'I hope that the next time, I'm able to perform better,' Equestrian Peternell on Paris performance

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa was represented by nearly 150 athletes at the Paris Olympic Games from 26 July to 11 August.

One of the athletes who raised the country’s flag high was event rider, Alexander Peternell, South Africa’s only representative in the equestrian competition at the Paris Olympic Games.

“There have been many lessons learned and some reinforced, and I hope that the next time if there's a next time, I'm able to perform better,” said Peternell.

The 43-year-old competed with a 9-year-old French-bred bay gelding called Figaro des Premices. They have competed together since 2020 when the horse was five-years-old.

Together, they finished 43rd and Peternell told Eyewitness News that he's thrilled with the horse's performance and that there are lessons to be taken into future training for the next competition.

“But I am absolutely thrilled with small horses' performance. He answered all the questions that were presented to him. In hindsight, there are some things that I would have done slightly differently to improve our results, but these are lessons to be taken into the future of our training and future prep for the next competitions. And I am very excited for his future, as I think he's going to be an incredible host,” said Peternell.

The South African equestrian says that when he chooses a horse, he always looks for temperaments above all else.

“I like responsive horses with a good jumping technique and the ability to gallop. Everything else is training and patience.”

The South African made his Olympic debut at London 2012 and was the first South African rider to complete England’s Burghley and Badminton CCI5* events in England. 

As a youngster, he trained in Ballet at the National School of Arts in Johannesburg.

“It's all my brother's fault, really. While I was training as a dancer and he was waiting with my mother, he saw some horses training and encouraged my mother to take him riding, which led us to owning a horse then too. And before we knew it, we had a riding school, stables and a lot more horses,” said Peternell on how he got into horse riding.

Eventing is one of three equestrian sports included in the Olympic Games. In eventing at the Olympics, horses and riders take part in three different phases of the competition – dressage, cross-country, and showjumping.

Their scores from all three phases are combined to determine the overall placings.

“Preparing for competitions varies depending on the horse. My horse, Figueroa de Premises, aka Norman, is very young, so my focus for him was to give him as much exposure to boost his confidence, but not to overface him, he's an incredible horse who takes everything in his stride, but the Olympics is something that not many horses will ever experience, and I just wanted to give him as much preparation as I possibly could and give him the most amazing experience.”

At the age of 17, he left South Africa to work for German show jumper and businessman, Paul Schockemohle in Germany, moving on from there to Liberty Stables in the Netherlands. In 2001, he settled in England and opened his own competition yard in Gloucestershire where he began eventing in 2004. Since 2008, he has competed regularly at four-star and five-star events.

“Developing the sport in South Africa needs more of everything, more competitions, more competitors, more venues, more sponsors and investors. We have an incredibly driven core of riders, officials and volunteers who are so passionate and give up so much of their time to develop the sport, and it's working. The interest is growing at lower levels. We have fantastic, talented Junior and young riders who are coming through, and if we can fill the team at the championship level, this will hopefully inspire more riders to compete and also be part of the team.”