Behind the Camera – “Proving Them Wrong” with Sanne Thijssen

In Rising Above: Episode 3 “Proving Them Wrong” presented by Longines, we learn about Sanne Thijssen’s rise to the top. We follow her journey as she struggled with critics, who ascribed her success to nothing more than luck and her star horse. We sat down with Sanne Thijssen to learn more about her journey and how she came back more determined than ever to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

Sanne Thijssen made a splash on the show jumping scene at a young age. The talented young Dutch rider quickly racked up successes but felt she was not taken seriously because of her age. This came to a tipping point when her star horse Con Quidam suffered an injury and Thijssen began competing other horses. Wins were harder to come by with her new parings and critics were quick to emerge, saying that Thijssen’s prior success was down to luck, not her own merit. 

This caused doubt to set in as Thijssen began to second guess herself and her abilities. She explained that the “first rough period of doubt is the most difficult” as you don’t know how or when you will be able to overcome it. She went on to say that overcoming her doubt took time, but more than anything it was “really important to have family and good friends behind you who challenge you to change your mindset.” Thijssen remarked, “I always had my family behind me and friends always supported me,” and this was key in restoring her confidence.

With the help of her family and friends, Thijssen was able to start to rebuild her confidence and move past her doubts that had set in when her naysayers were at their loudest. “Being positive is a really beautiful thing,” said Thijssen, “you are not getting better from being negative.” With her newfound confidence, Thijssen was able to come back to the competition ring stronger and once again find success. It was when she started to win, with horses other than her star Con Quidam, she felt like she had started to earn respect.

She explained that overcoming that first detrimental period of doubt has helped her to learn from her doubt, and that it will pass. In 2022, Thijssen soared to victory in Madrid, claiming her first ever Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix victory, something she considers to be her biggest achievement. Thijssen said that this win made her “feel that you make sense” and solidified her spot at the top of the sport, as we learned in “Proving Them Wrong”, now available to stream on all of LGCT’s social channels.

Ultimately, Thijssen told us that her motto is “follow your heart wherever it goes,” going on to explain that now she is not driven by the opinions of others, but rather what she truly wants, and she strives to do things for herself. With her newfound confidence Thijssen has emerged as one of the powerhouses of the sport and proved that she has well and truly earned her spot on the podium.

Next week, we sit down with British show jumping legend John Whitaker to learn about how he stays at the top of his game well into his 60’s in Rising Above: Episode 4 “Defying Age.” This eight-episode series is quickly becoming a must-watch for equestrian enthusiasts and sports fans alike, offering an intimate look at the lives and careers of the top show jumpers in the world.

Rising Above: Episode 4 “Defying Age” presented by Longines premiers August 27^th at 8pm CET.