At just thirteen, Sofia Aurelia George is one of the most successful and bright competitors in pony jumping. Winning the 2025 FEI Jumping Ponies’ Trophy Final in Mechelen, Belgium, on December 30, 2025, Sofia became the very first Monegasque world champion in this sport. Overall, last year was truly triumphant for Sofia. In May, she came first in the FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ in Busto Arsizio, Italy, and in November, she won the FEI Jumping Ponies’ Trophy Grand Prix, Longines Equita, in Lyon, France.
At home, Sofia has already got some eighty golden trophies in her collection — impressive indeed for such a young age. These results are not only recognition of her own talent, but also that of her coaching team. Sofia is being trained by the official coach of the Monaco national team, Stéphane Darré, and by Maxime De Clercq. The national team’s head coach is the 2016 Olympic champion, Philippe Rozier.
Equestrian sport is an important part of the George family’s life. They have eleven horses and ponies in their stable, seven of them belonging to Sofia. The rest are used for training and developing the family sports farm. Two horses belong to Sofia‘s twin sister.
We met Sofia in her own home to talk about her journey in sports, training, family and dreams.
Hello Monaco: Thank you for inviting us, Sofia. What kind of role do your home and family play in your life?
Sofia Aurelia George: Our family is very large. I have four older brothers and a twin sister, Yulia. Yulia also takes part in equestrian competitions, demonstrating good results. We are very close, and my family is my greatest support. Mom and Dad are always there, helping us grow professionally. Over the past year, Dad has been more involved with me, travelling to different training sessions and competitions, while Mom has been mostly focused on Yulia. My sister trains in Ventimiglia, Italy, whilst I train in Villeneuve-Loubet, France.
HM: Do your brothers and sister support you during the competitions?
Sofia: Yes, absolutely so. They always encourage me when I do well. Sometimes they tease me a little. If I don’t win, they might jokingly say that they would have done better. But I understand these are just jokes and that everyone is happy about my success. Some of my brothers actually go to competitions with me.
HM: What role did your mother play in your being involved with equestrian sport?
Sofia: I think it was my mother’s dream to do equestrian sports herself. Currently she also trains regularly. My parents are investing a lot of time, effort and money, as the equestrian competitions are very resource-consuming. I think what makes it special is that they really care about our horses. They do everything to make sure the horses are happy and healthy, both physically and mentally. They have the best food and supplements, they spend time outside in big paddocks with other horses, and they are trained in a kind and respectful way.
As I already mentioned, to avoid direct competition, Yulia is training in Italy and I am in France. I have seven horses, including two working ponies and one that I’ve already outgrown. We are leasing one of Yulia’s ponies, whilst our yearling foal is still growing up in Normandy.
HM: Is there any competition between you and Yulia?
Sofia: Yulia is showing very good results and has already won quite a few competitions. She perhaps lacks some time as she goes to school and cannot train as much as I do. I’m homeschooled so that I can fully focus on training and competitions. That’s why she often comes second (I jokingly call it “the curse of second place”). But we don’t really compete. We just support each other, and I’m sure Yulia too will succeed.
HM: What does your training week look like?
Sofia: I train almost daily, 6 to 7 hours a day. Each day covers a different mission — improving speed, working on the flats, jumping, working on distances between obstacles and turns. There is a strict training schedule I adhere to. The horses have their own weekly plan, but typically each one jumps once a week (this is called show jumping). They also do gymnastics for four to five days to strengthen muscles and improve flexibility, work on discipline and communication with the rider (this is called dressage), and they have one day off. Occasionally I treat my horses to forest walks. In spring, when it’s warm but the beaches are still empty, that’s where we go — to gallop and swim in the sea. Many horses love to swim. It’s both beneficial and enjoyable as they are curious creatures and love novelty!
Competitions are a huge part of my life. I spend about two weeks a month at tournaments. This is also very important for my experience and development as an athlete.
HM: What’s the most challenging part of show jumping to you — technique, speed or psychology?
Sofia: It’s all about finding a balance between all of these elements. But speed is particularly essential to me. I once had a serious fall because I misjudged my speed before jumping over an obstacle. That made me realize how vital are critical speed control and the correct approach to the jump.
HM: How do you deal with being nervous before competitions?
Sofia: I try not to think about performance, calm down and do everything I would do during training. Abstracting myself from the audience and the unnecessary noise around, I just concentrate on my job.
HM: Equestrian sport is very dangerous. Your parents probably get worried…
Sofia: Yes, my parents do get very worried indeed. During competitions, Dad is constantly recording my performance on video. Later on, when I watch, I can hear him sighing, screaming and worrying about me in the background. But Dad supports me, believes in me and we have a complete understanding.
HM: Some say all ponies have difficult personalities…
Sofia: Each pony is indeed an individual. Before buying one, we spend a long time looking at them to see if they’ll work well together. My favourite is Berlioz. He’s very kind and, I believe, he understands what we expect of him at all times. Sometimes I actually get the feeling he wants to win too.
HM: Congratulations on your successful performance in the Jumping Ponies’ Trophy final in Mechelen. How did this victory make you feel?
Sofia: Becoming world champion in your category is a very important milestone for an athlete. I gave it my all and had good performance at the height of 135 centimetres, the highest in my age category. I still have a year to compete in the children’s category, and will then move up to juniors and be able to jump even higher. I’m already clearing 145 centimetres in training, so there’s still a lot of work and new goals ahead.
HM: You are competing for Monaco. What are your dreams?
Sofia: Unfortunately, Monaco doesn’t have a pony sports federation, but I’m the first representative of the Principality to become world champion in this category. I am really hoping to represent Monaco with dignity in both youth and adult competitions in the future, as I was born, grew up and live here.
HM: Do you have any hobbies besides equestrian sports?
Sofia: I manage my social media. It takes up a lot of my time, as each of my horses has its own Instagram. I’m very happy that my victory in Mechelen gained me another thousand followers.
I also love running, especially late at night. That worries my mum a lot. But that’s my time to be on my own, to calm down and to find my balance. I really enjoy my night runs.
HM: Sofia, could you please share your future plans with our readers.
Sofia: Right now, I see myself in equestrian sports only and I want to dedicate my whole life to it. I love horses. I am truly, positively obsessed with equestrian sports and want to solely associate my future with it.
