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Tinne's story

Horses have always been a part of my life. My mom was very engaged in the equestrian world and from her I got my interest in dressage.

Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén and the horse Lord Django. Photo: Natalie Lindholm

At the age of seven I started riding and got to compete a small pony named Kandidat. It didn’t take long before I moved on to horses and became a member of the National Young Rider team. I competed for them in 1985-88, during that time I became Nordic champion together with Monsun.

I spent five years with the legendary dressage coach, Walter Christensen in Germany, where I worked and educated myself. That time in my life was invaluable and gave me the foundation to train horses as well as manage a large facility in a professional manner. When I moved back to Sweden I brought the mare Caprice with me, she became my first Grand Prix horse. We had a long career together, with two Olympic Games, a World Cup and two European Championships. In 1993 I won my first Swedish Championship with her.

After Germany, I ran my own business. First at Bergåsa in Södertälje and then at Fågelbro on Värmdö. It was a tough, but educational and an important time. I gained insight and understanding of horses different personalities and dimensions, both in terms of the vast majority of happy, harmonious horses, but also in the case of the misunderstood and abused. I learned to interpret the relationship between horses and riders to help them better understand each other for a more harmonious relationship. During this time, my interest in training of the youth riders grew, something that I still prioritize today.

After Caprice retired, Cezar, born in 1990, took over. We participated in one Olympic Games and two European Championships together.
In the year 2000, I met Antonia Ax:son Johnson in a cold riding house viewing area. She was looking for a rider for her three year old Weltman and asked if I was interested. That was the start of a long relationship. In the same year I moved to Lövsta Stuteri and became director of the farm and education. Since then, a lot has happened. In 2002, I had my son Lucas. I have ridden in several major competitions like the Olympic Games, the World Cup and the European Championships. In the end of 2012 I set the Swedish record in Grand Prix (79.553%) and Grand Prix Freestyle (84,700%) with Don Auriello, during the World Cup in Globen. In 2016 we participated at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, my seventh Olympic Game and finished with a seventh place Individual in the Grand Prix Special and fifth with the team. In August 2017, Paridon Magi and I finished tenth individual at the European Championships, in Gothenburg.

We opened our new stable at Lövsta 2007 and the whole business was environmentally certified in 2011. Stjärnborg’s farm, which originally was our branch for our own breeding mares, foals and young horses, has evolved into Lövsta Seminstation. Today we have a wide program of nice jump and dressage stallions with a breed station serving over 300 mares each season.

Working with horses is unique. Every horse and every day is a new challenge, a new issue to understand and oportunity to find a solution. Working with horses is not just a life mission, but also about pleasure and joy. Ultimately, it’s a way of living.

Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén,
Head of Lövsta Stuteri

Selection of competition merits

Tinne has ridden in seven consecutive Olympic Games, making her one of two Swedish athletes who has participated in seven Olympic Games.

    Olympic Games Icons/plus Icons/minus

    • 1992 in Barcelona. Fourth place with the team with the horse Caprice.
    • 1996 in Atlanta. Fifth place with the team with the horse Caprice.
    • 2000 in Sydney. Ninth place with the team with the horse Cezar.
    • 2004 in Athens. Sixth place with the team with the horse Just Mickey.
    • 2008 in Hongkong. Fourth place with the team and ninth place in the GP Special with the horse Solos Carex.
    • 2012 in London. Fifth place with the team and an eleventh place in the freestyle with the horse Don Auriello.
    • 2016 in Rio de Janiero. Fifth place with the team and an eight place in the freestyle with the horse Don Auriello.

    World Equestrian Games Icons/plus Icons/minus

    On her list of accomplishments, there are five World Equestrian Games on four different horses. With Caprice she rode in The Hague 1994, where the team took sixth. In Jerez 2002 and Aachen 2006, it was Solos Carex turn with a fifth place for the team, with 2006 being the best result. 2010, Tinne went to Kentucky with Favorite and finished tenth with the team. 2014, this time in Caen together with Don Auriello. The team finished sixth. Tinne and Don Auriello finished fifth in GPS and seventh in the Freestyle.

    European Championships Icons/plus Icons/minus

    Ten European Championships so far in her career with two Team Bronze medals. The first 2007 in Turin with Solos Carex and the other 2017 in Gothenburg with Paridon Magi. Her best results was sixth individual, 2007 in the Grand Prix Special with Solos Carex and 2015 in Aachen with Don Auriello in both GPS and Freestyle.

    World Cup Icons/plus Icons/minus

    Since 2004, Tinne has ridden eight World Cup finals, her best finish to date is a second place with Don Auriello in Gothenburg in 2016.

    Videos

    • Tinne Vilhelmson Silfven & Don Auriello - Aachen CDIO5* 2015

      Tinne and Don Auriello in Aachen

    • Tinne Vilhelmson Silfven & Don Auriello - WDM Munich

      Tinne and Don Auriello in Munich

    • FEI World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle, Wellington

      FEI WC GP Freestyle

    • Tinne & Benetton Dream in Rotterdam

      Tinne and Benetton Dream

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