“I think it’s fantastic and people say I’ve done so many interviews, don’t I get tired? But it’s so good for the sport, I’m happy to do them.”
That’s the other thing: Kessler is switched on. As one Canadian newspaper, external phrased it under the heading “American phenom”, she is a “smart cookie”. When she speaks, it is with the conviction and self-assured clarity of someone in their mid-30s, not a teenage Olympic debutant.
“A million people have already asked me about it, it’s alright,” she laughs as the subject of her age is broached. “It’s been like that my whole life – ‘Oh my God, you’re only insert-age-here’ – I’m used to it.”
Equestrian sports demand more athleticism from the horse than they do the rider so, while competitors must be fit, age is not as detrimental to an equestrian’s career as it usually proves for gymnasts or sprinters.
In turn, that means the elite circuit is home to riders carrying decades of experience at the highest level. To be 17 and among the handful of riders, in a country the size of the United States, that warrant an Olympic place is already an achievement, before the Games have even begun.
“In showjumping my parents have been riding for about 30 years, so I’ve always wanted to ride too and it’s what I’ve been doing my whole life,” says Kessler.
“I have pictures of myself at six months old, in a basket on my pony, learning to steer with my stuffed animals.
“I only started at senior level in January,” she adds, casually. “It’s a big transition. My horse had never jumped on that level either so it was both of us finding our feet.