In 2022, he led an almost unreal season with Zaragoza, then 9 years old, as he produced the best French performance in a world championship. Established alone in England for six years, Gaspard Maksoud benefited in his training from the advice of many champions of the discipline, while benefiting from the ‘whole’ culture of his adopted country. Get to know our number 613.
Gaspard Maqsoud and Zaragoza, that’s the name of the duo that’s been on everyone’s lips completed in 2022. And with good reason, the jockey, who is based in England in Surrey, and his mare in the Gulf, had the best French performance during the World Championships in Bratone Del Vivaro in Italy, finishing sixth. at the individual level. Earlier in the year, they contributed to the team’s runner-up finish in the Haras du Pin Nations Cup. On their first appearance in France last April, they impressed heavily when they finished fourth in the CCI 4*L of Saumur. A big step forward for this couple who have been walking the international arenas since 2019, Zaragoza was only 9 years old in 2022. Undoubtedly given a good dose of talent, he is a French-British humorist of his own, Gaspard Maksoud, whom he met a few months ago as part of From Mondial du Lion Danger (with She’s The One, sold not so long ago in the US) on his journey, his projects and his way of living the event. A chance to look back on his beginnings, he first got his start with rugby before switching to horseback riding when he was 11: “ My mom, Ann, rode an equestrian center for a long time before she stopped. Years later, she was a CFA teacher at an agricultural high school and wanted to get back on horseback. One of her classmates, Robert Gehin, had horses, so she went to his house back on horseback and rode with the horses. So it started, going there for horseback riding without fuss Originally from Laval, remembers Gaspard Maqsoud. Although he initially had a recreational goal, he climbs straight three to four times a week, starting with classic club activities, before venturing out for a bit at CSO. ” Then one day we go to the spring garden and then try the event, with a mare who’s never completed a cross before and I’ve never done anything in my life and it goes well. So it all begins, without fuss, just to have fun with a buff through competition. »
The first mare to take her to the heights is Joanna du Camp, owned by Robert Gehin. Celle France would notably present him with the title of French Cadet Champion in 2009 and take him to his first international cap the following year. The lawsuit is clear to him, in addition to offering a certain financial advantage,” Compared to other disciplines, I think eventing is more affordable in the sense that it’s easier to get horses up to 2 or 3*, much more than show jumping or dressage, especially if we don’t have a very big budget to buy a horse “.
He continues to ride horses in addition to his studies. After the scientific baccalaureate, he left to obtain a BTS degree in animal production at the Agricultural School of Laval,” At first I wasn’t sure yet what I wanted to do, so I wanted to give myself some time and get a degree After a year and a half, the idea dictated itself, he would work with horses and leave for England after his studies. For him, there are no big student parties after class,” I ride several horses every day. You always have to make sacrifices in life and I chose to make them very quickly. If it pays off in the long run, it’s worth it, and if it doesn’t pay off, it’s a shame, but we make life choices and build ourselves up to that. In 2013, with his degree completed, he took charge of his destiny and crossed the Channel to the UK, never to leave the country again.
A course and working system for discovery in our #613 available on newsstands and via the internet.
“Evil thinker. Music scholar. Hipster-friendly communicator. Bacon geek. Amateur internet enthusiast. Introvert.”