Before he became a teacher for a driven young rider, Figaro des Premices was an Olympic-experienced horse with a resume most eventers spend a lifetime chasing. He had seen the biggest stages the sport has to offer. Then, he found his way to Reese Dellangelo, a rider who got her first pony in 2020 and her first event not long after, and the two of them got to work building something new.
Figaro des Premices, or “Monte” to the people who know him best, is a 2015 Luxembourg Warmblood gelding (Quidam de Revel x Acapela de Kreisker), owned by Michael Dell’Angelo. He made his Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games as one of the joint-youngest horses in the eventing competition, a nine-year-old who had been with rider Alexander Peternell (RSA) since he was two and a half years old. For a horse seeing that kind of stage for the first time, Monty handled it with a composure that left Peternell genuinely moved. "He went into the arena thinking 'what's going on here,' and walked out on a loose rein with people cheering," Peternell said at the time in an interview with Horse & Hound. "He's got an amazing heart, he's so trainable, and has an incredible future ahead of him."
That future, it turned out, would include sixteen-year-old Teresa “Reese” Dell’Angelo from Malvern, Pa. Austin O'Connor (IRL), who had ridden Dell’Angelo's older horse Carlson 119, a 2010 German Sport Horse gelding (Camarque 3 x Palma), owned by Elizabeth Bales, at the 2024 Grand Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field in Aiken, S.C., knew Peternell and put the pieces together. From there, the partnership was born.
His name, though, took a little longer to settle. His original barn name was Norman, which was functional. Dell’Angelo's previous horse is “Carl.” “They sound like two accountants,” she laughed. The solution came from her father, who had told her stories as a kid about Lord Montibon. The name fits. "It definitely brought my dad into it too," she said, "and that's helped me so much with my career." Her father, Michael, busy as he is, hasn't missed a show yet. Her mother, Dr. Elizabeth Bales, meanwhile, was the one who got her into riding in the first place, about five years ago, when Dell’Angelo got her first pony in 2020.
The timeline is worth pausing on. First pony in 2020. First event in 2022. Now competing at the USEF Eventing Young Rider Championships aboard a horse with an Olympic resume. It's a rapid ascent by any measure, and Dell’Angelo navigates it with confidence that suits her partnership with Monte well.
He is, by her own description, an incredible jumper, one who hunts the flags, and attacks every fence with the assurance of a horse who has seen it all. "He loves cross-country days," Dell’Angelo said. "He loves going out and running, jumping, and is always looking forward to it." The flat is its own ongoing conversation, she admits. Monte is a big horse; Dell’Angelo is not a tall rider, and finding mutual relaxation has taken time, but their trajectory is clear. "We're definitely getting closer," she said.
In the barn, Monte has his own schedule and sticks to his routine. He loves to be cuddled, but only when he's in the mood for it. He has opinions, a big personality, and a treat preference that stops most people mid-sentence: sour Skittles. If he were a celebrity, Dellangelo, who is a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan, didn't have to think long. "Jalen Hurts," she said. "He’s very focused, but very athletic." It tracks!
This weekend, Dell’Angelo and Monte take on the CCIYJ2*-S at the 2026 USEF Eventing Young Rider Championships at Loch Moy Farm. With Monte’s experience, paired with Dell’Aneglo’s undeniable confidence in their partnership, the pair is figuring it out together one fence at a time.