Kevin Staut: A Life-Changing Experience

“With support from my family and resources, I had the chance to find my passion for horses at a young age and the capacity to do my sport at the top level. Because of this, I am forever grateful and motivated to help other children who may not have the same support system find their own path.”

Meet Kevin Staut - an Olympic Team gold medalist, an FEI World Equestrian Games Team silver medalist, and an Individual European champion.

He also serves as an Ambassador for children living in impoverished countries through his involvement with nonprofit JustWorld International. Here the former World No.1 shares how his work with JustWorld continues to inspire his life and career…

Kevin credits his mother, Françoise, for first getting him involved with riding.

He taught himself the basics on her retired horse Apollon, and he soon got his first pony, Sauvageon, at 10 years old.

To him, riding was an escape from city life outside of Paris. He loved being around horses more than competing. It wasn’t until he was 16, with the encouragement of his grandfather, that he decided to step out of his comfort zone and set on the path to ride professionally.

“My grandfather was a major figure in my life. He always helped everyone in the family to do their best,” Kevin says. “He was the one who saw my potential as a rider and encouraged me to compete at a professional level.”

Kevin’s life now revolves around horses. “From my private life to professional life - everything is focused on horses. I love all aspects of my equestrian lifestyle - from waking up early to feed the horses to training and competing. As long as I can walk, I will ride.”

When asked about the pressure that comes from his rankings and keeping on the Top 30, Kevin shares that his approach is to focus on the process.

“I try not to think about the rankings, but more about doing my best and putting the hard work into each and every day - it’s the only way to be at peace with myself. My philosophy is to focus on the welfare of the horses and training system. Sometimes you have young horses and you have to be patient to get them to improve. This is how I stay grounded - by knowing that it’s not only about winning.”

After a decade of being the top of the sport, Kevin is not looking to slow down anytime in the near future. “Ten years down the road, I hope I can compete at the highest level of the sport still. But, I don’t want to sell myself - I want to stay a true horseman, stick to my values, and do this in a way that brings happiness to the horses and people around me.”

A JustWorld International Ambassador...

Kevin has never allowed his focus to falter from the good he can provide in the community as an equestrian icon.

Since 2007, the French rider committed himself to serve as a JustWorld Ambassador. Kevin is one of the thousands of dedicated equestrians from more than 40 countries who have made a difference by supporting JustWorld education, nutrition and health programs for children living in impoverished communities around the world.

During the first eight years as an Ambassador, Kevin explained that he would speak about JustWorld, donate some of his prize money, and help when he could. It wasn’t until he went to visit the JustWorld project in Phnom Penh, Cambodia that he truly realised the importance of the work JustWorld does.

Phnom Penh is an overpopulated city with thousands of young people living in precarious housing conditions, facing unemployment and the lack of sufficient resources to access education and social services.

Kevin shared: “The trip was a life-changing experience I will never forget. I had to see the environment of poverty and impact of JustWorld for myself to get it.” 

In 2014, Kevin was ranked No.1 in the world and his schedule was hectic. He had a few days available between competitions so he and his younger sister, who was adopted from Cambodia and had not returned since she left 17 years before, made it a point to go on the trip to the JustWorld school in Cambodia together.

“The trip exceeded my expectations. I saw before my eyes how education was transforming youth who had very little. The students acted like the richest people in the world because of the resources the school provided. They were so happy to learn, have access to food and to be given the opportunity to follow their dreams.”

“One of the things that struck me the most was to see the size difference between my sister and students her age. Years of improper nutrition led to stunted growth. It made me realise how JustWorld was addressing these inequalities and allowing students to focus on their studies rather than scavenge for food to survive.”

Since this life-changing trip, Kevin -- pictured below with JWI President Jessica Newman -- decided to visit another JustWorld project in Guatemala - Los Patojos. “It was important to me to not get swept back to my normal routine and forget about the children in the world who are struggling every day.”

Kevin witnessed firsthand the devastation and hopelessness that lives within the streets of Jocotenango, just outside of Antigua, the country’s former capital—but he also saw hope within the walls of Los Patojos, a school that also serves as a shelter from the everyday street violence, drug dealing and illegal activities that continue to plague the country.

It was the sounds of laughter, the sight of smiles and the passion flowing from the educators that would transform the students.

Traveling to Guatemala in 2014 and then again in 2015, Kevin witnessed the growth and impact of the JustWorld project.

“I was able to see the project grow from taking place in the home of the founder to a beautiful, accredited school where children are provided a safe space that prevents them from going down the wrong path. I saw students’ confidence improve as they were encouraged to pursue what they were passionate about - dance, music, art, photography. These students don’t care about possessions - they are learning and that’s enough.”

“There’s no difference between riders and the students we serve through JustWorld. We all need hope. We all need to have a goal in life and someone to guide us to pursue those passions.” 

Kevin encourages other equestrians who want to make a difference to join this powerful group of equestrians. “I am proud to be a JustWorld Ambassador and to be able to help out in any way I can. Another supporter might be able to give back differently. What is so special is that Ambassadors are like a big family - working towards the same goal of empowering each other and the youth of the world. Everyone can play a part to change the world.”