Josefine Pilhede

My passion for horses began in childhood, and for as long as I can remember, horses have been a central part of my life. My mom was into harness racing as a teenager, while my dad’s knowledge of horses didn’t go much beyond “they have four legs and a tail.” Like most kids, I started out at a riding school, and when I was nine, I got my very first pony—a sweet little Shetland named Pontus who looked completely harmless. But the moment my mom wasn’t around, he’d pin his ears back and kick me into the walls.

My parents planned to sell Pontus since he couldn’t be ridden and would constantly bite or kick me. But I begged and pleaded to keep him—and they finally agreed. That’s when my interest in horse communication truly began. I wanted to understand why Pontus was so aggressive. I found tons of inspiration on YouTube, where I discovered Liberty training for the first time. I wanted to be just like the trainers I saw online, so I started bringing carrots to the stable to bribe Pontus. At first, it didn’t go very well. But a few years later, Pontus could walk completely free wherever we went and would do anything I asked. I always rode him without a saddle or bridle, and he learned all kinds of tricks.

Eventually, my parents bought a small farm—and realized Pontus needed a friend. So we got him another pony. And then another… and another. Over the years, I got the chance to ride and train all sorts of ponies at home, each with their own quirks and challenges. We never had the budget for well-trained ponies, so I learned to work with the more difficult ones and figure out how to earn their trust.

In my teens, I discovered Western riding and Reining. When I started high school, I got my first American Quarter Horse—Snap O Rima, who I still own today. She was just 3 years old and only lightly started under saddle. She was incredibly gentle and kind, which was new for me after all those cheeky ponies. I was 15 and knew nothing about Reining—but I was determined to learn, and it quickly became my main focus.

A few years later, Rima and I became Swedish Champions three years in a row, qualified for the European Championships six times, and even reached #1 on AQHA’s world ranking list. I had never considered myself a competitive person before, but now my love for competition had truly come alive.

After high school, I wanted to grow—not just in Reining, but as a horsewoman overall. My mentor became Dan James of Double Dan Horsemanship. I was drawn to his methods—how easily he could solve any problem and understand a horse’s behavior. Through Dan, I got the chance to work with everything from wild mustangs and ex-racehorses to top-level performance horses. We traveled the U.S. for shows and competitions, and I had the incredible opportunity to compete in both Reining and Liberty at the AQHA Quarter Horse Congress and the ILHA Championships.

One of the highlights was a trip to Canada, where I trained with Niki Flundra and learned how to prepare horses for trick riding, stunts, and film work—including shows like Heartland.

My Liberty and trick training skills truly leveled up after learning from professionals like Dan. And so did my Reining, thanks to the opportunity to ride alongside elite athletes such as Matt Mills, Tom McCutcheon, Duane Latimer, Martin Larcombe, Brandon Brant, and many more. I’m incredibly grateful that Dan is still my mentor and continues to coach me in my horse training journey.

Today, I live on a small farm in Olofstorp, northeast of Gothenburg, with my amazing wife Malin and our beloved Golden Retriever, Ester. Outside of horses, CrossFit and training are huge passions of mine. My current focus is on the training and competition of reining horses. In 2025, we qualified for both the Nordic and European Championships, and now the goal is to see just how far we can go!

Achievements

Competition – Reining

• First Scandinavian and first woman to compete in AQHA Quarter Horse Congress Freestyle Reining (2019)

• Gold & Silver Medalist – NRHA Invitation Freestyle Reining

• Member of the Swedish Youth National Team in Reining – 2014 & 2017

• Ranked #1 on the AQHA World Ranking List – 2015

Swedish National Championships (SM), Youth Reining:

• 🥇 3× Gold

• 🥈 1× Silver

European Championship Qualifications:

• 7× Qualified

SRHA (Swedish Reining Horse Association):

• 2× Youth Year End Award Winner

• 2016 High Point Youth Award

• 2× Gold – SRHA Youth Cup

Education

• BYS – Equine Business Manager (2023/2024)

• Introductory Course for Para Equestrian Leaders (2023)

• SLU – Equine Behavioural Biology (2023)

• LiU – Equine Senses and Behaviour (2023)

• Certified Groom (Swedish Horse Groom Exam, 2016)