Cira Baeck wechselt zu Elementa

Cira Baeck wechselt von der CS Ranch zu Elementa Reining nach Rom. Sie ist seit Ende 2018 die erste weibliche NRHA Million Dollar Rider Europas.

On July 16th, the announcement was made of a new partnership that promises great things: the collaboration between NRHA Million Dollar Rider Cira Baeck and Elementa. The Belgian rider has officially taken command of the Roman centre’s technical progress alongside the Brazilian trainer, Edvaldo Gonzalves, who has been there since last January Cira Baeck is so far the only professional horsewoman to have reached – and exceeded –
a million dollars in NRHA lifetime earnings. This stands as a milestone in the history of reining, especially if you consider that she did so by competing in European events where the purses have, until now, been on average much lower than in the US. Having held the position of head trainer at Swiss CS Ranch for several years, Cira has now decided to
embark upon a new adventure with the Elementa team. Although it has only recently appeared on the reining scene, Elementa has already been the focus of much attention for proposing two record-breaking events that will be a watershed in European reining: the richest circuit of special events ever (Elementa Masters, which will start in 2021), preceded by the richest event approved valid for NRHA Standings, namely the Elementa Masters Premiere, scheduled to take place at Verona’s Fieracavalli this November.
Standards of quality previously unseen in the world of reining and above all innovative ideas regarding competition rules based on transparency and absolute respect for horses are the distinctive and, in a sense, revolutionary aspects of Elementa’s philosophy. Cira’s family owns the Eifel Gold Ranch in Belgium, a splendid centre where many Champions have been raised, but she has always been convinced that you can only really improve and grow by “flying the nest”: “I love my country”, she comments, “but I’d rather
go there on holiday than live there. Our ranch in Belgium is the perfect place to breed foals and raise them healthily and happily, then they will come to study at university in Rome!”

Cira picked up her first winning check back in 2002 as a Non Pro and thus began to accumulate the dollars that would take her closer to the Olympus of the Million Dollar Riders worldwide. She switched to the Open categories in 2011 and started winning more generous earnings. Cira immediately made her mark in a string of Futurity Championships through Europe taking Champion and Reserve Champion titles at Levels 1 and 2. In 2012,
she had found the horse that would consolidate her reputation among the big players on the European scene, Whizasunnysailor BB, bred at the family’s Eifel Gold ranch; together the pair would earn close to $150,000.
Here is a summary of Cira’s show record up to April 2019: three times NRHA Open World Champion Top Five, twice in a row NRHA Non Pro World Champion, six other Top Ten placings in the same division. Three-time FEI World Equestrian Games medallist: 2010, 2014, and 2018 Team Silver Medallist for Belgium. Of course, there is no lack of successes and lots of Top Ten placings in the major European aged events, among which
in 2013 the IRHA-NRHA Derby Level 4 Open Championship with Whizasunnysailor BB and the following year the 2014 NRHA European Derby Level 4 Open Champion title with Colonels Shining Gun and her best score ever: a fabulous 231.5. The title that took her to Million Dollar status was the Reserve Open Championship riding NF Shining Whiz in Cremona’s 2018 Big Futurity; she was also 2019 EuroFuturity Open Reserve Champion
with the same horse. “We are looking forward to working with Cira,” says Domenico Lomuto, Director of Communications for Elementa. “In addition to her undoubted technical skills, her reputation as a trainer who, together with her family, has been fighting for years for an ethical approach to reining that is devoid of any physical or mental violence on horses,
made her perfect choice for us. Her training programme is based on clear communication with her horses, who are visibly calm even when the pressure of such demanding competitions is inevitably felt. And for Elementa this is very important”. Cira confirms this: “I am absolutely certain that it is not a problem to train a successful horse and take him to
the top of the classes without stressing him and respecting all the rules for his welfare. What you need for this is a good training programme and a talented horse, one that is also willing to commit to becoming the best! People often forget that the horse needs to have a sporting personality as much as the rider: he must certainly be guided and motivated, but he must also share that adrenaline rush you get when showing, just like
any rider”. And talking of adrenaline, Edvaldo Gonzalves is also enthusiastic about the latest addition to Elementa’s team: “I welcome the chance to see a sports personality of Cira’s calibre at work, so having her here will be very stimulating. I can’t wait to start this new adventure together!

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