Edwina Tops-Alexander is an Olympic-level equestrian rider, who competes for Australia.
Education
In 2006 in Aachen Germany, she became the first Australian to make the final of the individual jumping competition at the World Equestrian Games, where she finished fourth despite entering the competition as 35th in world show jumping rankings.
Career
She uses the Netherlands as her base for most of the year at Stal Tops Valkenswaard. Alexander began riding at the age of eight. She became interested in horses because her neighbor had a barn and she watched them ride on the weekends.
The Avondale Pony Club in North Turramurra, New South Wales was where she first began riding.
In 1998, wanting to ride against the top riders in the world, she moved to Europe, taking her horse, Mr. Dundee, with her to Belgium.
In 1999, before beginning her own company, she competed for Ludo Philippaerts, a famous show jumper, for about three years. She was selected for the jumping events at the 2008 Summer Olympics where she rode Isovlas Itot du Chateau.
She placed 9th in the individuals and 9th in the team competition.
Also in 2012, at the age of 38, she rode in the individual show jumping for Australia at the Summer Olympics. She rode Itot Du Chateau and finished in a time of 81.77s with 4 faults. This put her in 20th place for the individual competition and for them team competition Australia was 10th.
The current horses she rides and competes with are Guccio,an eleven-year-old dark bay stallion, Ego van Orti, a nine-year-old bay gelding, Erenice Horta, a nice year old grey BWP mare, Mel d"Argences, a 13-year-old bay Selle Francais mare by Quick Star and Vienna Olympic, a futhure star, an eight-year-old Holstein mare.
In 2014 she retired Itot du Chateau in the global championships in Paris, he was the most successful of all her horses. Her goal for 2013 is to winning the Longines Global Champions Tour the 3rd time in a row.
The well-known designer label, Gucci, sponsors Tops Alexander and the company even made her a customized set of clothes for riding. All her horses will be federal by this company for each of their individual needs.
Edwina is also an ambassador for Jaeger-LeCoultre, the Swiss watch company.