447. Kapampangan-American Equestrienne ELLESSE JORDAN TZINBERG, The 1st Filipino and Southeast Asian 2018 World Cup Dressage Qualifier

A RIDE TO HISTORY. ELLESSE JORDAN TZINBERG-GUNDERSEN and her horse Triviant 2, at the 2018 World Cup Dressage Finals,Paris France, Photo: Ellesse Tzinberg FB Page.

One of the least popular sports in the Philippines is equestrianism, the art of horseback riding. It is a competitive discipline associated only with the rich, the royals and prominent old families. Ask an ordinary sports fan, and chances are, he would be hard-pressed to name even 2 or 3 Filipino equestrians. Asian Gold medallist Mikee Cojuangco would probably be top-of-mind, as she was also an actress, visible on TV and the silver screen

Fewer still are the riding grounds and equestrian facilities, mostly located in elite clubs such as the members-only Manila Polo Club. That—and the expensive 'high fashion' riding gear: the white breeches, jackets, helmets, top hats, vests , gloves and knee-high boots--- only served to highlight the exclusivity and inaccessibility of the sport.

But one Kapampangan-American broke the mold by rising from a family of modest background to become a world-class equestrienne—Ellesse Jordan Tzinberg. Last year, she accomplished the unthinkable:  she became the first Southeast Asian equestrienne and the first Filipino to qualify in the FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale) World Cup Dressage 2018 held in Paris, France.

In an event dominated by top athletes from first-world countries like Europe and the Americas, Tzinberg, riding on her horse Triviant and representing third-world Philippines, made history just by being there—one of the qualifiers from 20 countries to make it to the World Cup Dressage finals.

The daughter of Kapampangan Agnes Samaniego Tolentino ,  and American-Australian Sennett Tzinberg, Tzinberg was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 17 December 1991. She has roots in Lubao, where her mother was born, and in Bacolor and Mabalacat, hometowns of her maternal great-grandparents.

But it was in Malaysia that Tzinberg spent her growing-up years, where, at age 6,  she started riding lessons. Her mom would often tell her stories of her own grandmother, Generosa Morales Samaniego, who played tennis and rode horses—hobbies deemed too taxing for women in those days. Could she  have inherited her ‘riding genes’ from her maternal ancestor? Certainly, it’s a possibility not to be discounted!

In Malaysia, equestrian sports has more following than in the Philippines, introduced as early as the 1800s by British colonizers. By 8, Tzinberg began competing, and later focused on the dressage events—where rider and horse go through a series of “tests”, prescribed series of movements ridden within an arena, and evaluated and scored by judges.

At 12 years old, Tzinberg became the highest ranked dressage rider in the FEI World Dressage Challenge “under 14” age group in her region in Asia. Four years later, the 16 year old earned an NCAA equestrian scholarship at Kansas State University, and moved to the U.S.

Her promising career was sidetracked by a serious car accident sustained in 2009, which required her to undergo months of rehabilitation and therapy. After making a full recovery and finishing her collegiate studies, she  went to Paris where she was serendipitously discovered as a commercial, print and runway model. For two years, she set aside her beloved sport, but in 2012, Tzinberg resumed riding.

Tzinberg took a serious step in her  career by moving to Skane, Sweden in 2014 to train under husband-and-wife team Charlotte and Rasmus Haid-Bondergaard. The next year, she made her international debut  in U25 Grand Prix level with her horse Pavarotti. Soon she was competing and winning in several international events.

She became the first Asian to ride at the 2015 Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida. There, she also became the first rider to place and ribbon at the festival in the CDI Grand Prix events. Back in Europe in 2016, Tzinberg competed in more  CDI events including Hagen, Odense, and Falsterbo where she placed consistently placed among the top 5. Her biggest thrill was winning her first Grand Prix at the Everlovs Midsommer Dressage Fest in Sweden.

While campaigning all over the world, Tzinberg never lost sight of her roots. In fact, she she made it her goal to ride for the Philippines at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. When that did not materialize, she eyed a spot in the FEI World Cup Final. She applied for a “domiciled athlete” place, and based on her excellent performance record, Tzinberg was picked to compete in the prestigious World Cup Dressage event.

When she landed in Paris in April 2018 for the competition, the Filipina trailblazer created quite a stir with the media  for her singular achievement as the first ever Southeast Asian--and Filipino--to make it through the World Cup finals. The experience led her to gush: “ It’s really incredible just to be around these riders that I looked up to my whole life and  never could have dreamt that being on the same startlist as them and going head-to-head with them—so that is really something I haven’t quite wrapped around”. 

It was thus a proud moment for Ellesse Jordan Tzinberg when she took her place in the arena with the Philippine flag displayed on her horse’s saddle pad for all the world to see.  She would place 18th overall, which was not enough for her to advance to the freestyle competition.  But, as the Fédération Equestre Internationale noted—“she would go home knowing she has made history in Paris”.

SOURCES:

Many thanks to Agnes Sennett Tzinberg and Rey Tolentino, mother and uncle respectively of Ellesse Tzinberg, for some of her personal and professional background.

 Tzinberg Receives Second Extra Starting Place for 2018 World Cup Finals, http://eurodressage.com/2018/03/14/tzinberg-receives-second-extra-starting-place-2018-world-cup-finals

Ellesse Jordan Tzinberg Will Make History At the FEI World Cup Finals,by Justine Griffin, April 3, 2018,

https://heelsdownmag.com/ellesse-jordan-tzinberg-will-make-history-at-the-fei-world-cup finals/?fbclid=IwAR2jHCZZDLKIhQa4_H2Low4EgBRLcd_4exL_y4PXO8FaoHD9pk_f3yn-MRk

Exclusive Dressage highlights from the FEI World Cup™ Dressage final in Paris | Equestrian World, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu7bvsBhf3o