FEATURE
student aspirant, who never even owned her own horse!
From riding school to dressage star Swedish dressage rider Therese Nilshagen and her beautiful black stallion have won the hearts of fans and admirers around the world, by UTE RAABE.
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he black stallion powers across the arena. His extended canter is as uphill and ground-covering as you could wish for, yet he collects just as effortlessly for a beautiful, balanced pirouette. In the saddle is Sweden’s brightest star in dressage, Therese Nilshagen, guiding her imposing mount with a light hand, a loose curb rein and seemingly invisible aids.
Images: Therese Nilshage and Dante Weltino OLD showing the crowd their wonderful partnership at Horses & Dreams 2018.
It is impossible not to marvel at the performances of Therese and Dante Weltino OLD. The stunning Oldenburger breeding stallion and the petite blonde Swede have risen through the ranks to the top echelons of the sport and, along the way, have won many fans and admirers around the world. Next month Australian equestrians will get the opportunity to see Therese for the very first time, as the international dressage star for P.S.I. Dressage & Jumping with the Stars, Australia’s Young Dressage Horse Championship. Definitely time to get to know her a little better before her visit. As of January 2019 Therese and Dante were ranked number 12 in the FEI World Ranking List and the pair have been regulars in the placings at the top European shows for the past two years. Their breakthrough moment came in
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the 2017 European Championships in Gothenburg, where Therese’s fine riding earned her a close fourth place in the Grand Prix Special and a fifth place in the Freestyle. She also contributed strongly to the Swedish Team Bronze Medal. At the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon the pair again placed in the top ten in the Special and qualified for the Freestyle, but that event was cancelled due to the approaching
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You might think that this comet-like rise must have been supported by a family happy to promote their daughter financially - and with the right horse to help her career. But the opposite is true. Therese negotiated her career the tough way, from humble riding school beginnings to the world summit. She has demonstrated that it is possible to succeed, even if you don’t have large financial resources in the background. Therese is your quintessential down-toearth girl — blonde, bubbly, passionate and direct. She grew up in the small village of Vällingby in Sweden. Her family was by no means horsey, but her grandmother was fond of horses and when her older sister began to take riding lessons at the local equestrian club, Therese soon joined as well. Her parents could only afford for her to ride once a week, so Therese started helping out at the stables to be able to ride more often. After school she worked with Louise Nathorst, a former Swedish team member and medal winner, again in
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FEATURE
She has demonstrated that it is possible to succeed, even if you don’t have large financial resources in the background ...
hurricane. Most recently Therese and Dante scored 80.09% for fourth place in the World Cup Freestyle in Mechelen, riding another stallion, DSP Dominy, Therese has also won gold at the famous Bundeschampionate in the hotly contested Five-Year-Old Championship. Not a bad resume for a former law
exchange for lessons.
After graduating from school she moved to Germany in 2003 to learn German and also improve her riding. The plan was to stay for a year and then return to Stockholm to commence a law degree. However, fast forward to 2019 that degree is no closer and Therese can’t
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