A trio of intrepid horsewomen
As the poster for the very first edition of the CHI Geneva shows, women have always been an integral part of the most prestigious indoor horse show on the international calendar. Among the many female riders to have graced this legendary event, which this year celebrates its centenary, three stand out, so inextricably linked are their careers with it: the USA’s Katie Monahan-Prudent, US-German rider Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Sweden’s Malin Baryard-Johnsson.
When they saw the poster for the inaugural CHIG in 1926, which shows a woman jumping sidesaddle, they reacted as one. “I don’t think I’d be able to jump a fence sidesaddle,” admitted Baryard-Johnsson. “It’s incredible that these women did, but it’s a very good thing that attitudes have changed and we can now ride horses normally, like the men. I just feel fortunate that I wasn’t around then.”
“I couldn’t imagine riding sidesaddle,” added the legendary Michaels-Beerbaum, a star of the show at Geneva, both in the arena and on the dance floor, as she showed at the gala evening held in December 2009. “I just don’t know how you can keep your balance with both legs on one side of the saddle, let alone gallop and jump like that. It seems so crazy and absurd, but it was the start of this sport for women. Thank God it’s changed since then.”
Monahan-Prudent echoed those views: “I’ve done a little sidesaddle riding. I was going fine until I tried to jump a little fence. I pulled up right after that and said to myself I’d never do it again. It was too hard.”
Top of their field
“It’s amazing to see how women have progressed in the sport, and I’m proud to be a pioneer for female riders,” continued the German star. “I was the first woman to make a championship team for Germany and I was also the first, and still the only one to date, to top the world rankings, where I stayed for two whole years.”
Michaels-Beerbaum left her mark on equestrianism in the early 2000s, winning the Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final in 2004 and 2006 on the trusty and much-missed Shutterfly. The German rider made five appearances in the competition in all and has a third-place finish in the Sunday Grand Prix to her name as well, also on Shutterfly, in 2008.
Baryard-Johnsson was just 21 when she first came to prominence in Geneva, finishing seventh in the World Cup Final on H&M Cormint in 1996, though her happiest CHIG memory came five years later: “My World Cup win, no question [in 2001]. It was the first time that I’d won an event like that, and it was in Geneva. I was riding Butterfly Flip at the time and she was amazing. She really loved this arena. We’ve been coming here for many years and we’ve had a lot of success too.”
Monahan-Prudent was the first member of this esteemed trio to taste success at the CHIG, however, when she won the 1997 Grand Prix with Belladonna. “It was a special victory because Belladonna played a key role in my career,” recalled the US veteran. “I’d fallen and hit my head earlier on so I wasn’t judging distances as well as I usually did. My mare was incredible but always on the cautious side, and if I didn’t get the distance right going into a fence, she’d stop and throw me off. That forced me to get my bearings and accuracy back and start performing again. I loved her for that, and that was a fantastic win in Geneva.”
A “great friend” of the show, as the event’s sporting director, Alban Poudret, describes her in his book on the CHI Geneva, Mohanan-Prudent associates it with memorable stories, laughter, a lot of emotions and an amazing atmosphere: “It’s like catching up with old friends.”
A gathering not to be missed
All three women have played an active role in the horse show’s history. Michaels-Beerbaum was still only 21 when she competed in the first CHIG to be held at Palexpo, in 1991, an honour of which she is still very proud. These days, she is dreaming of seeing her 16-year-old daughter, whom she trains, compete there too: “I think I’d struggle to get my head round things going full circle like that. If Brianne ever rode out into the arena in Geneva, there would be tears in my eyes, no question. I just hope I’ll be there to see it one day. It really would be a dream come true, a historic and magical moment.”
One hundred years! Quite an achievement when you think about it. So many memories and yet, still not a wrinkle in sight. “It’s always so exciting to see how passionate the spectators are in Geneva,” said Mohanan-Prudent. “We come every two or three years, and we’ll be doing everything we can to make it this year.”
A Rolex Testimonee since 2007, Michaels-Beerbaum should also be there for this very special birthday, an occasion we just cannot wait to celebrate alongside these legendary female riders.
Sophie Lebeuf
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