She’s a three-time Olympian and double Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) winner so it’s fair to say Edwina Tops-Alexander knows a thing or two about show jumping.
The Australian has won more than $4.4 million competing in the prestigious LGCT and also became the first winner of the Super Grand Prix in Prague last year.
Along with her horse California, the 45-year-old Tops-Alexander is always in contention at every stop of the tour.
So what are the secrets of her success?
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Developing trust
No matter how much experience she has, Tops-Alexander knows her success relies on the relationship she forms with her horse.
Developing that bond takes time and the two-time Miami champion enjoys putting in the hours, spending time with her mount around the stables.
“The horse has to trust you and to keep the naturalness of the horse is the most important thing,” she told CNN Sport’s EQ equestrian show.
“When you have that feeling with the horse and when everything goes right and when you win, everything seems so easy.”
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‘It doesn’t always go to plan’
Once she has found the winning combination, it’s all about maintaining and perfecting it.
Ideally, Tops-Alexander likes to get to a place where she has a subconscious understanding with her horse – as she does with California.
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“I don’t really realize a lot of the time what I’m actually doing. It just seems to work. We are a combination together,” she added.
“It doesn’t always go to plan but she understands me and we are on the same page.”
Watch the video at the top to see Edwina Tops-Alexander reveal the secrets of her success.