Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, Julia Tops is the daughter of Canadian Show Jumping Team veteran Tani Zeidler and Jan Tops, Olympic team gold medalist for The Netherlands.  Given the combined talent of her parents, it is little wonder that Julia excels in show jumping.

In 2011, Julia won the CET Medal Western Regional Final during the BCHJA Fall Finale in Vancouver, BC.  That same year, she competed in her first grand prix, finishing ninth aboard Zebu in the $10,000 Wise Equine Grand Prix during the Milner Downs Summer Classic III in Langley, BC.  Julia continued her junior show jumping career by earning impressive results at shows across North America, including the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, and Spruce Meadows in her hometown of Calgary, AB, as well as on the Global Champions Tour in Europe.

Julia graduated as a First Class Honours student from Calgary’s Strathcona Tweedsmuir School before attending Trinity College at the University of Toronto.  While studying at the University of Toronto, Julia served as co-chair of the school’s G7 Research Group and as a compliance director for its G20 Research Group in addition to belonging to the Delta Delta sorority.  Julia graduated from the University of Toronto in June of 2019 with degrees in International Relations and Contemporary Asian Studies.  In the fall of 2019, she began an intensive one-year master’s program at the prestigious London School of Economics in England.

Balancing her studies with her competitive riding career, Julia currently competes at the international level with India Blue ZF, one of the first products of her mother’s breeding program at Zeidler Farm.

Given her drive to succeed as both a competitor and as a student, it was no surprise that leading equestrian apparel company, Kingsland, selected Julia to be its first sponsored junior rider in North America in 2013.  Julia also proudly represents equestrian brands Amerigo Saddles, Parlanti, and Samshield.