Cecilia Bergåkra aims for the DressagePower Horse Show – with two GP horses!
Cecilia Bergåkra is the rider from Hälsingland who has made a well-known name for herself in both the sport and on social media. This year she has entered both our GP classes at the DressagePower Horse Show: StudioS19 Grand Prix and U25 Grand Prix. We have spoken with Cecilia in more detail about why she chose to enter two horses and her thoughts ahead of ”Sweden’s most prestigious dressage competition”.
How did you decide to register for both our GP and U25 GP?
”Because the horses are simply at different ages and training stages! The older one is more experienced and qualified for a senior GP, while the younger one is more in the ”start-up” phase of their GP career and is gathering experience, which is very well suited to be done in the U25 classes”, explains Cecilia.
My Friend, or Maya as she is called by her family, starts the U25 Grand Prix and grew up with the Bergåkra family. She competed as a young horse with Cecilia’s mother, Sigrid Bergåkra, and has also won the Swedish Championships and the National Championships for Children together with her little sister Emilia. Now it is Cecilia who is in the saddle and the team recently took a bronze medal at the U25 Swedish Championships together.
”She is very hot and is still at the beginning of her GP journey, but I love her extremely ambitious, confident and humorous personality. She gets to compete in the U25 class and continue to gain good experience there,” Cecilia says.
Izack, who is entered in the StudioS19 Grand Prix, is also raised on the family farm. Cecilia has trained him up to the Grand Prix and describes him as an extremely sensitive individual.
”This is a very special horse for me. He is an incredibly sensitive individual, but once you get to know him, he is a really sweet guy!”
The team has a bronze from the U25 Swedish Championships in 2023 together, and this year they tested their wings at their first senior championships. They finished in 4th place in the küren and 6th place in the overall standings.
”Together, we continue to build a routine among the seniors, and therefore it’s perfect for him to start the senior class under DressagePower,” says Cecilia.
In our Grand Prix, the 12 best teams from the StudioS19 Grand Prix and the U25 Grand Prix will qualify for the grand final this weekend. There, seniors and U25 teams will face off in a thrilling Kür final in the StudioS19 Grand Prix!
What are your thoughts on seniors and U25s meeting each other in the final?
”Very exciting! Now I’ll be competing on both sides, which makes it a little internal competition between my performances and the horses, but I also think it’s a good opportunity to gather inspiration from both age groups and their Grand Prix horses!”
Cecilia does not make her debut on the competition arena at the DressagePower Horse Show, but she won the big prize in the StudioS19 Young Rider Trophy 2017 together with Primavera.
”My absolutely best and also my first memory from DressagePower was when me and Primavera won the Young-Rider final in 2017. I remember it as the icing on the cake after a fantastic year with placements at the European Championships and the Swedish Championships with Gold before that!”
And the final question – Will you watch the MasterClass with Jessica von Bredow-Werndl?
”I don’t really know yet! But regardless, I think it will be a very good MasterClass; Jessica is one of the best dressage riders in the world, so take the opportunity to gather inspiration for winter training!”
We wish Cecilia all the best! Entrance to the stands is free on all competition days. If you’re keen to follow our Grand Prix from VIP, buy your tickets HERE!