Equestrian Coach Janine Santos-Felix And The Ride Of Her Life

This July, Vogue Philippines celebrates the inspiring people who train, mentor, and shape athletes with “Passing The Torch.” Discover the story of Janine Santos-Felix who has spent her life on horses, winning medals for the Philippines in international competitions and training the next generation of equestrians.

Nominated by Katrina

Janine Santos-Felix has been riding horses for her whole life. “I started at the age of 7,” she says. “My first experience was with my mom. I would join her classes with her when she would ride.” 

Once she got ahold of the reins, Janine never let go of them. And the places where the horses took her are exciting: winning team gold and team silver in showjumping and dressage at the 1995 SEA Games; becoming a member of the Philippine National Equestrian Team; and becoming the riding coach and founder of all-female equestrian Team Equisport.

In her lengthy career as an equestrian athlete and coach, her love is first driven by the horses. “I love everything about them!” she says. Riding a horse is difficult, but this challenge is one that she enjoys. “You can’t force him to do anything as he has a mind of his own; instead, you need to find a way to communicate with him using your hands, legs, and body language,” she says.

This is a passion that she hopes to pass on to her students. “I wanted to share the same love I had for horses and the passion that I had for the sport with others, with the hope that they too would fall in love with the sport,” she says. To do this, she shares that she starts off with her students having fun, allowing them to enjoy being with their horses. “Then slowly you build that up, and eventually [maybe] they will one day represent our country,” she says.

Two of her own students now serve as international showjumping officials under the Federation Equestre Internationale. “They always thank me, and they say, ‘You got us into this,’” she says. “But for me, it’s also the person’s love for the sport and the love for the animal that has brought them there.”

And just as her mother introduced her to riding, she is now also introducing the sport to her daughters herself. Recently, her daughter Isabella competed at the CSI-B showjumping competition in Pattaya, Thailand. “Despite all the hardships when they win, it’s a double victory for me—a win as a coach and a win as a mother. It makes everything worthwhile,” Janine says.

Janine also has great hopes for equestrian sports in the Philippines. “It’s been sort of up-and-down here,” she says. Over the years, she shares that the riding community has gotten smaller. Janine herself has tried to make the sport more accessible to others by opening her own school in 2000, which closed around 2010. Instead of letting these challenges halt her in her tracks, she embraces them as opportunities to learn. “Riding is a lot like life,” she says. “Any sport can be challenging, but for me, there are lessons to be learned in these things.”

She has two pieces of advice for both athletes and coaches: first, to find happiness and fun in your sport, and second, to be consistent. And when facing a hard day, find the courage to get back on the horse.

_{By Daphne Sagun. Photographed by Kim Santos of Kliq. Managing Editor Jacs Sampayan. Styled by Roko Arceo. Makeup by Joemel Reyes and Shay Kho of Estée Lauder Philippines. Hair by JA Feliciano. Produced by Bianca Zaragoza. Digital Associate Editor: Chelsea Sarabia. Digital Multimedia Artists: Bea Lu, Myc Priestley. Digital Content Writer: Celine Lagundi. Backdrop: Justine Arcega-Bumanlag.}