INTERVIEw
eric navet
The patient horseman
wins the day
Endowed with great talent and determination, Eric Navet has been
a champion on the tracks for decades. Starting early, Navet earned
individual gold (1977) and silver (1976) medals and a team silver (1977)
at the Junior European Championships. Later, at the European
Championships proper, Navet brought home individual gold (1991, La
Baule, France) and a team bronze (1993, Gijon, Spain).
His individual accomplishments at the World first competing year on horses at the age of 12.
Equestrian Games (WEG) include a gold medal My dad taught me everything about horsemanship
(1990, Stockholm, Sweden) with his prize stallion and riding, which led me to three Juniors European
Quito de Baussy and a silver medal (2002, Jerez Championships in a row ending up individually 8 th ,
de la Frontera, Spain) aboard Dollar du Murier. Of 2 nd , and 1 st during my last three years of Juniors.
course Navet also contributed to France’s standings At this time I was also in charge of breaking all the
at the WEG, earning two team golds (1990, 3-year-old horses and educating and showing all
2002) and two team silvers (1994, The Hague, the 4, 5, and 6-year-olds from my dad’s breeding
Netherlands; 1998, Rome, Italy). And, as a three- farm. It was very hard work, but I learned so much
time member of France’s Olympic show jumping and got a lot of mileage and experience.
team (1984, Los Angeles, CA; 1992, Barcelona,
Spain; 2004, Athens, Greece), Navet helped bring What do you like most about equestrian
home the team bronze from Barcelona in ’92, sport?
riding Dollar du Murier.
Guided by the horsemanship skills he inherited
from his father, Alain (1923-2014) — a notable
Without any hesitation, what I like most is the
relationship with the horses that becomes closer
every single day of training and showing.
equestrian in his own right —―Eric Navet believes
that, through patience and respect, horses can In your opinion, what are the major changes
surprise you with their greatness. Read on to learn you’ve observed in the sport in the last 20
more about what this means to him, and how you years? Do you prefer the sport then or today?
can apply it to your equestrian pursuits. Why?
In the last 20 years, the sport has become
What role did your parents play in your career? more and more technical: more lines with fences
My dad was a breeder and international rider, closer to each other with difficult distances like
so I was put on a horse before I could even walk. half strides, fences much lighter like only three
Then I started riding ponies for fun, and I had my rails on 1.60m verticals even in combinations, and
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