Bruce Springsteen may have cultivated an image as a blue-collar man of the people, but he’s come a long way from playing gigs at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey, in the 1970s.
Springsteen’s musical success has bought him a very high-end lifestyle, such as a owning a horse farm in Colts Neck, New Jersey, and other homes, including one in the equestrian community of Wellington, Florida. So, it’s not surprising that his second child and only daughter grew up horsey.
Duke University student Jessica Springsteen, 22, is a word-class competitor in the international sport of show jumping (in which horses of different breeds, with both male and female riders, clear large obstacles on a timed course). At the beginning of the year, Springsteen signed on with luxury fashion brand Gucci as one of its equestrian ambassadors, and the company designed a riding wardrobe especially for her.
Said Frida Giannini, Gucci’s creative director (and a rider herself) to online magazine Cheval Savoir, “Jessica brings the elegant, dynamic spirit of Gucci alive, and I have ensured that the design of this new wardrobe provides her with pieces that manage to be both technically correct and stylish.”
Southern Californians will get to see The Boss’s daughter in action from September 25th through the 28th, when she joins professional and amateur riders from several nations–such as Kentucky-based U.S. 2012 Olympian Reed Kessler–at the inaugural Longines Los Angeles Masters Grand Slam Indoor, a show-jumping competition that joins similar events in Paris (December 4th through the 7th, 2014, sponsored by Gucci) and Hong Kong (February 13th through the 15th, 2015, also sponsored by Longines).
The L.A. Masters will be held inside of the Los Angeles Convention Center in a custom-designed ring with both general-audience and premium seating. The show offers five competitions, luxury shopping and art exhibits, along with live musical and equestrian performances.
Recognized by both the FEI (Federation Equestre Internationale) and the USEF (United States Equestrian Federation), the Masters Grand Slam Indoors offers a $1 million prize purse and expects to attract up to 30,000 visitors.
Speaking to Breitbart News during a late-June introductory cocktail party held on the rooftop of the London Hotel in West Hollywood, Matthieu Gheysen, vice-president and events director for organizer EEM World, confirmed Springsteen’s participation and discussed the choice of Los Angeles–not known as a hotbed of equestrian sports.
He said, “We want to have a city that has the charisma and the feeling that we have in Paris and Hong Kong, a world city.
“Our concept is very much indoor; it’s different than what they do on the East Coast. We try to bring our concept here into the American culture, of course, without losing the idea we had in Paris and Hong Kong.
“We want to have a city that would be appealing to the riders, appealing to the sponsors, to make sure everybody would be willing.”
For those able to pay up to $25,000 for a six- or eight-seat VIP table, there will be front-row viewing, networking opportunities, and meals from two-Michelin-star chef Yves Mattagne. There will also be grandstand tickets available from $30-$120, which include admission to the art and merchandise available in the Prestige Village.
“Everybody’s used to going to the Staples Center,” said Gheysen, “for a ball game, a hockey game, or a concert. We’re bringing something different, a different angle. Yes, we’re bringing a sport, but we want to bring more than this.
“It’s not only a sports event; it’s a glamour event.”
No word on whether or not proud papa Bruce Springsteen will be on hand to watch his little girl compete in Los Angeles, but for this man “Born in the U.S.A.,” it’s a little slice of the American dream to go from the son of an often-unemployed New Jersey bus driver to the father of a top equestrian competitor.
Here’s a look at Jessica Springsteen in action:
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