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Medal-winning rider steps back from competition: ‘It’s a break, not retirement’

Lucy Elder Lucy Elder

    • Five-star winner Maxime Livio is stepping back from event riding to focus on other projects in a temporary break from competition.

    The medal-winning French rider, who won Pau in 2016 with Qalao Des Mers and has many top placings at CCI5*, will be “hanging up [his] boots” for a while at the end of the 2024 season in France.

    Maxime, 37, shared the news in a video on social media.

    He said he has been talking about the decision with his close circle “for a few weeks”.

    “It’s not retirement, it’s a break,” he said. “The idea is to take a bit of distance from the intensity of life as a high-level rider and have some time to dedicate myself to many other projects that are currently happening at the stables, which we will talk about soon. And to ask myself questions about how I want to continue, if I even want to continue.”

    He added that he does not have a clear idea of how long the break will last, but is “very excited about all the doors this will open”, for him personally and the opportunities it will give to the Écurie Livio operation and the riders training there “who have big goals”.

    “For me, this is definitely not the end of an era, it’s rather the start of a new one. The luxury of having time, regaining the freedom of speech and action that will allow me to move forward and share a lot of thoughts I have about sport, animal welfare and ecology,” said Maxime.

    Maxime’s most recent top campaigner B Grimm Carouzo Bois Marotin, with whom he finished sixth at Kentucky 2023, is now being ridden by Thailand’s Korntawat (Nat) Samran. Nat is coached by Maxime and has been based at Ecurie Livio since 2013.

    Maxime was part of the bronze medal-winning French side at the 2018 World Equestrian Games with Opium De Verrieres. He has finished in the top 10 at five-star on 11 of his 13 starts at the level, which include his Pau victory plus runner-up spots at the French five-star, Kentucky and Luhmühlen.

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    Lucy Elder
    Lucy Elder

    H&H senior news writer
    Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
    Lucy Elder

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