A Lifelong Passion: Wittenborg Student Pursues Professional Career in Horse-Riding

27.08.2024

Valeria Gineva Participates in Competitions and Show Jumping Events

Horses have been a part of Valeria Gineva’s life for as long as she can remember. Originally from Moscow, Russia, Valeria was just three when her father took her to her first riding lesson at a stables near their home. Soon, she started training regularly, and by the age of six, she got her first horse from her father.

This was the beginning of a professional career in horse riding, which has taken her to showjumping events and competitions in various countries. One of Valeria’s highlights was participating in the Fédération Équestre Internationale’s (FEI) European Championships for Young Riders, Juniors & Children in Samorin, Slovakia, when she was 14. She also competed in the Russian national championship and took part in Grand Prix events.

Currently, Valeria is working at a stables in the Netherlands while pursuing a Hospitality Business Administration (HBA) degree in Sport Business Management at Wittenborg. She continues to ride and train with her two horses, Nadal and Gladiator, while taking care of the stables' horses and facilities.

Valeria explains that the Netherlands came into her life long before she joined Wittenborg. Since she was 11, she had been spending a few months each year in the country, where she also kept a horse to practise and hone her skills. For this reason, she decided to move to the Netherlands for her studies.

“I chose to train in the Netherlands because it has the highest standards of equestrianism. The Dutch have stables everywhere and there are lots of good trainers and good horses here. So, the Netherlands offers more opportunities for finding a job, training and working.”

In addition to working at the stables, Valeria has been participating in national competitions and show jumping events in the Netherlands. Since 2022, however, she has been unable to join international events, as Russia is banned due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. As a result, Valeria had to leave the Russian team she was part of and recently registered as an individual neutral athlete so she can participate in international events under a white flag. Currently, she is seeking new sponsors to support her career.

In line with her bachelor’s programme, Valeria is planning to help with the organisation of equestrian events. She points out that balancing her studies and work can be challenging at times. “I work at the stables as much as I can because I’m also training there, and horse riding is my life. Plus, I need to take care of the horses every day. At times, it was quite difficult because I had a lot of modules at school, but now I have completed almost all of them, and things have gotten a bit easier.”

After graduating, Valeria intends to continue working with horses and hopes to one day open her own business in this field. Additionally, she aims to enter the horse-sales industry.

In addition to horse riding, Valeria does other sports, including tennis and swimming, and works out three to four times per week. She was also a professional dancer from the age of six to thirteen, but had to quit over the difficulties of practising both dancing and horse-riding simultaneously.

Valeria says that she would love to go the Olympics one day. “That’s the dream of every athlete, but there’s still a long way to go. That’s why I love horse riding – people can still ride when they are in their 60s or 70s, and there have even been Olympic medallists at those ages,” the athlete highlights.

According to her, horse riding involves challenges such as covering the costs of the activity and dealing with the different personalities of the horses, but it’s a very fulfilling profession. “Even if you have the best horse in the world, it can still have a bad day, but it’s your partner and it needs care. It’s always about the two of you. This is also the nicest aspect of horse riding: all horses are different, and you need to find a common language with each one of them. I love these animals and I love working with them; that’s my life’s passion,” she concludes.