Luis has always been competitive. From a young age, he had the support, the trainers, the horses, and the natural ability to win. And for a good while, results came quickly. But as he moved closer to the top level of the sport, something began to change.
He was still working hard, and he still had good horses. Physically, he felt ready, and his experience was compounding. But his results were not coming in the same way. Opportunities were being missed, and he could feel there was something deeper that needed his attention.
Looking back, Luis describes that period with authentic honesty. He had become so focused on winning that he had started to lose what makes riding powerful – the connection with his horse. He was doing the work and ticking the boxes, but he was not truly present. In his own words, he was “riding the horses more like machines” than partners.
That began to shift in his very first conversation with Annette.
That first conversation with Annette stayed with him. Luis explained the routines he already had in place before big classes: the breathing, the preparation, and the things riders are told to do. But Annette pointed out something he had not fully considered. That doing the routine is not the same as being truly present in it. That distinction became his first real turning point.
The work was not easy. Luis describes the first months, and even much of the first year, as challenging. It was a new stance to add to his life. It required patience, honesty, and daily effort. But he stuck with it.
Soon, the results began to show. A month after starting with Annette, Luis finished third in a five-star Grand Prix at the Hamptons. Since then, he says his consistency, his percentages, and the quality of his rounds have changed so much that it feels like a different sport.
The Olympic Games were yet another defining chapter for Luis. Although his performance in the ring did not go as planned, Luis came away stronger. Instead of letting disappointment define the experience, he returned to something more important: why he does the sport in the first place. For the love of the horse, and for the love of the sport.
For Luis, the breakthrough has been learning that consistency in the ring begins with consistency in the everyday work – one horse, one moment, and one honest connection at a time. Over 24 months of working together with Annette, that shift has helped him climb 230 places in the world rankings to reach the top 50, earn an additional €174,000 in prize money, and increase his percentage of classes won by 37%.