An equestrian blue print?

Pierce Dargan takes a look at the unique Swedish equestrian centre at Strömsholm, which stages the country’s Grand National and where racehorses are trained alongside eventers, showjumpers and sports horses, and can then be retrained for their new roles after racing.... it just all makes sense and is financially beneficial for all of those involved

THROUGH THE FOREST an hour and a half west of Stockholm you will find a National Park, which is home to one of the most unique equine centres in Europe, Strömsholm.

Strömsholm is not only a training centre for thoroughbreds and home of the Swedish Grand National, but also houses one of Sweden’s three national equestrian centers focused on developing excellence for horses regardless of their sport.

Whether one travels to Strömsholm for the Swedish Grand National, for studies, research, horse sports events, or just a visit, you will see horses thriving in the beautiful, natural and historic surroundings.

Training horses in Strömsholm goes back centuries. From 1621 the nearby castle of Strömsholm was a center of military horse training supplying the Swedish Army with horses. It continued for hundreds of years as the hub of Swedish equine education.

In 1868, on the initiative of Karl XV, a central riding school for the army was developed with a focus on officer training.

Fast forward a century, with horses of were no longer needed for the army, the site was transformed into the racing and equestrian centre of today.

Not only is it a centre of horse training, but also of education and research and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Equine Science programme is based on site. It is a three-year degree that gives the students deep knowledge in equine science, sport and management. It aims to also help research potential improvements in horse health that could aid in improving horse welfare across the number of equine sports practised at Strömsholm.

This includes retraining practises that help move the racing horses very smoothly into another career at the riding school based at the facility. It means the horses, while they transition into their new career, are still in familiar surroundings.

Strömsholm’s relationship with thoroughbred racing really came to prominence in 1970 with the approval to host the Swedish Grand National.

In 1971 the organising committee was looking to stage a special race to enhance its June race meeting that had been a date in the calendar for many years.

The committee wrote to Mrs Mirabel Topham, owner of Aintree, asking for her permission to call it the Swedish or Svenskt Grand National. She replied “Yes”, and mentioned that no one else had ever bothered to ask and promised to send a trophy.

Swedes now boast it is the only officially sanctioned Grand National outside of Aintree.

The trophy, known as the Topham Trophy, is a silver cup with an engraving of Captain Becher who rode in the first Aintree National. The trophy arrived in time to be awarded to Paul Cook, who had just won the Aintree race on Specify, to win the first running of the race in Sweden on Officer Kelly.

The only professional thoroughbred racing trainer on the site at present (as there are a number of amateur thoroughbred trainers at Strömsholm) is Karen Kuszli, who has seven horses at the facility.

This would be a small to medium-sized yard in Sweden with large trainers in Sweden having 20 horses and the three largest trainers having more than 40 horses.

The facility currently houses 200 horses with the majority being equestrian horses.

Kuszli trains on the long-time training centre and farm of Dennis Persson’s, which is a stone throw from the main area of Strömsholm.

Strömsholm consists of a number of different stables, indoor schools, cafés and paddocks for both equestrian and race horses.

Persson, a ten-time champion NH trainer in Sweden and dual winner of the Swedish Grand National, trained at the centre until handing over his license to his assistant trainer Kuszli.

“All horses share the same training grounds,” explains Persson. “The gallops are used by some eventing horses, as well as the racehorses. On very bad days in the winter racehorses can gallop on the frozen lake, when there is snow on the lake; we put studs in the heels of the shoes and the snow acts to make it a perfect condition for horses to gallop, it is very good for them.

“It is a long standing tradition in Sweden to gallop on the ice. If it is very bad outside we sometimes will go inside with our racehorses and train in the arena with the equestrian horses. The fences for the Grand National when they are not used for the races are used by the show jumping horses.”

Persson’s family is steeped in Swedish thoroughbred racing history all of which is linked to Strömsholm.

“I was born and raised in Strömsholm,” he recalls. “My father was the first one to get involved in racing in the 1960s. He evented, rode as a NH jockey and trained for 40 years before handing the license to me.

“My brother Dicke was the first Scandinavian jockey to get a contract in America and was based in Santa Anita when he was 15 or 16, he had been champion apprentice jockey at 14 in Sweden.

Strömsholm equestrian centre has a range of facilities for dressage horses, sports and eventing horses through to both active and retired racehorses

Photo courtesy of ridsport.se and by Mikael Sjöberg

“My other brother Johan won the Sweden eventing for juniors and then became a NH champion jockey in Sweden as well.”

Persson took to thoroughbreds a little later than his other family members, but he went on to achieve great success winning the Swedish NH jockeys’ championship in 2002 and 2003.

After taking a fall which injured his back in 2006 he took over the license from his father Tore, who passed away in 2007.

Persson won his first Swedish NH trainers’ championship in 2008. This was the start of a training career which would see him dominate Swedish NH racing winning ten consecutive championships and the Swedish Grand National in 2008 and 2010.

After the tenth championship Persson gave his training license to assistant Karen and took a job in Bro Park as head of the track.

Persson looks fondly back at his time training at Strömsholm, while passing the baton to the next generation.

“My youngest daughter Emilie won her first race this year. The two Grand National winners in 2008 and 2010 were big days for my family as my brother and father didn’t win as riders or trainers.

“When we finally won, we were able to tick that off our family’s bucket list. The winner traditionally would fill the cup with champagne and drink from it, which we did! They both were great days.”

Photo courtesy of ridsport.se and by Mikael Sjöberg

The race day at Strömsholm is a popular day out, racegoers can enjoy picnics and entertainment New generations: pony racing is on site, too

Photo courtesy of Svensk Galopp and by Elina Bjorklund

Great history continues to be created at Strömsholm. The once-a-year-only race meeting is one of the most international race days in Sweden. The local horses usually meet opponents from Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic.

In addition to the 115,000 SEK in prize-money, the winner is awarded the magnificent Topham Trophy. The meeting usually attracts around 4,000 spectators, who also get to watch Scandinavia’s most prestigious hurdle race, the Swedish Champion Hurdle. Unfortunately, there was no public attendance in 2021.

Paying for such a large and impressive equine centre leads to all the various equine sports working together to ensure Strömsholm prominence.

Amie Karlsson, communications manager at Svensk Galop, explains: “The ATG, the Swedish equivalent to the Tote, which is owned by the thoroughbred and standardbred racing authorities, provides some of its profits to the equestrian sports industry.

“This sum is usually around 55 million SEK. A part of this goes to the three main equestrian facilities in Sweden, of which one is Strömsholm.”

This collaboration between both sports helps to share the costs of the facilities in which both equestrian and racing events can operate. It means the benefits of such outstanding facilities can be shared by all horse owners in Sweden whether for racing, equestrian or leisure.

Sweden illustrates how a collaboration of the various equine authorities, whether thoroughbred, standardbred or equestrian, can work together to keep this iconic part of Swedish horse history not only open but thriving for both equine sports participants and horses alike.

Dennis Persson leading in his daughter Emelie Perrson on House Deposit with trainer Karen Kuszli

Photo courtesy of Svensk Galopp and by Elina Bjorklund