INTERVIEW WITH DAVIDE VITALE
by Susanna Cottica
Davide Vitale, nineteen years old on the 28th of July, was the exiting new entry at this year’s Piazza di Siena, confirming his talent with a solid performance. The youngest of the 74 athletes competing at CSIO, Davide and his own Earl Gray have definitely made a mark by obtaining an excellent fourth place in the small Grand Prix on the Saturday. This result adds even greater value to the young rider from Biella’s Italian young rider championship result, achieved with Earl Gray at the Arezzo Equestrian Centre last October.
Beyond the excellent results that make us realise he has a successful future ahead, Davide, who is trained by Riccardo Pisani, highlighted an attitude as a true professional: with giving his horse a light and forward ride, he faced the two rounds of the small Grand Prix without mistakes.
His horse, Earl Gray, showed great confidence in the ring of Piazza di Siena, where he cantered forward towards the jumps, performing a smooth round, in lightness and in excellent harmony with his rider.
This resulted in a smooth and beautiful round.
«With this horse I managed to have an excellent feeling, a beautiful connection. Earl Gray is a little particular, very intelligent and teaches me so much – Davide tells us – all of this has allowed us to get these results. Together we enter the ring relaxed, with a free mind, and we have fun. I have owned Earl Gray for about a year and a half. Before I purchased him, he was ridden by a girl who had taken him on to jump 120/130, but was struggling to ride him. He had never jumped a bigger class before he moved into my stables. Since we started competing together we took it slowly, leading us to our biggest result today in Rome.» Davide comes from an equestrian family. His father, Oliver Vitale, and his mother, Francesca Sola are both riders. Davide is based at the family yard.
«I have a small riding school at our family home, in Biella, where I have about ten horses in work. My trainer is Riccardo Pisani. Sometimes I take my horses to his place to train, other times he comes to mine, and he also supports me at competitions. In addition to Earl Gray I have another horse, Lester, that I rode at the Junior Europeans in Gorla, as well as a good group of young horses that I am bringing on for the future. I have recently also started breeding…»
The feeling and simplicity with which Davide and Earl Gray have faced the small Grand Prix in Rome, are an example of that good horse riding, that we would always like to see: «With Earl Gray I can ride the way that I like most, a light horse riding, with the horse cantering forward, in harmony and remaining relaxed.
Each horse has his own characteristics, and I try to adapt to them all, but with all of them I try to maintain the same principles, this horse riding I like.
My horses get turned out regularly to maintain their happiness and to clear their mind after competitions. I feel this is a must for their well-being, for their mental and physical health. In the meantime, I try to stay focused on my next goal, the Young Rider European Championships in Riesenbeck, in Germany, where I hope I will be part of the team. At the same time, I am thinking of the transition to the Senior level, a big step for myself and for my horses».
For the young Italian rider, the moment of the transition to Senior level is at the door, where everything certainly becomes more difficult. But with this bright start, we have high hopes for his future….
