Shayne Allise Steyteyieh Joins Campline Horses, Eyes on Paris 2024 as first female Middle Eastern Dressage Olympian

Dressage

Jordan

The 30-year-old Jordanian rider Shayne Allise Steyteyieh has joind the team of Campline Horses in Portugal and set the ambitious target of becoming the first female Middle Eastern dressage rider to compete at the Olympic Games.

With her eyes on the prize - qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics - Steyteyieh has secured the ride on the Lusitano stallion Infinito Campline to achieve that goal.

Self-Made

With an innate love for horses Shayne Allise Steyteyieh started riding at a very young age in the United States and initially explored all disciplines of equestrian sport, including western, jumping and endurance before finding her calling in dressage.

Shayne is a self-made woman, who didn't have any support to follow her dreams, so she had to work hard to pursue her dressage passion. She bought herself a horse and never took no for an answer. With this attitude, she earned her USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals in the States, her hard work paying off. Eventually she realised that a move to Germany would bring her closer to the heart of horse sport and to the next level in her career.

This grit and determination are exactly what made Shayne stand out to Thiago Mantovani, owner of Campline Horses.

Move to Portugal

Mantovani, who celebrated major success with his two riders from two continents (Rodrigo Moura Torres (POR) and João Victor Marcari Oliva (BRA)) at the 2020 Tokyo Games in Campline's first year of operation, invited Shayne to Portugal for a meeting and there was an immediate connection in their mutual desire to develop an amibitious project for the dressage sport.

"I chose to ride for Campline because I was always told to give up on my dreams and to think much smaller," Shayne explained. "I finally found a team who encourages me to go after those dreams I was told I could never have. I'm grateful to have a diverse team of athletes, owners, and other professionals who accept who I am and encourage me to continue to grow."

Steyteyieh moved to Portugal just two weeks after their meeting.

"I believe in Thiago's will and capability to dream big and to make those high achievements a reality." she explained. "I have never turned my head away from a challenge."

Infinito Campline

Shayne has received the ride on Infinito Campline to achieve her goal of Paris 2024.

The 8-year-old Lusitano stallion by Califa II x Moscatel is bred by Coudelaria Torres Vaz Freire and trained by Portuguese Olympic rider and Campline teammate Rodrigo Moura Torres. Infinito is related to Torre's Tokyo mount Fogoso Campline, sharing the same grand sire Raja.

Infinito not only carries highly coveted Lusitano genes but also has incredible potential for a career in sport. His sire Califa II is a 4-star Recommended stallion for dressage by APSL and has competed at Grand Prix level with scores over 72%.

"Infinito stands out with his extremely appealing look and fantastic talent for the collected movements," said Shayne. "He has a highly cooperative mindset and excellent rideability. And he is the darling of the yard!"

While Infinito is the major hope for now, Steyteyieh will get the ride on other top horses as well to achieve her goals.

Dreaming of Paris, Breaking Stereotypes

Shayne and Thiago are sharing the dream of qualifying Infinito for the Paris 2024 Olympics, where Steyteyieh could become the first female Middle Eastern Olympian in the sport of dressage. More importantly she hopes to break stereotypes and inspire others with her journey.

Shayne received a string of horses to ride as member of Team Campline

"Although I want to be the first Middle Eastern female dressage rider to make it to the Olympics, I certainly don't want to be the last." said Shayne. "My riding goals are big, but my purpose in life is bigger and I believe through my riding, I can create a positive impact in more than just the equestrian world. I want to give hope to those who feel they don't have the ability to create change in their lives; I want them to see that they CAN pursue their dreams as I am not so different from them. Especially with Middle Eastern women - I hope that my own journey will inspire them, break stereotypes, and give them hope."

She continued, "I feel that Thiago and all of the Campline team truly understand and relate with my personal goals as a rider and as a person. With them, I believe my purpose and dreams really can come to fruition. I don't know how to thank them enough, so I will just work as hard as I can to be up to the task and make our dreams happen."

Discover Campline Horses at www.camplinehorses.com