Fueled by His Past, Rodrigo Enriquez Makes His Own Future

Rodrigo Enriquez Beteta (MEX) and Pia Maria H jump the CSI3* Grand Prix at the 2026 Winter Equestrian Festival.

All photos by Catie Staszak Media, Inc.

For Rodrigo Enriquez Beteta, involvement in equestrian sport was all but pre-written in his DNA. A fourth-generation horsemen, his great-grandfather Ignacio M. Beteta Quintana was a prominent owner who saw one of his horses represent Mexico at the 1948 London Olympics. His grandfather, Armando F. Beteta qualified for the 1960 Games but didn't travel to Rome.

But it was Enriquez’s mother Alejandra Del Carmen Beteta, a successful amateur rider, that has had the most influence on the 26-year-old. Before her untimely passing in 2022, she helped her son purchase a horse that changed his life.

Enriquez, 26, produced the Belgian Warmblood mare Pia Maria H from her 5-year-old season up to 1.55m, jumping on the momentous stage that has become Saturday Night Lights at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington, FL.

“Pia has made all of my dreams come true,” Enriquez said. “For the last six years, she’s always been there, unmovable, the one constant. It’s thanks to my mom that I got her here.”

From Black Belt to Tall Boots

Born and raised in Mexico City, Enriquez was put on a horse at an early age, but he pursued other sports first. “I played tennis, golf, soccer, everything,” said Enriquez, who initially took karate most seriously, earning his black belt.

But after reaching two national championships by his 13^th birthday, Enriquez found himself burnt out. He turned toward horses, learning the ropes from a 14-year-old stallion named Alkari.

At age 15, he was paired with a horse with more power. The 7-year-old Spanish gelding Coeur de Lion brought Enriquez from 1.10m up to 1.35m in under a year, and the pair jumped their first international classes in San Miguel de Allende (MEX) before Enriquez graduated high school. But when university studies took him farther away from horses, Enriquez struggled.

“I was in a very bad place," Enriquez said. "The only thing I missed was my horse. I realized that this was my life, and this was the thing I wanted to pursue for the rest of my life.”

After just one semester, Enriquez went home and told his parents that he was not going to return to university. It took some convincing. “I once asked my father what he would be prouder of—a diploma or an Olympic medal, and he said a diploma,” Enriquez reflected.

But ultimately Enriquez was heard, and his family sat down to determine what it would take for him to get the “education” he needed to succeed as a show jumping professional. It became apparent that he would need to leave the country to access the level of sport and training he desired. They settled on a visit to the United States, home to the most globally diverse range of elite jumping riders, particularly during the winter months.

After participating in brief learning opportunities with the Millar family—including Canadian Olympians Ian Millar and Amy Millar—and Australian Olympian Matt Williams, Enriquez turned to a more familiar face: He sought out Daniel Michan as his coach.

“My mom and I rode at Dany’s farm in Mexico for a very long time. When he turned professional, my mom was his first ever client,” Enriquez recalled. “He’s the best. When he got the opportunity to come over here (to the U.S.), he took it, and we stayed, but the connection was always there. It was a no-brainer to go with him.”

A Lifechanging Horse

When initially coming to the U.S., Enriquez continued to compete with Coeur de Lion, but the gelding had reached his competitive ceiling. So, Enriquez’s mother booked him a flight to Europe to find his next partner. “Without calling my dad, she booked the ticket,” Enriquez said.

While on the trip, Belgian rider Patrick McEntee called Beteta with a message: I found a horse for Rodrigo. She’s young, but she’s going to take him to the top.

Late one evening, McEntee brought Enriquez to ride a 5-year-old chestnut mare.

“If you look at the video [from that first ride], the first cross rail is the most insignificant jump you’ve ever seen, but it was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before,” Enriquez detailed. “She just went, ‘Pow!’ off the ground, and it felt like an explosion. I landed and laughed out loud. It looks like nothing, but I was in love.”

Beteta helped acquire Pia for Enriquez, and at first, the mare remained in Europe while Enriquez got his “crash course” in the U.S.

“My dad was trying to see if I really wanted to do this [as my career], so he said, ‘You’re going to do everything,’” Enriquez said. “I didn’t know how to tack up a horse. In Mexico, you get on [the horse] and you get off and even your boots are polished and ready for you.”

Enriquez became a sponge, soaking up knowledge from every professional he met, and he got his hands dirty as he practiced every horsemanship skill down to cleaning the stalls. After Coeur de Lion sold, he returned to Europe to spend more time getting to know Pia. For four months, they grew their partnership until Enriquez was ready to return stateside. This time, he brought Pia with him.

“For the first year and a half, I spent every day with her. I did everything. I did all the grooming—everything but lead her to the show ring," Enriquez said. "I think that was an enormous contributing factor to the connection we ended up developing.”

It was that connection and that consistent motivating presence that kept Enriquez going after Beteta passed unexpectedly in 2022. Through the heartbreak, he put himself fully into his horse.

“I didn’t want to get out of bed. The only thing that made me get up in the morning was to go see [Pia], because I couldn’t let her down,” he shared. “She’s been the love of my life.”

Ascension

With more experience and a clearer purpose, Enriquez re-enrolled in school, taking up business classes at Palm Beach State College. It became a well-rounded education as he logged additional hours with Michan, committing fully to his coach’s program. The results with Pia began to come as the pair suddenly advanced quickly through the ranks.

At the end of the 2024 season, the pair jumped their first National Grand Prix classes. They then spent the first half of 2025 navigating the international U25 divisions in Wellington and Ocala, FL before graduating to the two-star level. In the fall in Tryon, NC, they jumped double-clear for a top 10 finish in the CSI2* Grand Prix and took on their first three-star classes—and with that, their first 1.50m tracks.

“I jumped up to 1.35m [before Pia],” Enriquez said. “I cannot thank her enough, because she made all my dreams come true, every day, from our first National Grand Prix to our first ribbons, first U25 team competition, first two-star qualifier, first night class, first double-clear in the CSI2* Grand Prix at Tryon, to our first three-stars.”

The duo kicked off 2026 with their eyes set firmly on their biggest goal to date: the CSI3* at WEF, in which the heights of the fences reach 1.55m. Enriquez and Pia passed the test, advancing through qualification to the CSI3* Grand Prix under the lights. There, they put in a respectable round, with Pia showing her tenacity through a particularly challenging triple combination.

“As a rider, you have to—not just for yourself, but also for your horse—be able to say, ‘I am ready and I am prepared to jump this class,’” Enriquez said. “The way that Dany managed and trained us and took us along that path was paramount to be able to get us where we got, especially to have this amazing crescendo of what was our last class together. To see the progression…It was the proudest moment of my career to date.”

A testament to the mare’s development, Pia Maria caught the eye of two-time Olympian Shane Sweetnam, who purchased the mare in late January. The new partnership already boasts a top five finish together at the five-star level of the sport. It was the most bittersweet of goodbyes for Enriquez, who now must cheer his best horse on from the sidelines.

“If you want to make a living off this sport, it’s what you have to do,” he said. “[Pia’s] last gift to me was to now help give me the capital and opportunity to further develop myself.”

As Enriquez takes the next step in his journey, he’s secured an offer to compete with Fischer Enterprises in New York. Wherever he ends up, he'll take with him the lessons he’s learned from great female influence: his mother and Pia Maria H.

“[They taught me that] I can do it,” he said. “I can produce a horse, and I can take it to that level, because at the end of the day, you don’t know until you do it.

“[Pia] and I both had the same drive. It was just about being able to find a way for me to bring out the best in her,” he added. “She brought that out in me.”