Another clean sweep at the 2013 CDI Vestfold was achieved by Swedish rider Ellinor Magnusson, this time in the young rider section. Aboard her 9-year old Swedish warmblood Pixar (by Prestige x Epson), Magnusson pulled off a hattrick with three test victories on the weekend.
"Vestfold was our first CDI together and I'm very pleased with my perfomance," the 19-year old Ellinor told Eurodressage. "Pixar was very nice to ride and I had a good feeling. He loves the attention on the arena when everyone looks at him."
Winning the team, individual, and Kur tests with 68.947%, 69.474% and 71.725% respectively, Ellinor said the show had some special highlights. "The best part of the competition for me were the pirouettes and that Pixar was with me all the time,' she explained.
A newcomer to the young rider ranks, Ellinor made a swift transition from ponies, with only a short stopover at junior level. "I only did one year as a junior because my horse got badly injured in my first year," she said. "I found that the transition from pony to junior and now young rider, was quite easy."
With three horses in training, Ellinor is able to benefit from this small range of different horses all working at different levels. Golden Champ is her 12-year old bay gelding by Golden Wind x Clongish xx. "'Champis' as he is affectionately known is my schoolmaster. He can do everything up to Grand Prix and is the wildest horse in my stable," she said. "If Champis could talk he would tell me that I'm his favourite person, and if he was a person he would be my boss."
Her youngster, Gold Mine, is a 4-year old gelding chestnut by Belamour x Labrador (SWB). ""Manne is a charming horse and he really likes to work. I got him when he was only 6 months. Manne is a big teddybear and loves to cuddle."
Her Vestfold champion Pixar is a gelding by Prestige VDL x Epson (SWB), 9-years old and "an energetic dark bay boy who loves to work. He loves attention and everything about competitions. In the stable he can be kind of clumsy but he is always fun to ride. Pixar asks me "what shall we do now??" If he was a person he would be "Zlatan"," she described her top ride.
Spotted as a talented dressage horse in Öland/Sweden by his breeders Sofie Svensson and Marcus Larsson, Pixar was purchased by Ellinor at seven years of age and she now owns him together with the breeders. "I have a good relationship with his breeders and my sister and I have some young horses for training," she said. "I don't have a sponsor, maybe in the future, it would help a lot."
Two young girls with the same dream, Ellinor and her sister Mathilda set up a company in Aseda Sweden and together the pair train, sell and compete horses. "We train all the horses in the "old fashion" way," she said.
Describing her 2013 plan as to get qualified on the Swedish Young Riders' team for the European Championships, Ellinor aims to ride Grand Prix on the long term. "In the future I hope to ride Grand Prix and do it really well," she stated.
by Sarah Warne for Eurodressage
Photos © Dressur Sa Klart - Astrid Appels
Related Links
Scores 2013 CDI Vestfold