Carlota Bonnet

I practiced horse show jumping from 2006 to 2013. During these years, I trained two hours every day, and participated in national competitions approximately two times every month.

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Perseverance is essential to horse jumping. After a fall, we must get up, get back on the saddle, and continue working. This way, step by step, and working regularly and seriously, we can reach victory. 

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Horse riding also taught me to manage my time. Unlike my comrades at school, I had to shorten my free time (and therefore suitable for studying) to train. Thus, I learnt to work quickly but correctly, without damaging my grades.

Furthermore, I learned to be driven, to use my potential at its maximum. However, this didn't stop me from learning team work. During international competitions, in which I represented Venezuela, I always saw the other Venezuelan riders as my teammates, not as my rivals. 

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I had a wonderful mare, and had to take care of her; I had to train with her each and every day. It is often said that horse riding is the only individual sport played by a team. This couldn't be more accurate. Some days, I wasn't at my best, and she helped me. Some days, the situation was reversed. But always, we were a team; we worked together to reach the top.