A former racing driver, the American rider now devotes herself only to the all around. With success since she took pole position for 6 years, Thursday after the dressage event of the Mondial du Lion.

In the life of Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp, it has often been about horses. Those riding that she rides long and on which she intends to continue to shine. But also those under the hood. Because yes, for many years, the native of San Diego has cumulated career of rider and car driver! All at high level. And that's not all, she also removed bomb and helmet to swap the cap of TV presenter.

Three participations at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

A life at 200 per hour. "It was very intense," she smiled. I was also surrounded, I had a coach to take care of my horses when I was racing. The car race, she fell in love with his father. With a particular penchant for endurance. Three times, "Liz" Halliday has thus lined up at the start of the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans! And if she was forced to retire, in 2005 and 2007, she had the good fortune to cross the finish line in 2006. At the wheel of a Lola, she ranked 19th but especially 4th in her category (LMP2).

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This experience of asphalt, she has put it at the service of various television channels thereafter, while continuing to take the wheel from time to time. All without ever letting go of the riding bridles.

A frantic pace she decided to end a few years ago to "focus" only on the all around. In 2010, a sign of the new direction of her career, she had also opened, with her husband, an equestrian center in England. Country where she had set foot a decade earlier to work alongside a certain William Fox-Pitt. In 2015, she decided to take a new step, investing in a second center, in Florida this time, to continue its preparation during the winter.

The Olympic Games in the lead

With one ultimate goal: to participate in major international events under the colors of the United States. But this beautiful story has sometimes been full of pitfalls as in 2016, in Burgham (England), when she fell with HHS Cooley. The rider fractured a cervical vertebra. His horse, wounded, was euthanized. A painful episode especially as it was, at age 12, one of his two leading horses.

Today, Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp can count on a pick of quality. With Deniro Z as leader, this 10-year-old gelding took the 8th place in June from CCI4 * in Luhmülen (Germany). "He is a superb horse. I hope we can participate in the Pan American Games next year and the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. "

Meanwhile, it is on the Mondial du Lion that the Californian intends to shine. This afternoon, she will be on the track with Cooley Quicksilver. But yesterday morning, she scored with Cooley Moonshine, author of a magnificent recovery that places them at the top of the provisional ranking of 6 years. "I'm proud, it's a fantastic horse! "

Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp savored but also knows how much, in complete as in endurance, the path is long until the finish line ...