Meet Pedro Cebulka, the flamboyant ringmaster of the equestrian world

Born to ride I was born in northern Germany, in Hanover, where the Bavarian horse breed comes from. It was farm country and we used to ride a bit as kids with the farm horses. When I was older I took some riding lessons. I always tried to stay close to the horses, never professionally, but it was a feeling I had for the horses. I was a banker by training and became one of the youngest bank managers in Germany. Then I was accepted to go to university to study economics. I quit my banking career, but before starting university I went to Brazil for three weeks with 150 Bavarian folk dancers – I just went along for the ride. I enjoyed Latin America and Brazil so much I changed my name from Peter to Pedro and continued travelling around. After five months I found out my mother had died from cancer so I flew home. After a few months back home, I continued travelling around the world.

Courses for horses I went to North America and a place called Spruce Meadows, in Calgary, a large equestrian centre where they had Bavarian horses. The riding master came from the place where I grew up and said, “I can use you – you speak German, you know horses.” That was the start. I did everything from cleaning the stables to announcing in German, Spanish and French. I started setting up the (showjumping) courses for events – this is where the German eye for detail came in. I worked under one of the best course designers at the time, Pamela Carruthers, and learned a lot from her. And then I travelled for nine months around Central and South America and did tour guiding. I would do that each year and then return to Canada in the summer. On my third year back at Spruce Meadows, in 1979, I met my wife, Janet; she is a horse-riding trainer from Holland. I knew straight away she was the one. When I left Spruce Meadows that year – I was hitchhiking down to California and on to the Caribbean – I told her that when I got back and got my first pay cheque I’d like to take her out to a nice restaurant. I did and the rest is history.

Jumping around In 1983, finally, I settled in Canada and organised an international trade fair. We made an agreement with Equitana, the largest fair for equestrian sport, and I would manage Equitana Canada. In 1984, Janet and I got married in Hawaii. There were just 12 of us, close family. While I was working at Spruce Meadows I travelled all over the world and visited other (showjumping) events and picked up ideas and brought them back. I went to Rotterdam, Hickstead, Dublin and other shows. Europe has tradition, we didn’t. But tradition can weigh you down; it doesn’t allow you to improve if something new is possible. We added the North American ingenuity and flexibility to our own tastes and that’s how we became the No 1 show venue in the world (in 2001/02 and 2003/04). Spruce Meadows was a very special place for me. I was the owner Ron Southern’s right-hand man for many years and learned from him what I couldn’t have learned at university in 100 years, about communication, business, sales and respecting people.

Into the ring In 1985, just before my third trade show, I had immense pressure and stress. I started working at 7am each day and would have a meeting with my boss in the evening. By then, Janet and I also had a baby – nine months exactly after our wedding night, German engineering. I loved my work, was very much involved, but one night, all of a sudden, I blacked out – I had high blood pressure. The doctor told me I had to take four weeks rest or I was risking my life. I had to change professions – it was fun, but it was too much and my body said no. I was sorry to leave Spruce Meadows. I got a job at a resort in the Rocky Mountains as a closer for timeshares. I started as a salesman, then became a sales manager and, after 18 months, I was business partner. After 10 years, I sold out of the company and started other companies. Then another (equestrian) family said, “We need someone to help with the communication between the riders and the judge and the TV. Can you come to three big shows a year and be the ringmaster?”