The horses got Yvonne back on her feet – Now she’s aiming for the DressagePower Horse Show
Yvonne Björkman has been a part of equestrian sports throughout her life. Without any horse-interested parents, Yvonne spent every minute in the stables. Eventually, she got the opportunity to buy her own horse. Today, she is an active dressage rider who has competed up to Intermediate 1 and is a qualified dressage judge/ÖD.
This autumn she aims to qualify for the semifinals of DressagePower Sweden Trophy, The competition for Sweden's MsvB riders.
The horse she has registered is Caity J, with whom Yvonne has a very special story.
Yvonne and her family lost their son in a traffic accident that turned their lives upside down. One day, when life felt unbearable, she went to watch a breeding horse show; a small black foal appeared in the garden; it stood there with its soft, fluffy mane, comforting Yvonne who was in a big black hole. Yvonne asked if she was for sale, but she wasn’t, but after a few years their paths crossed again and the owner offered Yvonne to buy Caity J, who was then 3 years old.
Today, Yvonne devotes all her time to the family and the horses; she emphasizes the importance of cooperation within the family for everything to work smoothly. Her husband handles the farm work, from the stables to packing the picnic bag in the car for long competition days. At home on the newly built farm, there are four horses, a cat, and two of their children – who also share the interest in horseback riding.
Together with Caity, they now hope to qualify for the semifinals of the Sweden Trophy, which is being held during the DressagePower Horse Show in Linköping later this year.
”It feels great to ride in a competition that is for us MsvB riders; that we can be a part of. It’s hard to afford to buy super-quality equipment for horses. Many of us finance our horse lives with salaries from other jobs. This opens up the sport to more than just the elite.”
Finally, Yvonne adds with a hint of excitement: ”I hope that Caity will love the atmosphere, if we make it all the way to the semifinals… But we have a few more races to go to have a good result!”
We wish Yvonne and Caity all the best!
Are you interested in riding our competition for Sweden’s MsvB riders? Submit your application to the DressagePower Sweden Trophy here.