By Alexandra Fairfield-Smith
The last name may be a coincidence, but France is proving the perfect fit for Jazi French.
French is just as comfortable behind the wheel of a race car as she is in the saddle, but this European summer, it's one kind of horsepower that's driving her Olympic dream.
What was meant to be a one-week trip to France to trial a horse has turned into an extended stay on the European dressage circuit, with the Bond University student claiming five international wins astride her new mare, Jolene.
"We came over thinking, 'We'll go for a week and try the horse and see how it goes,'" French said.
"I fell in love with her, and I ended up staying here for like three months."
Since then, the pair has competed in the Czech Republic, Italy and France, but hearing the Australian national anthem after her first international win in Slovenia takes the cake.
"To have the national anthem played for me was very exciting," she said.
"It had been a dream of mine forever."
French was just two years old when her mother, Nancy French, introduced her to Captain, a Shetland pony that sparked a lifelong love of horses.
"I have Captain to thank, he’s definitely where it all started," she said.
Her Olympic dreams have been influenced by her mother, who came heartbreakingly close to representing Australia at the Sydney 2000 Games before her horse sustained an injury just before the competition.
"She had a uniform and everything, but didn't get to actually ride," French said.
"So that's always sort of been my goal, to get there."
Now based just 30 minutes from Nice, French is learning from Olympian Alexandre Ayache and his wife Greta, who know Jolene better than anyone after riding her at the highest level.
The move has opened her eyes to a different side of the sport.
"It's such a different dynamic here, and there are so many training opportunities and competitions,” she said.
"Every competition, there are people from the most random countries.”
While dressage is her current focus, French still has a foot in another high-speed sport.
As the daughter of an international race car driver, Rusty French, she also competes in motorsports and believes the two sports have more in common than most people would think.
"You have to set up every movement to make sure the frame's right, or if it's a corner, the speed's right, the angle's right," she said.
"You're controlling so many different things at once, there are actually a lot of similarities."
French has deferred her studies at Bond to make the most of this unexpected opportunity, but with the Brisbane 2032 Olympics not far away, she knows exactly what she's working towards.
For young riders with similar goals, her advice is simple.
"Having the right people around you is the most important thing," she said.
"It can be really lonely moving overseas, but having the right team and the right horse makes such a difference."