In Casas Novas, the name of Jesús Bamonde is not a new one. The Galician rider returned 4 years ago to the equestrian center that has seen him grow, after a season outside Galicia.
Bamonde started riding at the age of 8 with Chan Guimarães, the now Technical Director of Casas Novas, thanks to the influence of his brother. He landed in the riding centre from the Equestrian Society of A Coruña, riding horses at the school and, at 18, he went to Germany to become a professional. Following a long period working in France and Asturias, he returned to Coruña after making a dream come true: dedicate his professional life to riding horses.
 

We could say that Casas Novas is your home. What does a CSI4* here mean to you? What is the experience like from the inside?

We are all glad that people come and have a great time.
For me, it is really special, not only because of being able to train here. I am from Coruña, and, since Casas Novas was created, I have been riding here. To me, it is like playing at home.
The audience, the people, the place... everything becomes very exciting.
 

In summer we have the CSI4* and in winter a CSI5*, which positions A Coruña as the capital of equestrian sport. As a rider, what are your impressions?

Everyone talks about the competitions in A Coruña on the tracks and everyone wants to come and compete, because the quality of the contest is so high. The facilities are the best in the world and people are delighted here. The competition is very well positioned and established in the international calendar.
Additionally, you have a beautiful and very friendly city where no one is an outsider. Coruña is very welcoming and, of course, offers very good local cuisine.
 

Looking ahead to the weekend, which horses will you be competing with this time?

In the weekend competitions, I will be riding AGR Troublemaker and Caporal.
I witnessed Troublemaker's birth and I have practically raised him myself and we have been together along the way. This horse is giving very good results and, last year, won the 7-year-old Spanish Championship. Eventually, Troublemaker will be able to jump in any championship.
Caporal is a very fast and competitive 10-year-old horse. He has already participated in important competitions in Madrid, Lisbon or Italy; he is really fast and fun.
Neither of them have reached their full potential yet, as they are very young horses, but you have to keep racing them to get them to their optimum point. They both have temperament, but good horses always have a personality.
 

What are your goals for the competition?

Easy: for the horses to jump very well and try to be at the top of the competitions they participate in.
 

What does it mean to you to be hosting such high-ranked people here and to be challenging yourself against them?

My horses have always trained here, so they are used to the tracks and the material, but it doesn't really influence them. Any horse can jump well on these tracks, the arena quality is good and is very well maintained during the days of the competition.
 

After a winter championship in which the stands were empty, this year we come back to complete normality and we will return with an audience. Were you looking forward to seeing Casas Novas again to its full potential?

The Casas Novas competition is amazing. You can't miss it because it's a show: the best riders in the world, Olympic medallists... It's a dream to compete with them on a stage like this.
Also, the audience creates a great atmosphere, the place is spectacular, and we are expecting good weather for the weekend. The competition will turn out amazing.
 

What goals have you set for yourself this season?

This year we started the season in Toledo with a victory for Troublemaker in the Grand Prize, which is a great result for him. I have also been lucky enough to jump with the Spanish national team, competing with them in Italy, which for me is a a great achievement, I am really happy about it.
After that, the objective will be to keep the horses at their current levels and for them to continue growing. My best season with them is still to come, so there is still work to do.
As for this weekend's CSI4*, the main objective is Sunday's Grand Prize. We have to see how the horses are jumping, and I am aware that it will be very difficult, but I hope they can jump well every day.
 

Besides the competition, do you have any other projects coming up?

A year and a half ago, with two partners, we have set up Yeguada del Nordés. The idea is to try to bring the horses from abroad to have them train here and, in time, make them a Grand Prize horse.
It is a very exciting project, but it is a long distance race you must take with a slow and steady pace. The horses are still very young, but we have four breeding mares and every year we try to get new horses to mix and breed.


Invitations to attend the Competition in A Coruña are still available for download from the event's website (www.csicasasnovas.com), It will be broadcasted live inClipMyHorse.TV and the official website.