Lillann Jebsen Returns to Horse Sport, Hired as Development Consultant at Norwegian Federation

Dressage

Norway

Former Norwegian WEG team rider Lillann Jebsen has been appointed Development Consultant for the Norwegian Equestrian Federation.

The 32-year old Jebsen represented Norway at the 2007 and 2008 European Young Riders Championships and won the 2007 and 2008 Nordic Baltic Championships on Flyinge Wetano. Aboard Pro-Set she competed at the 2010 and 2014 World Equestrian Games, 2011 and 2013 European Championships and 2013 World Cup Finals. Jebsen and Pro Set became the 2012 and 2014 Norwegian Grand Prix champion.

Break from Horses for Studies

In 2015 Jebsen announced her retirement from dressage sport, giving the impression that she had said adieu to horses, but that was only for a short period.

In 2015 she got her Bachelor Degree and in 2017 she finished her Masters Thesis in Educational Science after doing an internship at DS Smith in Denmark. Jebsen worked as rider for Danish horse dealer Hasse Hoffmann from 2006 until 2016, when she had to focus on completing her Thesis.

Gravitate Towards Horses

Lillann made a very low-key return to horse sport in March 2017, when she got hired as Norwegian team captain for Children and Ponies.

"I love this sport. It has been at huge part of my life ever since I was 6 years old, so I will always have horses in my life in som form or another," Jebsen told Eurodressage.

After three years, Jebsen got promoted to the job of Development Consultant for the Norwegian Equestrian Federation. She began in her new role on 1 February.

Lillann Jebsen and Hasse Hoffmann at the
2013 European Championships

"Currently I'm working with all the officials in the different disciplines and everything that entails education both national and international, authorisations, recruitment, and so on. I'm loving everything about it," Jebsen explained.

Jebsen will not combine the job of team captain and development consultant. Sports manager Nina Johnsen is now seeking a new team captain for the Children and Pony riders.

"I got the position of team leader in March 2017, right after I finished my Masters. I'm still in this position until the federation finds a replacement," said Jebsen. "It will be a sad moment when that happens because I'm having so much fun working with all these young, talented and promising riders. So inspiring and amazing to watch them develop into wonderful riders and people, but unfortunately I can't work with both. The riders deserves my full attention and with the new job I would not be able to give them that, and that wouldn't be fair to them either.

Back in the Saddle

Jebsen has also returned into the saddle, not having ridden for a year. After living in Denmark for 14 years, Jebsen has returned home to Oslo, Norway.

Her new riding partner is the 10-yearold Stall-K's Buddy M (by Blue Hors Bentley x Blue Hors Don Schufro), owned by Siv and Eivind Morberg.

"I'm just settling in and I don't have any plans on competing any time soon," said Lillann. "But you never know what the future might bring. Maybe someday you'll see me back in the big arena again."