By Laura Scaletti
Portraits by Melissa Fuller
Alex Volpi got her first glimpse at equestrian life when she was a child living in London. “My best friend in school had two ponies and we would ride out in the countryside on the weekends. Riding a pony in big, open fields was a dream come true for me as a 9-year-old girl,” Alex said.
After a five-year stint in London for her father’s career, Alex and family moved back to California’s Bay Area. It was in California that Alex began her formal equestrian education.
Although horses quickly became a major part of Alex’s life, high-level education was always a priority in the Volpi household. While pursuing her goals in the jumper ring, Alex was hard at work at Stanford University where she majored in science, technology and society and minored in civil environmental engineering.
“Throughout college, my riding became more serious, and I knew it was something that I wanted to pursue post-grad. While at Stanford, I attended the FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC) in 2019 and 2021 and made my U.S. senior debut at the 2022 FEI Jumping World Cup Finals in Leipzig, Germany,” Alex said. “Since graduating last summer, I have dedicated myself 100% to horses and plan to do so for the coming years.”
Riding Roots
When Alex’s family moved back to the States in 2011, she was ready to get a more formal riding education. Thanks to some family friends who were more horsey than her own parents, Alex found her way to Jeff and Rachel Fields at Sandhaven Farm. “They did a little bit of everything at Sandhaven—hunters, jumpers and equitation. I leased a little paint pony named Penguin Party and played around in all three rings,” Alex said.
Alex quickly discovered that the jumper ring was where she wanted to be. “As I didn’t come from a horsey family, it took us a while to get into the sport. Starting out, I didn’t have the fanciest ponies or horses, so the hunter and equitation rings weren’t where we shined,” Alex said. “I began to focus on the jumper ring where I felt like I had more control over my result. It felt less subjective; my pony and I could come together to create our own success.”
Soon, she was hooked. “I’m inspired by the highest level of show jumping. To me, riding at that level, it’s a feeling you can’t obtain in any other ring,” she said. “The pace, excitement and level of risk that comes from being in the jumper ring is unmatched.”
Like many equestrians, the barn was Alex’s second home. “It was the place that, rain or shine, any day of the week, I was happy to go to. The barn and the horses became an escape for me,” Alex said.
At 16 years old, Alex began to dedicate herself more fully to show jumping. “Prior to that, I think my parents were supportive but considered horses more of a hobby. I always had to have another activity. I swam, ran track, played a variety of sports, but there was never anything that completed me the way riding does. Riding was always my number one,” Alex said. “By my late teens, I think my family started to realize I might be in it for the long haul and allowed me to focus more heavily on riding.”
Always Learning
As Alex has risen through the jumper ranks, she’s discovered that the farther you go in the sport, the more challenging it can become. “It’s like the paradox of knowledge—the more we learn, the more we realize how little we know,” she said.
Over the past few years, Alex has taken a more hands-on approach in the sport. “I’ve been in several traditional American programs where everything is done for you: you show up, ride the horse and leave not knowing a lot about what goes into setting up and caring for your horse. Now that I’m able to dedicate all of my time to the horses, I’m much more involved, which is critical when doing the sport at a high level,” she said.
Alex is thankful to have worked with several great trainers throughout the years. “After I got my start with Jeff and Rachel, I began working with Harley Brown in California. He brought me through many levels of the sport and greatly improved my riding and confidence,” Alex said.
Under Harley’s guidance, Alex reached heights she could have only imagined as a child galloping in England. “With Harley I jumped my first High Junior classes, Grand Prix, international shows, and NAYC,” she said. “He taught me so much and did a lot for my career.”
After her first NAYC, Alex realized she wanted to achieve more in the sport. Living in California, she always dreamed of showing on the East Coast. The pandemic gave Alex the opportunity to finally compete in Florida. “School was all virtual, so I thought,This is the time to go. Harley set me up with Max Amaya at Stonehenge Stables. I was supposed to come for five weeks, and I’ve stayed for the past four years,” Alex chuckled.
