When Polish dressage rider Sandra Sysojeva certified for the freestyle remaining on the Paris Olympics, it was the end result of a protracted and delicate journey together with her excellent eight-year-old mare, Maxima Bella.
“For 30 years I’ve been with horses, I’ve been dreaming about competing on the Olympic Video games,” says Sandra. “It took lots to get there, due to my staff assist and my superb horse. What may very well be higher than scoring 80% within the freestyle? For a very long time, I couldn’t consider it actually occurred, that the horse was so good and well-behaved. It’s the most important current she may ever give me.”
Whereas Sandra has spoken earlier than about how persistence, belief and time enabled her to carry this sizzling and capricious mare as much as the grand prix stage, their Olympic build-up additionally required a particular strategy.
Maxima Bella competed a little bit in younger horse lessons as much as the age of six, however didn’t face the judges in any respect throughout her seven-year-old season. Sandra knew the mare had the expertise, however she had been working gently at house, with out stress – enjoying within the forest with the grand prix strikes.
“She wasn’t so within the straightforward exams, she discovered them actually boring,” explains Sandra. “She was providing some passage or piaffe or adjustments the place it wasn’t wanted.”
As an alternative, in 2023 – the pre-Olympic yr – she did demos with Maxima Bella to show her to clapping, noise and lights, however by no means a aggressive take a look at. After they first got here down the centre line, at Kalen-Towarzystwo CDI3* in February 2024, they hadn’t competed for practically 18 months.
“This yr we began to compete in grand prix and it was fairly troublesome to journey her, as she didn’t have a lot expertise within the ring,” says Sandra. “As with all horse you’re taking to the grand prix stage, we now have a particular connection. So she was ready, however not for this take a look at.”
“The much less I journey her, the higher”: Sandra Sysojeva on Maxima Bella
It could be a protracted season forward, qualifying for the Olympics after which competing in Paris. Maxima Bella would go on to win 16 exams, and acquit herself fantastically in Versailles, because the youngest horse within the area by greater than two years. She belied her lack of expertise to carry out private bests in each the grand prix and freestyle within the buzzing environment of the Paris stadium.
Nevertheless it was a tremendous steadiness. Retaining the horse on a steep upward trajectory whereas sustaining her freshness and urge for food for the work – a problem exacerbated by her extremely delicate character – required supreme horsemanship.
“Maxima Bella has simply completed her season successful in Salzburg CDI5* and scoring over 83% within the freestyle, and she or he’s nonetheless in wonderful situation, very sound and recent,” says Sandra. “It’s not just like the horse is drained after competing all season lengthy – she’s filled with power, keen to work, and that makes me actually completely happy. She’s stayed like this all yr lengthy though we now have competed lots.”
Sandra Sysojeva spends a number of hours taking care of Maxima Bella every single day, however says “much less is extra” in relation to ridden work. Credit score: lerasalash.photograph
Sandra explains the administration technique that has introduced out the most effective in Maxima Bella this yr, which is borne out of the previous six years spent attending to know her, with hours and hours spent strolling in-hand and gaining her hard-won belief.
“We determined this yr that she would have extra relaxation than using,” Sandra says. “However she’s not a horse you possibly can simply preserve in a field all day and journey for half an hour. She goes within the paddock within the mornings, or if it’s unhealthy climate I’ll stroll her in-hand. Some days we prepare, different days we work on the lunge. She doesn’t simply stand within the paddock as that gained’t assist her acquire muscle.
“I’ve a rule that the much less I journey her, the higher she is. She doesn’t must be ridden 5 instances every week – she’s ridden two or thrice, most 4. Most of her time is spent resting, with some groundwork workouts and a few bodily coaching on the lunge. We simply do some little bit of ridden work right here and there – and this consists of once we go to exhibits.
“However she nonetheless wants my consideration for 2 or three hours a day, and it’s necessary to me and her that I’m doing all the pieces together with her, as a result of that’s the reason we now have such a particular relationship.”
Maxima Bella remains to be a really younger grand prix horse, so it’s thrilling to see what 2025 has in retailer.
“After all we now have plans for subsequent yr, however with horses you can not plan a lot,” says Sandra. “So we plan fairly cautiously, but when all goes properly we wish to compete in a few of the larger exhibits, just like the CDI5* in Doha, to the Europeans, qualify for the World Cup Finals.
“However the principle objective is to maintain her completely happy, wholesome and having fun with what we do, that’s the precedence. She is an incredible horse, and it’s a beautiful story how she has bought to prime stage.”
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Sandra Sysojeva and Maxima Bella on the Paris Olympics.
Credit score: Peter Nixon
Polish rider Sandra Sysojeva together with her Paris Olympic journey Maxima Bella.
Credit score: lerasalash.photograph
Becky Moody using Jagerbomb on the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Credit score: Peter Nixon
Becky Moody pictured at her house base in Sheffield.
Credit score: Steve Dawe
Abi Lyle using Solar Rose (Shirley) – treats are at all times readily available throughout coaching.
Credit score: Peter Nixon
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Martha is an skilled journalist who’s mad-keen on horses and canine. Her reporting CV consists of the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Competition and World Cup finals. After rising up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she loved 14 years with two rescue canine. Now, her fixed companion is Fidget, a particularly energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on matters as numerous as a prime horse’s clone to the most effective GPS trackers for canine, in addition to equestrian and rural issues for Nation Life, The Discipline, The Instances, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.
