FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
SIDELINES SEPTEMBER 2014 41
By Jan Westmark
In 2006, young horse fans gathered in living rooms across the
country to tune into something they’d never seen before — a
reality TV show based on junior riders preparing for the Maclay
equitation championship. The show, “Horse Power: Road to the
Maclay,” aired on the Animal Planet channel and the tagline read,
“Meet America’s top teenage riders and their trainers, horses and
families and watch the daily drama of the high-powered horse
circuit.”
Throughout the episodes, one rider emerged from the cast to
capture the heart of America and become a household name
among horse households — Brianne Goutal. During the final
episode, her growing number of fans held their breath as they
waited to see if Brianne would
become the first rider in history to
win all four equitation finals.
She not only won, but America
had a new riding sweetheart. As
the Animal Planet cameras rolled
following her final victory, Brianne’s
trainer at the time, Frank Madden,
was asked about Brianne’s future.
“She’s one of the sports superstars,” he said. “Hopefully she’ll
stick with it.”
Flash forward to 2014. Brianne, now 25, has stuck with it. She’s
an Ivy League graduate with a degree in literature from Brown
University; has competed on multiple Nations Cup teams for the
United States; represented the U.S. in the Rolex FEI World Cup
Jumping Finals in Sweden in 2008 and in Germany in 2012; in
2013 she won the $200,000 American Gold Cup CSI4* on her
horse Nice de Prissey; and in May of this year, she piloted Nice to
victory in the $50,000 Old Salem Farm Grand Prix.
While Brianne has certainly stuck with riding, she has also
stuck close to what she loves and what makes her happy: a deep
passion for her family, her horses, her dog, Max, and traveling
the world.
Family is the foundation of Brianne’s life. During the “Horse
Power” TV show, Brianne’s family could be seen sitting in the
audience. “I know it sounds cheesy, but I hit the family jackpot,”
she said. “My parents are incredible and I have a huge French
family in France and they are the most creative amazing group of
people. We are a giant clan that all gets along.”
Brianne grew up with three sisters — Francesca, the oldest,
who is about to be a new mom; a younger sister, Clementine,
who also rides; and the baby of the family, Chloe, who’s an actor
and singer. “It was amazing growing up together,” Brianne said.
“When the fights were real, they were very real. But there weren’t
very many. After about 10 years old, we all learned to get along.
I have an incredibly supportive family. My sisters came to my
horse shows and, even though I was always on the road, we were
always together as a family.”
A native New Yorker, Brianne
loves the city but spends her
summers in Europe. “My father is
French so I have dual citizenship,”
Brianne said, adding that she
speaks fluent French. “I’ve worked
with my family in France for 13 years
at their farm in Roanne. It’s my base
in the summer and it’s very centrally
located. We can get on the highway and go anywhere.”
Brianne’s father, Jean Goutal, is in the restaurant business
and has restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and
Philadelphia. “His restaurant in New York is Le Colonial, a French
Vietnamese restaurant,” Brianne said. “I’ve always wanted to
open a restaurant with my dad. When it comes to food, I have my
dad’s palate.”
Brianne admits to being a weird eater. “I don’t like sweets and I
don’t eat breakfast food,” she said. “I eat steak for breakfast and
when I’m in the city, I mainly eat sushi. I eat organ meats — heart,
tongue and liver. My mother and grandmother grew up eating a
lot of weird food also, and I managed to get the weird taste buds
from both parents.”
Brianne’s family tree also includes her dad’s sister, Annick
Goutal, who founded the French perfume line The Annick Goutal
Brianne’s close-knit family, from the left: Chloe, Francesca, Jean, Toni, Brianne and Clementine.
Photo courtesy of Brianne Goutal
“My life will always
involve horses,”
- Brianne Goutal
