For decades, show jumping and the broader equestrian world have largely spoken to people who already loved horses. On the Fringe wants to change that.
The new documentary follows Gabriela “Gaby” Reutter, Chile’s top female show jumper, from her base in Wellington, Florida, as she pursues her dream of representing her country at the Olympics while confronting one of the sport’s least discussed realities: talent and hard work alone are rarely enough. Competing against riders with larger strings of horses and significantly greater financial backing, Reutter has turned social media into an unexpected second career, building a loyal audience that helps fund her ambitions in the ring.
Produced by Pegasus, directed by Brady Clayton, and now streaming on Youtube, On the Fringe takes a page from Formula 1’s Drive to Survive, inviting newcomers inside a sport that has long struggled to reach audiences beyond its own community. Rather than celebrating only the wins, it explores the financial barriers, relentless discipline, althletism, and entrepreneurial spirit required to compete at the highest level.
We sat down with Reutter to discuss growing up in Chile, building one of equestrian world’s most influential social media platforms, and why she hopes the film changes the conversation around equestrian sport, beginning with show jumping.
Alicia Pestalozzi: You grew up in Chile. What was your childhood like, and how did horses first become part of it?
Gaby Reutter: The short version is that we had a beach house about two hours from Santiago that my parents built when my mom was pregnant with me. We went as often as we could, and on the drive to the beach we’d always pass a polo club with horses in the paddock. My mom is a huge animal lover. She used to ride bareback, nothing professionally, and passed that love on to me and my siblings. Eventually she discovered they were giving riding lessons on retired polo ponies, and that’s where it all began. It’s wild to think about now because the ring was made out of old tires. It couldn’t have been more homemade. If a horse wouldn’t go, someone would literally grab a stick off a tree. That’s how I started, and somehow it kept building until I was competing internationally. Honestly, from the time I was four I was a horse girl. I’d pretend I was a horse, build jumps out of broomsticks and chairs, and somehow turn every school project into something about horses. My classmates always knew where I was: “Gaby’s not here, she’s at a show.” You never imagine that’s going to become your career.
AP: You’ve become one of the sport’s most recognizable voices on social media. Was building that platform a necessity, or did you always see storytelling as part of your career?
GR: I kind of stumbled into it. I’m a very introspective person. I journal a lot, I think a lot, and if something isn’t working with my horse, my first question is never, “What’s wrong with my horse?” It’s, “What am I not explaining properly?” That led me to read constantly about horses, the sport, and especially the mental side of competing, which wasn’t talked about much when I was growing up. I started working with a sports psychologist when I was twelve, and people thought I was crazy. Riders weren’t really treated like athletes back then, even though we were training like them. I’d been going to the gym since I was ten.
When COVID hit and everyone turned to the internet, I started sharing what I was learning, funny moments with my horses, and questions I’d never had answered myself. I also had a blog where I’d write about bad rounds and whatever was going through my head because writing helped me process it. At first maybe 400 people read it. Now it’s millions. It created this community around transparency. If you follow me, you’re going to know what’s actually going on. The necessity came later, once brands started reaching out. Sponsorships in the horse world don’t work the way they do in other sports, but social media changed that. It allowed me to build partnerships that helped finance my career while staying true to my values, because I only work with brands and products I genuinely believe in. In that sense, it became something bigger than just supporting my own career. It also helped bring more visibility to the sport.
AP: Did that make it easier to be filmed for the documentary, since you’d already been building your career this way?
GR: It was so easy. I’ve spent years in front of a camera, plenty of it doing silly things, so very little embarrasses me anymore. People at the shows have gotten used to it too. They see me coming with a camera crew and think, “there she goes again!” Wherever I end up staying or renting stalls, they already know filming comes with the territory: I might show up covered in glitter to photograph my horse, or in an inflatable unicorn costume. The horses seem to enjoy it as much as I do. They’re naturally curious animals, and these moments simply mean more time spent together, so if anything it deepens our bond rather than existing only for the views. Honestly, I’d be doing these things anyway. Filming and sharing them is just a bonus.
AP: Show jumping has often been viewed as an exclusive sport. Do you think that’s changing?
GR: That’s a hard question because getting to the top of the sport takes a tremendous amount of funding. But horseback riding itself isn’t out of reach. Part of what we’re trying to show with On the Fringe is that you don’t have to compete at the highest level to be part of this world. People aren’t disconnected from the sport because they don’t care, they’re disconnected because we haven’t shown them what happens behind the scenes. You can’t complain that people don’t understand it if you never open the door. I do think that’s starting to change. The minute I tell someone I ride horses for a living, it turns into a two-hour conversation. People are genuinely curious. We just have to give them a way in.
AP: Becoming the first Chilean woman to compete in Olympic show jumping since 1972 has been your goal since you were eight years old. What would that moment mean to you?
GR: I came up with that goal as soon as I found out show jumping was an Olympic sport. In South America, there were far more men than women competing, and I always felt like I had to work even harder to be taken seriously. That’s changing now, but it was very real when I was growing up. Then I learned that no Chilean woman had competed in Olympic show jumping since 1972, and I thought, we need to get there. Representing my country is the greatest honor there is. Wearing that red jacket with the Chilean flag means you’re carrying your whole country with you, it’s not just for yourself. I have Chile tattooed on me. It’s my only tattoo because I always want to carry a piece of home with me wherever I go and never forget where I started, in that little ring with the worn-out tires. I also want other Chilean girls, and other women in the sport, to see that it’s possible. It might be hard, but it is possible.
AP: Finally, what do you hope people who have never set foot in a stable take away from On the Fringe?
GR: I hope people walk away with a different perspective on the sport. I want them to see everything that goes into it, not just the competition, but the work, the sacrifices, and the people behind the scenes. If someone who’s never been around horses finishes the film feeling curious, then we’ve done what we set out to do. I’m also incredibly grateful to Jen and Sam Baynes and the entire Pegasus team. They believed in me and my goals before we had even met, and we’ve spent years working together to create something that can make the sport better, not just for me, but for everyone involved. I really hope the film brings more people into the equestrian world and helps them see that there’s a place for them in it.
On the Fringe is now streaming on Pegasus’s YouTube channel. Watch it here.
