Last week in Germany, I didn’t just compete. I switched languages twice in the same weekend.
With Ducati, I spoke in capital letters.
With Mini, I spoke in italics.
And in between, there was an arena that doesn’t negotiate with anyone.
🥇 With Ducati: Grand Prix Is Not Requested. It’s Claimed.
Ducati doesn’t enter the arena: He arrives.
He is not “hot.” He is powerful. There’s a difference.
He’s a force of nature with a very clear opinion about forward energy. When he moves, it’s not timid. It’s not cautious. It’s not small : It’s charged.
Every line in the test felt full of power, every transition had voltage. Every movement carried that unmistakable sense of presence before it was even visible.
But the real victory wasn’t the power: It was the harmony.
Because when a horse with that much engine chooses to stay with you — to listen, to breathe in sync, to stay adjustable instead of overwhelming — that’s when something shifts.
You’re not managing energy anymore: You’re conducting it.
Grand Prix: First place.
But more than that:control inside momentum.
🥇 With Mini: Prix St-Georges Is a Mental Game.
Then I changed horses:
Changed atmosphere, Changed language.
Mini isn’t a storm: He’s a statement.
He is full of himself — in the best way.
He knows he’s being watched, He knows he can shine.
In the warm-up, sometimes he tests the edges.Not with chaos — but with personality.
He doesn’t explode, He concentrates.
And in the Prix St-Georges, we did something subtle but powerful:we took that strong sense of self, that desire to express, to be seen…and we redirected it into precision.
It wasn’t loud.It was exact.... And exact wins.
Prix St-Georges: First place. But in a completely different tone.
The Real Story?
I didn’t win two classes: I navigated two minds.
One is an amplifier, the other is a microscope.
One demands physical presence at 100%.The other demands mental sharpness down to the millimeter.
This is the part people outside equestrian sport don’t always see: Dressage is not just about technique, It’s adaptive leadership.
You cannot speak to everyone the same way.
You cannot lead every personality with the same energy.
You cannot expect identical reactions from different temperaments.
Last week, I didn’t try to make Ducati calmer than he is. And I didn’t try to make Mini more explosive than he isn’t.
I let them be fully themselves, and I made sure I was flexible enough to adjust.
Two Horses,Two Wins, One Common Thread: Trust.
Not the romantic kind.The functional kind.
The kind that allows you to step into a foreign arena with two completely different personalities and know that, if you do your job with clarity, they will meet you with everything they have.
Grand Prix with Ducati. Prix St-Georges with Mini.
Two languages.One signature.
And yes…it was wildly fun.😉
Beyond the results, last weekend was a reminder that high performance is never one-dimensional. Whether in sport, business, or leadership, adapting to different personalities and channeling energy with clarity is what ultimately defines success.
Silvia
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