Louise Nathhorst Appointed Swedish Team Assistant

Dressage

Swedish Dressage News

Swedish multiple medal winning Grand Prix rider Louise Nathhorst has been appointed the new Swedish team assistant and will be helping team captain, technical director and chef d'Equipe Bo Jena.

Louise "Lussan" Nathhorst takes over the vaguely described position of dressage team assistant from Kyra Kyrklund for the Swedish Equestrian Federation.

"I will be a sounding board for anyone who wants to use it," said Nathhorst about her new role. "I will not change my former work, but if someone wants help with planning, preparation before a show or during the competition, I'm ready for the national team."

The Swedish federation calls her job function "sounding board" by lack of a more professional term.

When Kyrklund was hired as team assistant in 2010, the federation initially got upset that the media described the job as one of a "team trainer" but later on the Swedish officials themselves referred to Kyra's post as team trainer, even though she had more of a supervising/advising position.

Team captain Bo Jena stated that, "Lussan is for dressage what Pether Markne if for show jumping and Viktoria Carlerback for eventing."

The 61-year old Nathhorst is a four time Olympian having won bronze at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. With Walk on Top she won the 1998 World Cup Finals and bronze at the 1998 World Equestrian Games. She also won team bronze medals at the 1997, 2005 and 2007 European Championships. She is a seven time Swedish Grand Prix champion and married to Swedish dressage judge Lars Andersson, who represented Sweden at the 1998 Olympic Games in Seoul.

Nathhorst's most well known Grand Prix horses are Walk on Top, Chirac, Inferno, Dante, Guinness, Tristan ASK and Isidor. She has also been the long-time trainer of Tinne Vilhelmson.