Sticking with Ravel

Ravel is more than a horse to dressage rider Steffen Peters.

"He's my buddy," said Peters, a two-time equestrian Olympian.

He's a winner, too.

Peters teamed up with Ravel in April to win the 2009 Rolex FEI World Cup Final in Las Vegas. Peters and Ravel won both legs of the dressage competition in Las Vegas, earning the equestrian two Rolex watches. But the dressage rider gives most of the credit to Ravel, an 11-year-old Dutch gelding that is owned by Akiko Yamazaki.

"It's still hard to put into words what Ravel did," said Peters, whom the U.S. Olympic Committee named the male Athlete of the Month for April for his efforts at the World Cup Final. The event marked Ravel's World Cup Final with Peters.

Although Peters was impressed with Ravel's effort in Las Vegas, he wasn't surprised by the horse's ability.

"He's one of those horses that has a solid mind,'' Peters said. "I think he even has a bit of an ego, which I allow him to have. I'm just one of those lucky guys that gets to work with him every day."

Peters' ability to work day after day is one of the reasons he has climbed to the top of the dressage ranks. But long before he was winning competitions, Peters was a youngster who was at first hesitant to get started in equestrian.

Born in Germany, Peters began riding when he was about 7.

"It's all my sister's fault," he joked when talking about how he first got started in equestrian.

Peters said he was always more interested in water sports as a child, but after his sister kept prodding him to go with her to a barn to visit the ponies, he eventually got hooked on equestrian.

His road to the elite ranks in the sport was a long one, aided by the help and support of his family and friends.

When he competed as a youngster, Peters said he appreciated the support he got from his relatives and loved ones. He said that teenagers weren't allowed to get their driver's licenses until they were 18 in Germany, so he relied heavily on his family and friends to get him to and from practice, as well as to competitions.

His career advanced to a new level when he began training at Jo Hinnemann's barn, where he met American trainer Laurie Falvo. In 1984, she invited the German rider to work at her barn in San Diego. Peters made the trip that summer, and then returned again in 1985.

Peters decided to move to the United States because he wanted "to realize the American dream.''

His father gave him something to help him get started: a credit card. The rider said his father told him the card was for emergencies, but the rider knew that he would never use it and that he was determined to make it on his own. In fact, Peters locked up the card. Peters said he still has the card, although it is now long expired.

Instead of relying on his parents for financial help, Peters worked to support himself, working for Falvo, as well as at various other barns.

Then, in 1991, Peters made another important decision. He sold his horse, Udon, which his father bought for him when he was a teen, and formed a partnership with the new owners that allowed Peters to continue to ride the horse.

He then made another life-changing decision in 1992. Peters became an American citizen, something he calls one of the biggest events of his career.

Becoming an American set Peters up for his Olympic debut four years later at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Riding Udon, Peters was part of the U.S. squad that earned bronze in the team dressage event.

Peters calls the third-place finish in Atlanta one of the highlights of his career-not just because of the bronze jewel, but because it marked Udon's last show. The horse was retired shortly after the 1996 Olympics.

Peters was an alternate on the Athens 2004 U.S. Olympic team and returned to the Olympics four years later. The equestrian events were held in Hong Kong during the 2008 Games. There, Peters and Ravel finished fourth.

Then this year, Peters and Ravel made it to the top of the dressage world with a victory in Las Vegas. The victory was extra sweet because Peters and Ravel finished ahead of two Olympic medalists from the 2008 Games --- Anky van Grunsven, a three-time individual dressage Olympic champion from the Netherlands and Isabell Werth, who won the team gold and individual silver medal for Germany. 

"That (victory) means certainly the world to me," said Peters, who lives in the San Diego area with his wife, Shannon.

Despite the big victory, Peters is trying not to get too caught up in his recent success. He said that he feels like he's in a dream and that he hopes he doesn't "wake up very soon."

To try to keep him and Ravel on top of the podium, Peters plans to carefully select in which events Ravel will compete in the future.

"He's 11 years old," Peters said. "Now is the time to hit the major events."

One major event that Peters hopes to compete in with Ravel is in the more distant future-the 2012 London Olympics.

But Peters said he doesn't want to pressure Ravel into keeping up his level of success through the next Olympics. The rider said he plans to listen to the horse to see when he's ready to compete and that he will approach the next Summer Games realistically.

"If the dream continues through 2012, great,'' Peters said. "If not, then I would appreciate everything that Ravel has done for us so far.''

Because when it comes down to it, Peters' relationship with Ravel isn't just all about winning-it's also about friendship.

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Mary Motzko is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee or any National Governing Bodies.