Having just returned from the World Equestrian Games, we paid Donatien Schauly a visit for a short interview, giving our favorite adjudant the opportunity to look back on his first participation in the World Championships.

How did you feel going into the World Equestrian Games?

I was relaxed and serene. I put more pressure on myself before the games, with the whole qualification system. Even though my mare had qualified, I still had to get ready and run well in the selection events. That's when little injuries can happen. I had to prepare her for the effort and at the same time not overdose her during this preparation so as not to tire her.

Once the selection was made, I was calm because I knew my mare well. I had confidence in her. I went through all the tests at Tryon in a fairly relaxed way. I was concentrated but relaxed.

How did you feel about Pivoine? How did she behave? What are her strengths and weaknesses?

Pivoine doesn't have a lot of strength, so this is noticeable in her movement and locomotion. She's quite fast, which is a quality for cross-country but also a difficulty for dressage. I knew that when I got there I'd be able to get everything I wanted from her. I knew she'd react exactly the way I wanted her to, whether it was dressage, where I could concentrate on precision work, or cross-country and show jumping.

She wasn't too surprised, despite the atmosphere of the world championships, the stands... Pivoine was even rather relaxed. She sensed that I was pretty relaxed myself. The mare was quite at ease, but quite concentrated all the same. She's an old mare and I've known her all her life. If a session goes badly, I know how to get back on track for the next one. It's important to forget what you've done in the morning, for example, and to be able to start again in a different way in the afternoon. On dressage day, in the morning we had a square with corners marked out by bars on the floor. But she doesn't like floor bars. This made her a little tense, but in the afternoon we left as if nothing had happened.

How did you manage Pivoine during the Games?

It has been managed as a regular deadline. We mustn't make them feel that this is different from any other event. There may be more pressure and more at stake, but the way of running remains the same. As far as I'm concerned, there was no difference in the way the mare was managed.

The horses had a little time to acclimatize. We arrived early so they could recuperate from the trip, and while they were recuperating, we had to acclimatize them to the temperature difference and the very hot, humid climate. When we went up at 3pm in the afternoon, it was a bit complicated for the horses and even for us. We got there gradually. At first, we'd ride early in the morning, then shift an hour or two to start working in the heat. Then everything became clearer, because we had our timetable. So we knew whether we'd be working in the morning or the afternoon. As an opener, I was able to benefit from good conditions to compete. I tried to work around her schedule so that she wouldn't get too hot and suffer from the heat. On the day of the cross-country race, it was a lot cooler than on the other days, with the storm so close. It was windy and we were 6-7 degrees cooler than usual. We even had some rain.

What was the easiest and most difficult test for her?

Usually, the easiest test for her is the cross-country. In the end, the easiest test was the dressage. On the cross-country, the topography was quite difficult for the horses and I know she's not a good mare for hills. She did everything well technically, but she suffered a little from that big hill at the end of the course. I had to listen to her on the climb, and she took off again despite everything, but asked for a breather on the way out to fill her lungs with oxygen and regulate her breathing.

What about you?

It all comes down to the cross-country test. Concentration under pressure is always difficult to manage. We were technically up to scratch. The big difficulty was managing the stress and pressure, rather than the event itself.

What was the atmosphere like there?

There was a great atmosphere within the team. We lived together for 3 weeks during the preparation camp in Granville. We all knew each other and we were all respectful of each other. That helps to create a great atmosphere. Everyone wanted all the riders to get to the end, in good conditions and with the best possible results.

What is your program now?

I'm still wondering about the mare. We wanted to let her recover and rest. She won't be competing at the end of the season. For the last two years, she's been preparing for the JEM and she's completely fulfilled her mission. She started her sporting career very early, having competed at the Lion d'Angers when she was 6-7. She entered the top level very young and has been doing it for 10 years now. My wife and I were wondering whether we wouldn't take advantage of this great opportunity to finish her sporting career, but nothing has been decided yet.

As for the other horses, I wasn't able to go to the 5-year-old final, which was right afterwards. It's important to me not to rush things, and to do them in the right conditions so that the horses are well prepared for their competition.

The 5-year-old Dgin is staying at the stable for the time being, he's not behind schedule so I'm not worried. He's a horse that has grown a lot and changed physically this year. He's a horse I value for the future, so I'm willing to be patient. He was at Granville with me and showed some great things there.

On the other hand, I was determined to put the finishing touches to the preparations for my 6th birthday.

Likewise, they didn't qualify for the final. I had a horse who started showing this year, another very good one who had won the 5-year-olds last year who could have been good but I missed a show when I fell ill in July. So I went back to Lamotte Beuvron with them to get them back on track. And then I have a 6-year-old and my 7-year-old who are going to compete in the CCI* at Lignières, with the aim of giving them experience and perfecting their training. Finally, I have another little 6-year-old who will be competing in several events to catch up.

I'll also be tackling my show jumping horse Sprinter, who hasn't done much this year, only 3 shows. For a show jumping horse, that's not much. He ran the Grand National de Jardy and Villers Vicomte. We're organizing a show jumping event on the^3rd weekend in October, so he'll be back at it, then the Grand Nationals or indoors.

Was there a couple at the Games that particularly impressed you?

Several horses impressed me, but one in particular stood out. These were the English and Neo horses, and above all the horse of rider Jonelle Price, who climbed that famous hill at phenomenal speed. This proves once again that this discipline requires horses that are very close to the blood.

Sydney Dufresne's horse, Trésor Mail, really impressed me. He's a great horse, I followed him throughout the preparation and it made me want to maybe try this stallion on Pivoine when he retires.

What was your best moment at Tryon?

At the end of the show jumping, when all of a sudden everything comes to an end. The mare has just completed a beautiful show jumping round, which wasn't a foregone conclusion because she's a delicate mare on the bars. And the moment the round comes to an end, you can finally take a breath and relax 100%. It's a moment to savor.

Thanks to Donatien for this interview and see you soon for a new article!

The Seaver team