Silvia Stopazzini

Silvia Stopazzini competes in all three categories – Individual, Pas-de-Deux and Squad – and has been more than successful this season. As one of the best Italian vaulters at the moment she won the FEI World Cup and the European Championships 2017 together with her partner Lorenzo Lupacchini. Read on and train like the European Champion!

About Silvia

Age: 24

Occupation/Education: Gym trainer / vaulter 🙂

Nationality: Italian

Horse(s): Rosenstolz 99 and Hot Date Tek

Lunger: Laura Carnabuci

Achievements in Vaulting:

Junior Vice European Champion 2010

Junior European Champion 2011  

Winner of the World Cup 2017 as Pas-de-Deux 

3rd at the World Cup 2017 as Individual

European Champion 2017 as Pas-de-Deux

Started vaulting at the age of: 9

I couldn’t live without: My dog

I could perfectly live without: Pasta

Motto: “You are never too old to learn.”

1. How are you doing at the moment with your trainings?

I started my training again after the European Championships one month ago, after a summer break for us and for the horses. We have the Italian Championships this  week, from the 19th to the 22nd of October, but I’m not completely back at my personal top level.

I’m thinking about new exercises, but now it’s time to consolidate again my old freestyle for this competition. The big work will be done this winter. Now I would consider this month as “recovery time”, in order to improve again after the Italian champs.

2. What are your goals for the next season (as an individual, Pas-de-Deux and with the team)?

My personal goal is to be at the top in all the three categories I compete in. I want to be innovative without being boring, so we are working on new themes. Being at the top, this means to me to participate at the World Equestrian Games next year and being competitive. So I’m dreaming of winning a medal.

3. How did you find and choose your Pas-de-Deux partner Lorenzo?

The decision to start a Pas-de-Deux was completely casual. In fact, Lorenzo brought his horse to the club where he was training with me with the Italian team.

Boston Baio, the horse, was the one he used to vault on with his old pairs, so he was already perfectly trained and my trainer told us to try something together. Just to play!

We didn’t have any goal in mind, we were just trying to work together, then we started realizing that we were feeling good together and we put our individual skills into double exercises. So we started working seriously.

I already knew him, because we were already in the team together, but we never vaulted together, only me and him, before. So from that time we became really close, our friendship relation is now stronger than ever.

4. What is ALWAYS in your training bag?

In my training bag there must be.. a bottle of water, almost one liter, because I can’t train without it, and a wrist support, I really need that!

5. Are you a vaulting fashionista? How is your weirdest training pants?

I don’t know if I really can define myself a “vaulting fashionista”. I really love coloured trousers, I have a lot of them, but I can’t use them at the competition because our club philosophy wants us all dressed in the same way, with black trousers.

6. Who makes your competition catsuits?

For my costumes, I have been working with a costumer for so many years, her brand is “Stilosa Creazioni”. She is able to realize what I have in mind.

7. What model of shoes do you prefer and why?

The shoes I prefer are Italians, made with this particular material called “alcantara”, very soft. The brand is “Anniel”. I don’t like the stiff ones, I tried them but I need to feel the free foot, so I’ll keep on vaulting with those ones.

8. Some vaulters use different surcingles for compulsories and freestyle, do you? If yes, why?

I don’t, I use the same surcingle for both, compulsories and freestyle. It is the same for individual, Pas-de-Deux and team.

9. Do you have sponsors? What is your relationship with them?

My club has some sponsors (Candioli, Deca and Emmediauto). We keep in touch with them regarding our results and we always publish pictures with their logo. Thanks to their support, we can give our horses the best supplements and pay part of the competitions.

10. Can you list the main products you compete with?

– Main surcingle: S grips

– Pad: Felt Pro Pad

– Shoes: Anniel (Italian brand)

11. If you had to invent a new product for the vaulting community, what would you create?

If I had to invent a new product, I would invent a rope that could let a vaulter try new spectacular exercises in a full body security. It could be fixed on an iron circle on the roof of the arena, so that it could follow the direction of the horse. The vaulter could fix it with a belt without the risk of trying new figures and falling down badly.

12. What would you improve in the Vaulting World?

The advertising of vaulting. It’s such a beautiful sport, but compulsories are so boring for a spectator who is not involved in it. So I would emphasize on the World Cup circuit, where we only have to do the freestyle, leading the best 5 teams to participate, in order to fascinate a major number of spectators and sponsors.

13. Any surprise/announcement for us?

At the moment… nothing!