She was a reserve in the OS team, but now Maria von Essen struck with a third place in kür when the World Cup in dressage got underway in Herning, Denmark.
Maria von Essen and the horse Invoice scored 79,795 percent and led the competition for a long time before the home riders Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (won with 88,956 percent) and Daniel Bachmann Andersen (84,905) passed them in the results list.
"Unbelievable, unbelievable! Completely crazy. Completely fantastic, he was completely fantastic in there, really", says Maria von Essen to the Swedish Equestrian Federation's website.
The Swedish dressage star Patrik Kittel is the title defender in the World Cup, but did not start with the star horse Touchdown, instead with the new acquaintance Zoulmate.
The World Cup premiere in the freestyle program ended with an eleventh place for Kittel and Zoulmate on 75,195 percent.
During Friday's opening World Cup class in Herning, it was a seventh place for von Essen, while Kittel finished eleventh.
