PHOTO BY SUSAN J. STICKLE
TINNE VILHELMSON-SILFVEN
TINNE VILHELMSON-SILFVÉN Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfvén of Sweden is one of the greatest dressage riders of all time. The seven-time Olympian is a master of riding and training young horses into being some of the best in the world. In this, her eighth year coming to Florida for competition, she brings a handful of her top horses for only a couple of months to build confidence and compete in the warmer climate. She expressed gratitude for the opportunity. “I’ve found coming to Florida to be a super opportunity,” she said. “To be able to go back to the same ring for many weekends allows me to have the chance to explain to my horses that it’s OK. This is how international competition looks. The entire international atmosphere is here, but going time and time again, weekend after weekend, gives me a chance to try to ride with less power to give them confidence.” Vilhelmson-Silfvén has also competed at five World Equestrian Games and 10 European Dressage Championships. She has won three bronze medals in team competitions at European championships, and also competed at six editions of the Dressage World Cup finals. She has already qualified for her seventh World Cup Final, to be held this April in Paris.
wellington the magazine | march 2018
51