World Cup stage winner Gothenburg Maria von Essen

It was a different picture at the award ceremony of the World Cup stage in Gothenburg: no professional wave, no mask-like, routine smile, but real emotions. Maria, “Mia”, von Essen had tears running down her cheeks in the saddle of Invoice after her freestyle victory. And her cousin Ebba, who had accompanied the sensitive Invoice into the arena at the Scandinavium, was not ashamed of her tears either. A family dream had come true. One that wasn’t backed by sponsors worth millions. The dream of a family that is not faced with the question of whether to fly to Wellington or Doha for sporting activities in the snowy Swedish January.

Maria von Essen sets up Invoice in peace

She saw her sport partner Invoice, one of, if not perhaps the last active son of the KWPN dressage legend Jazz, on a video as a young horse and bought him without looking. The Dutch-born Oldenburg, sired by Ferro and therefore with Olympic dressage blood on both sides, turned out to be a typical son of his sire. “Sensitive” in all its manifestations. But Mia believed in the handsome black stallion. She worked with him continuously. At her side: Kyra Kyrklund. Her pupil Cathrine Dufour has also been seen giving Maria von Essen tips. Maria also borrowed the freestyle music from her. The sounds from the musical Les Misèrable have already accompanied Dufour at the Olympic Games with Bohemian.

Invoice’s fragile nervous system was given time to develop. Mia von Essen brought the black stallion to the starting line for the first time at the age of seven. In June 2023, at the age of eleven, he competed in his first international tournament, initially in the small tour. In the same year, the pair made their debut in the Grand Prix and have since slowly worked their way towards the Swedish team nomination in small steps. Until the triumph in Gothenburg in front of a home crowd.

Maria von Essen and Kyra Kyrklund

The collaboration with the Finnish top trainer Kyrklund, who has lived in Great Britain for a long time, is based on a Swedish training concept. The former Swedish top rider Jan Brink, who won with Briar in Aachen, and his sponsor and mentor Åke Björsell had the idea of promoting young Swedish dressage riders. This was the basis on which Knytkalaset was founded. The Swedish word stands for “coming together”, for togetherness and exchange.

Maria von Essen was one of the young Swedish riders at the time who proved the concept, which was launched in 1998. The now 45-year-old traveled to Tullstorp, Jan Brink’s farm, several times a year for training camps.

Not only Mia, but also her cousin Ebba von Essen, who also rides internationally, benefited from the experience she gained back then. Both run the Essen dressage stable, Dressyr Essen in Eslöv, north-east of Malmö. In addition to riding, the mother of two has trained as a nurse in recent years. Her husband is a farrier. If you ask Swedish colleagues about Maria von Essen, the word “reserved” is sure to appear in the first sentence of the reply.

World Cup final 2027 as a dream goal

While many dressage riders are just that, reluctant when asked if they want to fly to the World Cup Final in Fort Worth, Texas, in April, Maria von Essen is clear on one thing. In 2027, Gothenburg will once again host the final of the winter season. Riding in the Scandinavium again would be a dream come true. Perhaps with the experience of participating in the 2026 World Championships in her luggage.