by Covid-19, but Mexican rider Martha Fernanda del Valle Quirarte has perhaps been one of the hardest hit – she ended up moving countries as a result of the pandemic.

Raised in her native Mexico, Martha moved to the US equestrian paradise of Wellington, Florida, in 2019. A year later, she relocated to Germany, thinking it would be possible for her Portuguese coach Miguel Ralão Duarte to travel there to train her.

Pippa Roome
Pippa Roome
Magazine editor and eventing editor

Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.