Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA)

Olympic Champion in Athens in 2004, on probably his best horse, Baloubet du Rouet, Rodrigo Pessoa is one of the finest horsemen of his generation in jumping.

His father, Nelson Pessoa, had already put Brazilian show jumping on the map with his move to Europe, and Rodrigo Pessoa has known great success from an early age.

He led the Brazilian team to a bronze medal at both the Atlanta and the Sydney Olympics (1996 and 2000 respectively). He won the FEI 1998 World Equestrian Games in Rome riding Lianos and has won the FEI World Cup™ Final three times, plus numerous important titles all over the world.

Rodrigo Pessoa, who speaks six languages, lives in Belgium, where he and his father run a highly successful international training centre and horse business. They trained the Saudi Arabian team for five years, leading to an individual bronze medal for the team in the Sydney Olympic Games.