Meet Nellie Liljegren – the recipient of the Henrik von Eckermann scholarship 2022!
In 2022, at DressagePower, we established a new scholarship together with Henrik von Eckermann. The scholarship was awarded to a promising young rider who has a clear vision for the future – namely to Nellie Liljegren! Nellie is a driven Young Rider who, together with her horse Cannon, has competed in both the Swedish Championships and the National Championships and internationally. Together, they have made a journey that is quite inspiring:
”My and Cannon’s journey began about 2.5 years ago. He is a stallion born in 2013 after Zuidenwind – Bocelli. When we bought Cannon, I had no idea how to ride a pony or how to make a change. Cannon was also very inexperienced on the competition courses and we simply had to learn all the difficult things together. By taking this journey together from scratch, we have built a very strong bond between us.”
And 2022 was truly an impressive year for the team. Together, they competed in their first international competition; they came fourth in the Junior SM and represented Sweden at the National Championships, and they had the opportunity to participate in a competition in Herning where the World Championships took place.
”Everyone says you should dream big, so if I get to dream big in the future, of course I aim to be able to ride the Grand Prix. But before that, I hope to be able to represent Sweden at some championships in the coming years,” says Nellie.
This year is their first year as a Young Rider team, and Nellie is looking forward to new exciting challenges together with Cannon.
”Before the 2023 competition season, I had a goal of qualifying for the Swedish Championships, which we managed to achieve. Since this is our first year as a Young rider, I hope to have more and more consistent rounds before the Championships. Of course, it would have been a dream if we managed to make it to the A-final, but there are so many amazing teams, so it would just be a bonus. At the end of the year, I also hope to participate in the StudioS19 Young Rider Trophy. It’s a really fun highlight of the year and creates a sense of championship. Hopefully, Cannon and I have gained a bit more experience with the Young rider programs and manage to make it all the way to the final!”
Last autumn you were awarded our Henrik von Eckermann Scholarship. What has it brought you?
”It was an honor to receive the scholarship from HvE! This scholarship has helped me and Cannon continue to train and develop together. Since we made the step up to Young rider this year, the scholarship has really been a big help!”
And finally: Is there any Swedish rider that inspires you a little extra?
”There are incredibly many and talented riders here in Sweden, but someone who really inspires me every day is my amazing trainer Johanna Due – Boje. She is an incredible role model in the way she rides, the love for the horses, and the fact that you should never give up. She is always there in both good and bad times. She always makes sure Cannon and I are in top shape for the competition season and encourages us to the max. Without Johanna, we would never be where we are today.”
We wish Nellie all the best! If you are also interested in applying for our Henrik von Eckermann scholarship, it is open to all our members of the DressagePower Club. Join us www.dressagepower.se.