Sandra Dahlin and Ichi Turning Heads at 2020 CDI-W Gothenburg

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2020 CDI-W Gothenburg

While Benjamin Werndl's Grand Prix win and Cathrine Dufour's Kur conquest captured headlines at the 2020 CDI-W Gothenburg, it was Swedish duo Sandra Dahlin and Ichi that were turning heads and have already been proclaimed the biggest shooting stars of 2020.

Less than one year into their international Grand Prix career, Dahlin and Ichi soared to top marks and placings in Gothenburg.

"I’m so happy about my lovely horse and our results in Gothenburg," Dahlin gushed. "She did so well! In the Grand Prix I took it quite easy, just wanted to give her a good experience in the ring. In the freestyle she was a bit tense in the beginning, but came in to a good feeling really quick. She spooked at a camera going in to the canter tour, but I’m really proud of her for coming back to me immediately and she gave me a really good feeling in the canter work. The last piaffe-pirouette still gives me goosebumps just thinking of it! She was amazing!"

Lucky Lottery

Seventeen years ago a 15-year old Dahlin visited the Gothenburg horse show with her mum and they bought raffle tickets there. The grand prize was a horse and Dahlin won it.

They went home with the 6-year old mare Dynastie (by Donnerschlag) who turned into a brood mare after an injury. Sandra picked Rose Mathisen's Grand Prix stallion Bocelli (by Don Schufro) as the sire and the filly Ichi was born in 2006.

A Handful

The mare proved a handful as a youngster and was notorious for rearing every time she was not up for the job.

"She was a difficult youngster with a lot of integrity and a strong mind," Dahlin explained. "She did rear a lot. I always just waited for her to come to me."

Dahlin persisted and her patience has now paid off.

"Some days the only training we did was to get to the ring," Dahlin laughed. "The bond we have between each other now is difficult to describe with words."

The pair made its international show debut at small tour level in 2014. They competed at the CDI Oslo. Ten months later they showed at the CDI Malmo.

There was a four year gap between their last small tour international and their CDI Grand Prix debut, which they made at the CDI Sint-Truiden in the spring of 2018. Starts in Flyinge and Helsinki followed and the scores climbed spectacularly over the months.

Dahlin said it took a while before Ichi picked up the piaffe, but with the help of coach Kyra Kyrklund it finally clicked. The four year gap also related to an injury as well as Dahlin's search for perfection.

"I think with the piaffe it was more that I didn’t have the right tools when we started. Kyra gave me the tools to teach Ichi to piaffe correctly, and then it came together quickly," she admitted. "I’m a perfectionist and want everything to be good enough when we are going to show. Then Ichi also had a minor injure from the field that took some time away from training."

Return to Gothenburg

Seventeen years after winning dam Dynastie with a raffle ticket at the Gothenburg Horse Show, Dahlin rode down the centerline on Ichi in Gothenburg, her first World Cup qualifier in her career, on 21 February 2020.

They scored 73.870% in the Grand Prix followed up by a 79.845% in the freestyle to finish fifth amongst Europe's established elite. These were two personal best marks.

Dahlin is a professional dressage rider running a sales facility with aqua training in Sala, Sweden. She is coached by Kyra and team trainer Louise Nathhorst. She has worked for Kristian von Krusenstierna for 1.5 years and briefly helped out Mette Rosencrantz in the U.S.A.

Sandra aims to compete at the CDI Hagen and CDIO Compiegne next.