Valentina Truppa Discharged from Carabinieri

Dressage

Italy

Italian Olympian Valentina Truppa has been discharged from the Carabinieri on 12 May 2025 after riding 21 years in the outfit. Dressage.it reported the news.

Carabinieri

The Carabinieri are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign policing duties. It is one of Italy's main law enforcement agencies, alongside the Polizia di Stato, Polizia Penitenziaria, Militari and the Guardia di Finanza.

Athletes of all sports often sign up with the carabinieri for financial support in their career. The former military sports centers of the carabinieri have become technical centers of excellence where national and club teams train, which explains the pull to the part of the carabinieri. In 1993 an equestrian center was established as part of the Carabinieri Sports Centre (founded in 1964).

For equestrian athletes their mandatory active service duties were less stringent because of the "federal detachment formula" in collaboration with FISE and CONI. Equestrian athletes have to compete in uniform, attend a number of official ceremonies, compete in the annual military championship (only for eventing and jumping riders), and abide by the ethical code of the Carabinieri. They need to ask permission for sponsor contracts and cannot affiliate themselves with convicted individuals. If results in the competition fail, athletes are asked to do carabinieri security services.

Eight-time Olympic show jumping rider Raimondo D'Inzeo was the most famous Italian equestrian athlete who rode in the carabinieri outfit.

Valentina Truppa

The 39-year old Truppa joined the Carabinieri in June 2004 at age 18 as one of the first female riders, alongside eventing and dressage rider Susanna Bordone.

She became European Young Riders Champion in 2006 on Chablis. Her career making horse was Eremo del Castegno (by Rohdiamant x Weltmeyer). She debuted him internationally in March 2010 but skipped the 2010 World Equestrian Games, citing that the insurance coverage for the flight to the U.S.A. was an issue. She represented Italy at the 2011 European and 2013 European Championships, the 2012 Olympic Games in London, where they finished 15th in the Kur to Music finals. At the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Caen they were 20th in the Grand Prix Special. Their career highlight was a third place at the 2012 World Cup Finals in 's Hertogenbosch.

After making a bad fall off a younger horse in June this year, Truppa missed out on the 2015 European Championships. She rode the 2015 Italian Championships but withdrew in the warm-up before the Special. Truppa secured special sponsorship from FISE to retain the horse for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games but ended up selling Eremo to Brazil in December 2015, which resulted in FISE suing. Valentina rode the 2016 Olympics on Chablis to finish 52nd in the Grand Prix.

After Eremo there were Grand Prix horses Ranieri, Sauvignon, and Smile di Fonteabeti. The latter she's been showing exclusively at big tour level since 2022. Valentina is also the Italian Pony team trainer.

Carabinieri No More

In an interview with Dressage.it, Truppa explains her decision to get discharged as carabinieri.

In regular outfit on Chablis at the 2016 Olympics

"I have received numerous requests for work and assignments that are not entirely compatible with my status as a Carabiniere, therefore as a state employee," she said. "I have already started the path to become a judge, I take the exams for FISE instructors, I hold courses, I am the FISE Technician Advisor for ponies... who knows, anything can happen: the important thing is to cultivate well all the opportunities that arise, if they are considered interesting of course. As of today I have a list of commitments and things to do from mid-May onwards that I can't even tell you."

Truppa has already been competing in her civilian outfit since February 2025.

"The effect was strange, yes... well, I had already worn a tailcoat in competition at the Olympics, but there it was a very particular situation," said Valentina. "The funniest thing about all this is that the first few times no one greeted me because no one recognized me, everyone was so used to seeing me in uniform... "