Swedish Equestrian Federation Creates "Olympic Horse Owners Club"

Dressage

Sweden

The Swedish Equestrian Federation and the Swedish Olympic Committee have created an "Olympic Horse Owners' Club" to pay tribute the horse owners, which have helped Sweden achieve success in sport, most recently Olympic team gold in show jumping.

The Olympic Horse Owners Club came together last week during the 2021 CDI Stockholm.

"The purpose of the club is to offer Olympic horse owners an Olympic context and a community that can provide motivation to continue the effort towards international success," said the Swedish NF. "The idea is also to create a meeting place for the exchange of experience and skills."

At the celebration evening at the Sweden International Horse Show in Stockholm, Peter Reinebo, the Operations manager of the Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK), spoke about the new Club and handed out diplomas and a stockpin, specially created for the owners who had a horse at the Olympics.

Decorated dressage horse owners were, for instance, Kristina Gustafsson (Bjorsells Briar), Antonia Ax:son Johnson (Solos Carex), Tinne Vilhelmson (Don Auriello).

Tokens of recognitions for the Swedish Olympic horse owners

"The support, both from the horse owners and SOK, is crucial for us to be able to have the success we have and to continue the development on the same track towards new championships," said Ulf Brömster, chairman of the Swedish Equestrian Federation.

Tinne Vilhelmson, a seven-time Swedish Olympian, told Eurodressage that "this Club is on the one hand to honour the owners that all ready had a horse in the Olympics and on the other hand inspire new owners that have had horses in nations cup and other teams to continue and keep them for the Olympics."

Vilhelmson added that the club "wants to help the club members to organize everything at the bigger shows and connect and bring owners together."