Coming east was a bit of a culture shock for Alex. “Max really helped me navigate growing pains as I struggled to find success on the East Coast. Through the years, of course he helped me find great horses and improve my riding, but he really made an impact on my mental game,” Alex said. “I definitely handle pressure a lot differently today than I did four years ago.”
Stanford University
Although horses had Alex’s heart, getting an education was always priority number one. Not only does a college degree give her options in life, but Alex truly loves to learn, whether it’s in the saddle or the classroom. “I really loved going to school, meeting people from all walks of life and hearing about all the things that are out there in the world,” she said. “Going to college teaches you to be a learner, which is an important skill. Even in this sport, to evolve, you must constantly be learning.”
Although Alex never imagined going to school 15 minutes from home, she would never trade her Stanford experience. “I always imagined I would go to school on the East Coast, but when you get accepted to Stanford, you go,” she said.
While at Stanford, Alex focused on STEM courses. “I’m most interested in designing products and programs that impact our daily lives: thinking about things we use all the time, like your phone or your car, why they are how they are, and how you can make them better,” she said.
Juggling college and riding at the highest level wasn’t for the faint of heart. “There was a big chunk of my collegiate career where I was flying across the country week in and week out, trying to excel in the classroom and the ring. But you know, when you have two things that you really care about, you do whatever it takes to make it happen,” Alex said.
Team USA
While Alex was completing her degree, she was also representing Team USA. The first time Alex wore the signature Team USA pinque coat, at the 2022 World Cup Finals, was a huge milestone in her equestrian journey.
Last year, Alex jumped at five events for Team USA. “It’s a very different experience riding for a team. You feel the weight of not only riding for yourself and those who support you, but also your teammates, country, and the organizations who have enabled that team to compete,” Alex said. “That’s an entirely new mental hurdle to clear.”
Riding alongside some of the riders she admired as a child has been inspiring for Alex. “As a younger member of the team, I gain a lot of insight by watching how the veteran riders approach the sport,” she said.
After the first round of the 2023 Nations Cup in Hickstead, a veteran team member offered Alex advice. “I hadn’t had the best first round, but they reminded me that you really have to be OK with making mistakes, especially when you reach a new level in the sport. You can’t avoid failure, so you need to treat it as a learning experience and come back better from it,” Alex said. “I think we all know that, but to hear it from someone who had been there and done that was a nice reminder that it happens to the best of us.”
While Alex has learned so much from her fellow equestrians, she credits her mare Berlinda with helping her achieve her goal of riding for Team USA. “She’s taken me into my biggest classes and knows when to give her all. Berlinda, along with my Foster 39, gave me so much confidence and taught me how to be a competitor and how to show up when it matters,” Alex said. “I owe so much to both of them; without either of them I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
One of Alex’s most memorable moments competing came at the 2022 World Cup Finals, when she and Berlinda jumped clear on the final day. “I was showing in Europe for the first time, surrounded by riders I really looked up to, in a big indoor with a packed crowd. It was a moment where I thought, This is what it’s all about—to have this feeling where all your effort is coming together,” Alex said. “It wasn’t a huge win, but it’s a moment I will never forget.”
Chasing the Dream
Alex is taking the foreseeable future to chase her dream of competing at the championship level for Team USA. “I’m very lucky that I have the opportunity to focus on something I care about so much right now,” she said.
With her horses Berlinda, Haya Loma N, Gracieux du Pachis, Appearance, Candy Luck Z and Qannando B&V, Alex has a strong string to make her goals a reality. “When I was in preschool, if someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said an Olympian. At the time, I didn’t know how I was going to get there. Now, it looks like there may be a path,” Alex said. “It’s clearly always been my dream and I’m chasing that ultimate goal.”
Follow Alex on Instagram @aivolpi
Photos by Melissa Fuller, melissafullerphotography33.mypixieset.com
