At the start of the 1980s, Pierre Durand abandoned
a promising legal career
and threw himself into his true passion, showjumpin
g. With his fathers
backing, he gambled everything on a young horse who
no one else had any
faith in: Jappeloup. Too small, too stubborn, too i
mpetuous, he had many
faults, but nonetheless had a remarkable jumping ab
ility. From competition
to competition, the pair improved and began to make
their mark on the
showjumping world. But the Los Angeles Olympic Game
s were a disaster
for them, and Pierre had to face up to his shortcom
ings. With the help of his
wife Nadia and groom Raphaëlle, Pierre regained Jap
peloups confidence
and built a relationship that took them to victory
in the Seoul Olympics in
1988.