Sofia Manzetti, born in Rome in 2001, started horse riding at the age of 9. She discovered the competitive world with ponies, beginning with gymkhana jump 40 and going on to achieve some successes: winning the pony puissance competition at the Rome fair and winning the team pony European championship in 2016 in Denmark and placing 5th individually. Transitioning to horses in 2018, she went on to win numerous medals in Nations Cups the following year, and as a Young Rider riding her horse Bombay De Beaufour, she won the Youth Grand Prix at Equieffe in Gorla.
To date, she has nearly 20 Nations Cups in her sporting career across pony, junior, young rider, and senior categories, including 4 gold medals, 3 silver, and 2 bronze. “I am very proud of my journey, but I am aware that in this sport you never stop learning and growing. Every experience is enriching for me, whether good or bad, every victory and every defeat are lessons in life. I thank all the coaches who have shared their knowledge with me over the years and enriched my experiences, including Gian Luca Bormioli, who put me in the saddle – I am truly grateful to him – Arnaldo Bologni, and other great coaches I had the opportunity to work with through stages such as Henk Nooren, Laura Kraut, Rob Ehrens, and Franke Sloothaak.”