Swedish showjumper Ebba Danielsson is heading to the Longines EEF Series Final in Avenches with the ambition of continuing to make strides in a career that has already seen her compete in some of the main international arenas. Nikita vd Vosberg and Painted White de Goedereede will be her two great partners during a week in which she will once again represent Sweden, something she always considers “an honour” and a new opportunity to continue learning alongside the members of the senior team.
Horses have been part of Danielsson's life practically since she was born. Her mother competed and, during her childhood, ran a riding school on the family property in Sweden. That meant Ebba grew up surrounded by horses and spent as much time with them as she could.
“I started riding as soon as I could and I've never wanted to do anything else,” recalls the equestrian, whose career has progressed hand in hand with different horses that have contributed, each at a different stage, to building the sportswoman she is today.
One of the first essential names in her history is Dynamite Spartacus. The pony allowed her to compete in numerous competitions, take part in the European Championship and achieve victories in Grand Prix classes. It was one of the horses that opened the first big doors of her career.
Later came T-Gavoli Z, a mare who is still with her six years later and to whom she attributes a fundamental part of her training as a competitive showjumper. Among their most special memories together are their consecutive wins over two years in the Hagen Junior Grand Prix.
“T-Gavoli Z taught me how to be a competitive showjumper and taught me a huge amount,” Danielsson explains. With her, she also tackled some of her first bigger-class competitions and achieved numerous wins.
Her international progression continued alongside Equus Tame, with whom she achieved two results that provided a major boost to her career: victory in the Amsterdam U25 Grand Prix and the CSI2* Grand Prix held during the Prague Playoffs.
Yet if there was one mare that allowed her to definitively step up a level in the sport, it was Nikita vd Vosberg. With her came her first CSI5* competitions and one of those results that Ebba admits she will never forget: a double clear and fourth place in the CSI5* Rotterdam Grand Prix.
Nikita is still part of her team and will be precisely one of her mounts in Avenches. The time they have spent together has allowed Ebba to get to know the mare inside out and makes continuing to tackle new challenges by her side even more special after having been the one who accompanied her upon her arrival at top-level international competitions.
Another defining moment in his career was the arrival of Painted White of Goedereede thanks to Tom Martens. “He came into my life when I really needed him,” he acknowledges.
Painted White allowed her to compete in her first CSI4* Grand Prix and, above all, gave her the confidence to tackle the higher-level classes she had participated in up until then. His large size initially posed a challenge for Ebba, but time has allowed them to evolve together to build a relationship in which the rider feels she can always count on him.
Specifically, Painted White de Goedereede will be, alongside Nikita vd Vosberg, the other horse that Danielsson is taking to Avenches.
Beyond concrete results, Ebba considers that her evolution as a rider comes from all the different horses that have passed through her hands and from having always maintained the necessary motivation to continue working and improving.
That range of personalities has also shaped his approach to training. For Danielsson, there is no single formula that applies to all horses. Patience and time are essential to understanding what each one needs.
“Every horse is different, which is why I believe it's important to be patient and take the time to get to know each one,” she points out. For her, communication and trust are two fundamental pillars, to which she adds something she considers equally important: enjoying the journey together.
His day-to-day life when he is at home is dedicated almost entirely to horses. Riding and training take up a large part of his days, but precisely one of the things he enjoys most is having horses of different levels and personalities. Watching how each one evolves in its own way is part of what attracts him most to his work.
Now, that path leads her to Avenches and the Longines EEF Series Final. Danielsson arrives especially motivated by the prospect of wearing the colors of Sweden once again in an international competition.
“It is always an honour to go with the Swedish team and it means a great deal to me to be able to do so alongside the seniors, from whom I can learn a huge amount,” she affirms.
The female rider has focussed her preparation on arriving at the competition in the best possible condition and approaches the week ready to offer her best version alongside Nikita vd Vosberg and Painted White de Goedereede.
Avenches thus represents a new step towards objectives that Danielsson makes no secret of. He wants to develop his career at the highest level of show jumping, compete in major events and championships, and establish himself as an important member of the Swedish team.
However, his aspirations do not end within the tracks. Alongside his sports career, he wants to continue developing his own stable and working with horses from the early stages of their training.
“My dream is to practise this sport at the highest level. I dream of championships, major competitions and of being a strong member of the Swedish team,” she states.
An ambitious goal that Ebba Danielsson continues to build horse by horse and which this week writes a new chapter in Avenches, where she will have another opportunity to keep growing, learning and gathering experience alongside Sweden.
