Swedish Girls Make Nations Cup History
An all-female Swedish team has made eventing history by claiming their country’s first-ever FEI Eventing Nations Cup victory at Strzegom, Poland – and they did it with just three horse-and-rider combinations.
The trio of Stina Arosenius riding Lorelei-L, Amanda Staam with Carilda Rose AT, and Jenny Glebenius partnering Canela proved that determination and skill can overcome any odds. Their final score of 151.1 put them ahead of home nation Poland (158.5) and Germany, who finished third on 1100.4 after losing a team member following the dressage phase.
From Last to First
What made this victory even more remarkable was the dramatic turnaround the Swedish team achieved. After finding themselves in last place following the dressage phase, they climbed all the way to first after a stellar cross-country performance. Adding to the girl power theme, all three riders were mounted on mares.
Sweden’s Chef d’Equipe Fredrik Bergendorff was understandably thrilled with the result: “We had a great day yesterday in the cross-country, and it was nice for these girls to be able to finish it off today. They are inexperienced or riding inexperienced horses, and this is really about learning. To be able to learn and to win like this has been fantastic.”
Individual Performances
Jenny Glebenius delivered the standout individual performance, finishing third overall with eight-year-old Swedish-bred mare Canela – one of the youngest horses competing. Despite producing one of the fastest cross-country rounds, an unlucky rail in the showjumping cost them second place.
“The cross-country was amazing; it was a really nice course. We love everything about this sport, and doing this with the horses is very special,” Glebenius said after her podium finish.
Twenty-eight-year-old Stina Arosenius, competing with her long-term partner 16-year-old Lorelei-L, was competing at Strzegom for the second year running after finishing fourth in 2024. “It has been sunny and fantastic, quite dramatic from the beginning, but totally amazing to finish like this,” she reflected.
Amanda Staam, 35, rounded out the team in fourth place aboard her own Swedish-bred mare Carilda Rose. “It’s super cool, and we are very, very happy. All three of us are very proud of our horses and very happy to be here, doing this together.”
Challenging Course
The Strzegom cross-country, designed by organiser Marcin Konarski, proved its reputation as one of the most challenging on the circuit. No combination managed to jump clear within the time, with only 5% of starters finishing both clear and inside the optimum time across all twelve editions of the Nations Cup held at the venue.
The series now moves to Avenches, Switzerland (24-27 July), with Great Britain and Sweden currently tied at the top of the leaderboard on 100 points each.
Source: Eleanore Kelly/FEIFeature image: Team Sweden winners of the FEI Eventing Nations Cup 2025 leg in Strzegom (POL). © FEI / Libby Law Photography