CHANTILLY, FRANCE - JULY 13: American rider Mary Kate Olsen, competes during the Longines Global Champions Tour of Chantilly, at Hippodrome de Chantilly on July 13, 2019 in Chantilly, France. (Photo by Stephane Allaman/ALeA/Getty Images)"n
Mary-Kate Olsen, who was the child star of the US TV series Full House along with her twin sister Ashley, won a 1.25m two-phase showjumping class at the Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) of Chantilly, France, last Friday (12 July).
The 33-year-old American actress-turned fashion designer has always enjoyed riding but this is only her first year of competing internationally.
She teamed up with her 14-year-old Belgian-bred gelding Fatum to win the €750 (£678) top prize in front of the famous Chateau de Chantilly, soaring home a clear second faster than her nearest rival in a 46-strong field of riders.
“I’ve had Fatum for about a year and a half — he’s an experienced older horse and he really takes care of me. He has such a big stride, so he was really helpful — he loves these big arenas,” Mary-Kate told H&H.
Mary-Kate is working with renowned international showjumping trainer Helena Stormanns at her base in Eschweiler, Germany — to tremendous effect.
“It’s been a great partnership so far,” she said. “It’s a dream come true.”
This was Mary-Kate’s first win on the Global Tour, but she is no stranger to success already on the international circuit and has picked up plenty of good placings along the way.
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With a business empire to run in USA, the rookie showjumper has been commuting between her home and Europe to compete on the LGCT over the summer and was “heading back to work” straight after the show.
“All the shows that the Globals put on are really fabulous and I’ve always wanted to show in Chantilly, so for the win to be here was really special,” she added.
Mary-Kate was not the only star of stage and screen to grace the winner’s enclosure at the four-day show in Chantilly last week.
French actor Guillaume Canet, who starred in Hollywood blockbuster The Beach, has been forging an impressive international jumping career for the past six years and on Sunday (14 July) he won the CSI* 1.35m grand prix riding the nine-year-old Winningmood gelding Wouest De Cantraie after a five-way jump-off for the €2,500 (£2,259) first prize.
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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.
