Having a good stable nearby has become a key part of MY.GAMES CEO Elena Grigorian’s life. As she has discovered over the past seven years, horse riding helps her to cut the noise of the daily routine and acts as an anchor for her in many of her professional interactions.
What started as a way to support her daughter seven years ago has turned into an important aspect of Grigorian’s life – a way to connect and an integral part of how she spends her free time. “I quickly discovered how much I enjoyed both the physical and mental aspects, as well as the unique connection between rider and horse,” she maintains. Grigorian gets to the stables in Peyia, Paphos twice a week, as a “way to recharge, stay active and disconnect from everyday work responsibilities.” Horse riding has also shaped her family life – she has moved and changed locations over the years but having a good stable nearby has consistently been a significant factor when choosing where to live. “Horse riding has become something deeply integrated into our routine, and making space for it in our lives has always felt worthwhile,” she explains.
As happens with many hobbies, horse riding has created an additional community and a new circle of people with diverse backgrounds and shared interests, Grigorian notes. “However, to be completely honest, that has never been the primary reason why I value this hobby,” she admits. For Grigorian, riding has always been something much more personal. “For me, hobbies are often an opportunity to spend time with myself, to reflect, process thoughts and find a sense of inner balance,” she says, noting that horse riding fulfils this need exceptionally well. “It requires focus and presence, making it almost impossible to stay distracted by work or everyday concerns. Time at the stables and in the saddle gives me space to reset mentally,” she explains.
She goes on to reveal that one of the most rewarding aspects of riding has been learning to build trust, communication and mutual understanding with a horse over time. “Finding that mutual understanding is essential; without it, achieving meaningful results is simply impossible,” she explains and adds that these aspects of riding have taught her some valuable lessons: “Horse riding constantly reminds me that progress is not built through control alone but through trust, consistency and cooperation. You need to stay calm but decisive, persistent but understanding.” All in all, she notes that most rewarding of all is “experiencing those moments when everything comes together, when both rider and horse move as one.”
For Elena Grigorian, horse riding has also had a profound influence on her professional life and her leadership style at MY.GAMES. “Over the years, it has strengthened qualities like patience, consistency, adaptability and calm decision-making under pressure,” she notes. She adds that working with horses has also reinforced the importance of balancing confidence with empathy. “Building a partnership with a horse requires persistence, emotional awareness and the ability to stay focused and composed even when things do not go as planned,” she says. These lessons, she maintains, are highly transferable to leadership and teamwork in a professional environment.
This interview first appeared in the most recent edition of The Cyprus Journal of Wealth Management. Click here to view it.