Portraits by Shawna Whitty
Many athletes can recall the instant they fell in love with their sport. Gaby Reutter, professional show jumper and founder of Lumiere Horses based in Wellington, Florida, remembers something different: the precise moment she tried to quit.
Long before she was the reigning number one female Chilean show jumper and a member of the team that won bronze at the 2022 South American Games, Gaby was a young child, terrified by the rhythmic bounce of a horse breaking into a trot. “I got really scared, left the class and didn’t want to go back,” Gaby remembered. “My mom told me I had to give it another try, as we had prepaid for the entire summer session. Because she pushed me to go back, I never got off a horse again. If she had said, ‘OK, you don’t have to go,’ I don’t think I’d be where I am today.”
Gaby grew up in Santiago, Chile, but spent the summers at her family’s beach house in Cachagua, a coastal town about two hours away. On the drive to the beach, her family would stop at a local polo club, where horses grazed quietly in the paddocks. They would often get out of the car to pet them, lingering long enough to spark a fascination that only grew stronger with time. “My mom was the one who really instilled that love for animals in me,” Gaby said.
Though her mother had only ridden casually on her grandfather’s farm, she recognized something more in her daughter’s curiosity. It was during one of those visits to the polo club that she learned retired polo ponies were being used to teach children how to ride. Gaby was 3 years old when her mother first asked if she could take lessons and was told she was too young. The following summer, they returned, and Gaby got her start.
Though she mainly rode dressage during those early years, Gaby remembers the arena having two worn-down jumps and the excitement of discovering what it felt like to leave the ground. Her progression was swift. Within a few years, she moved from beginner group lessons to riding advanced one-on-one with her trainer, having outpaced the other students. By 7, she was riding every day. At 8, she got her first horse and entered her first competition. By 12, she was competing internationally in Paraguay and Argentina, and her trajectory only continued upward from there.
Gaby earned the title of runner-up national champion in her junior year. However, it wasn’t until a 2013 clinic that she realized the sheer scale of the sport beyond South America. Wellington provided what Gaby called a “big reality check.” Despite her success in Chile, she found herself technically behind, but more importantly, newly aware of what was possible.
“That clinic showed me that Wellington even existed,” Gaby admitted. “In Chile, you didn’t just say, ‘Oh, let’s go to Wellington for the winter to train.’ But once I saw that world—the level of the sport, how close I could be to the top riders, how much I could learn just by being there and watching—I went home and immediately thought, Next year, I don’t just want to go, I want to find the best trainer I can and fully immerse myself in the experience.’”
At the time, she felt completely lost navigating that next step. “I didn’t know who to ask because I didn’t know anyone in the U.S.” So she turned to a bold, if slightly nerve-wracking, solution. “I had met Reed Kessler in passing at a show and asked for a photo—a total fangirl moment,” Gaby laughed. “I Facebook messaged her and said, ‘Hi, we took this photo—you probably don’t remember—but I really want to go to Wellington to train and compete, and I don’t know with whom … do you have any suggestions?’” Reed pointed her toward Olympic gold medalist Chris Kappler, emphasizing his horsemanship and horse care. “He was one of the bigger names she gave me, but he was the first—and only—person I contacted,” Gaby said.
Gaby emailed Chris at 16 years old. “His team got back to me, and we started organizing everything. Then he asked if we could talk on the phone before I came,” she recalled. “We had this whole conversation, and at the end he said, ‘I just wanted to make sure that you spoke well-enough English.’ I told him I went to an international school, but you never know—I always thought that was really funny.”
By 2014, she had fully committed. “That’s when I brought a horse to Wellington and started riding with Chris full time,” she continued. “I hadn’t even finished high school yet—I graduated in June 2014. I did the season, went back home, sold the horse I had brought, and then leased one in the U.S. to continue.”
But the transition wasn’t easy. “I was jumping 1.45m in Chile, but when I started riding with Chris, I spent two years back at 1.35m because my basics just weren’t solid enough,” she admitted. “I chose to face it head-on. I told myself, ‘If I truly want to make a career out of this—if I want to reach the Olympics—I need to go back to the fundamentals, rebuild my confidence and make sure I’m riding correctly, safely and with respect for both the horses and the sport.’”
The ensuing 11 years under Chris’ tutelage redefined Gaby’s entire philosophy. He didn’t just teach her how to ride; he reshaped her understanding of the sport from the ground up. “He helped me grow in every way: the mental side, my physical strength, everything. But the biggest thing I learned from him was overall horsemanship: how to care for your horse, how to manage them and how to think about every detail. It’s all the rider’s responsibility.
“It’s not like you get on a horse, you get off, and that’s it,” she said. “If you want to do the sport properly, you have to immerse yourself in it. It’s a 24/7 commitment. That was a huge shift not just in how things are done in Chile, but in the mentality I had before versus the one he instilled in me.”
Gaby’s ascent in the sport has been shaped by two pivotal horses, each marking a distinct chapter in her career. The first is Atticus Diamant, known as Monty, an 18.2-hand bay Selle Français gelding who became her introduction to the highest levels of the sport. “He was the first horse that really took me around the big tracks—my first two-star to five-star Grand Prix,” she said. “He gave me the confidence to jump big.”
With Monty, Gaby began bridging the gap between Amateur success and international competition. At the time, she was still competing as an Amateur, collecting wins in the High Amateur divisions. Together, they achieved class victories in Wellington, were crowned champion and scored a win at Spruce Meadows and had her first significant international triumph. The pair then stepped into FEI competition, winning multiple two-star classes and proving she could compete at the highest level. “Monty was the kickstart of my career,” she said. “I still had him when I turned professional, and he really set the foundation for everything that came next.”
