Gina Schumacher, the daughter of F1 great Michael Schumacher, has candidly lifted the lid on how she used horse riding as an escape after her father’s tragic accident in 2013, saying horse riding helped her get through “everything.”
At just 16, Schumacher’s relationship with her father would irrevocably change after a skiing accident left Michael with traumatic brain injuries.
Now, a new documentary will detail the 29-year-old’s rise to the top of the Western riding community and hand viewers a rare glimpse into her relationship with her father in recent times.
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Corinna Schumacher and daughter Gina accept an award for Michael Schumacher. Â dpa/picture alliance via Getty I
“After Dad’s accident, I really threw myself into [riding] because I had to do something,” Schumacher said.
“The horses have always been important. But since then they’ve really been… I mean, I couldn’t do without horses.
“They helped me get through everything.”
Gina Schumacher of Germany rides on her horse Arc Guns M Oaks. Getty
The documentary, called “Horsepower – The World of Gina Schumacher”, will follow Gina and her mother Corinna across their ranches in the United States and Switzerland.
It will also chart Gina’s rise in reining, a discipline of Western riding in which she is a multiple world champion, including double gold in individual and team events in 2025.
Corinna reveals that her husband predicted their daughter’s success early on.
Gina Schumacher, daughter of former German Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher. Bongarts/Getty Images
“Michael once said to me, when Gina was 10: ‘Gina will be much better than you’,” she admits.
“‘Because she’s more selfish. If you’re an athlete, you have to be selfish in a certain way. And that’s great. Otherwise, you won’t amount to anything’.
“Today I think: He was so right.”
Corinna was also an avid horse rider but has now shifted into the business of breeding, a decision her daughter also explains in the documentary.
“She [Corinna] used to have a horse, and when we were younger, she wanted to start again. But she wanted a safe horse,” said Gina.
“Then she was in Dubai with Dad, and they rode Arabians. Dad fell off one.
The Schumacher family has only given rare glimpses into their private life. Â Instagram
“There was a Quarter Horse next to it, and he was there to calm the others down. And then Mum said she wanted a horse like that.”
Reflecting on her career, Gina adds: “I’m grateful that I can do this. Because it’s not something to take for granted.
“My parents made it possible. That’s why it’s always been important to me to work hard so I can do it as well as I possibly can.”
Her brother, Mick, is also finding his feet also in the United States, starting a new driving role with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in IndyCar.
Having driven for Haas in Formula 1 from 2021-2022, Schumacher pivoted to the American series for the 2026 season.