The second defining partnership came in the form of Maharees Rock, affectionately known as Rocky, an Irish Sport Horse mare who has been by Gaby’s side for eight years—the longest partnership of her career. Originally intended as a High Amateur mount, Rocky quickly proved she was capable of far more. “We leased her thinking she’d be a High Amateur horse, and she ended up jumping five-stars,” Gaby said. “You don’t necessarily look at her and think she’s a Grand Prix horse, but she quickly proves you wrong!”
Rocky has carried Gaby through some of her most significant milestones. The pair competed in multiple Nations Cups, won top prizes in major international classes and podium finishes in international Grand Prix including the Split Rock KY $100,000 CSI3* and the $138,600 Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel CSI3*. “She’s the reason I got into the top 500 in the rankings,” Gaby said. “We’ve done so much together.”
Beyond the results, it’s the consistency and longevity of their partnership that stand out most. “At 16, she’s still going strong. At the end of last year, we went double clear in a four-star Grand Prix qualifier. She’s super, super solid.” In a sport where horse turnover is common, Rocky represents something rarer: a true partnership built over time. “I haven’t owned many horses,” Gaby added. “I leased a lot in the beginning when I came to Wellington. So to have her for this long, to build that relationship, it’s really special.”
While climbing the FEI rankings, Gaby was also navigating the halls of New York University. She majored in economics with a minor in business studies, a choice she describes as a “no-brainer” despite the physical toll. “I think I put way too much on my plate and thought I was superhuman,” she shared. Living in New York City, she attended early morning classes before driving to New Jersey daily to ride. During the Wellington season, she became a commuter athlete, flying to Florida on Thursday nights and back to New York on Sundays. “I ended up sacrificing sleep, which wasn’t good for me, but I felt so committed.” She graduated in five years, aided by the shift to online learning during the pandemic.
Today, Gaby is not just a rider; she’s a businesswoman, trainer and content creator. “I started social media kind of by accident,” she said. What began as a standard, curated Instagram—competition photos, results, polished highlights—quickly evolved into something far more impactful. “When I got to Wellington, Instagram was just becoming a thing, and then after COVID, everyone shifted over to TikTok. It stopped being just about pretty photos and became more about connection, storytelling and education.”
At the time, Gaby was still building her competitive career and faced a familiar challenge in elite sport: the financial barrier to moving up the ranks. “I wasn’t at a point where brands would sponsor me based purely on results,” she said. “But I needed that support to keep going, to be able to afford the sport and get to the level I wanted.”
Her breakthrough came when she began posting on TikTok—initially lighthearted videos of her horses, but soon expanding into educational content. “I’m someone who always asks why,” she said. “You can’t just tell me to do something with a horse or put them on a supplement—I want to understand what it does, how it works, why it matters.” That curiosity led her deep into horsemanship, studying how horses think, learn and communicate—and how that translates into the rider-horse relationship. “There were things I realized I didn’t know, and nobody had ever really taught me in depth. So I thought, If I don’t know this, other people probably don’t either. And for the good of the sport—and the horses—we should be sharing it.”
She began posting not only educational insights, but also the unfiltered realities of the sport: the setbacks, the falls, the frustrations, alongside the wins. The response was immediate. “People really connected with it. They were asking questions, engaging, wanting to learn more.”
Eventually, she made a decision. “I told myself, ‘Screw the curated Instagram,’” she laughed. “If people are responding to this on TikTok, why not share it everywhere?” By merging authenticity with education, Gaby has built an impressive growing platform rooted in transparency, horse welfare and genuine connection. That visibility opened doors. “It gave me an edge,” she said. “It brought me partnerships and sponsors who believed in my values and saw my potential, not just my results.” Those partnerships, in turn, helped fund her career, providing access to the resources, horses and opportunities needed to compete at a higher level.
On the FringeThat same philosophy of openness and education is now at the center of her most ambitious project yet: a documentary titled “On the Fringe” produced by Pegasus. Filmed over several months in both Chile and Wellington, the project offers an inside look at the realities of professional show jumping, particularly for riders operating without unlimited financial backing. “It’s about being on the fringe,” Gaby explained. “I’m a successful athlete, but I don’t have the means to do this without sponsors, clients and support. So it’s about what it takes to go from the top 500 to the top 100.”
Designed for both equestrians and non-equestrians, the documentary aims to demystify the sport while highlighting its challenges, complexities and ethical responsibilities. “It’s explaining the sport, the difficulties and what goes into it—while also emphasizing horse welfare and horsemanship,” she continued. “Just creating more understanding and visibility.” Available to watch on YouTube at the end of this June, “On the Fringe” represents not just a milestone in Gaby’s career, but a continuation of the mission that began with a simple post: to educate, to connect and to bring others along for the journey.
Gaby’s ultimate goal is clear: the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. She aims to be the second woman ever to represent Chile in Olympic show jumping, and the first since 1972. It’s a dream she is “manifesting” every day, despite the challenges along the way. With Rocky nearing the twilight of her career, Gaby is actively seeking new investors to support the next chapter. “I think the Pan Ams and Olympics are too much to ask of Rocky,” she said. “I’m working on finding people who want to support this dream and make history with me. I can’t do it alone.”
From a 4-year-old crying because of a pony’s trot to the top-ranked female show jumper in her home country, Gaby is proof that success in this sport isn’t solely about talent, but rather, the grit to keep going, even when the ride ahead feels intimidating.
Follow Gaby on Instagram @gabriela.reutter
Photos by SAS Equestrian, sasequestrian.com
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