If you weren’t looking closely during the Longines League of Nations Ocala on Saturday at the World Equestrian Center—Ocala (Florida), you might not have noticed that the striking gray mare competing for Sweden was different from the other horses, and not just for her beautiful jumping style.

Wilma Hellström bought Cicci BJN as a talented 5-year-old in Sweden, and by the time the mare was 7, she had a lot of people interesting in purchasing her.

But things took a turn when “Cicci” was injured while rolling in the stall at a horse show. She hit her right eye, and it was so badly damaged that vets had to remove it.

“I think if that wouldn’t have happened, she wouldn’t have been with me today, if I’m being honest,” said Hellström. “So, I think it was kind of meant to be.”

Now 14, the Swedish Warmblood mare (Ci Ci Senjor ASK—Tittut BJN, Tornesch 1042) has taken her owner to their first FEI European Show Jumping Championships and their first FEI World Cup Final, and last week, they represented Sweden at the Longines League of Nations—Ocala (Florida).

While Hellström describes Cicci as a “diva,” their partnership has only strengthened over their decade together. She’s the No. 1 horse in Hellström’s string, despite her handicap.

“[She was] not so easy in the beginning; she was really difficult with the contact. With dressage work, it took quite a while to figure out what to do with her, because she has very strong opinions about everything,” Hellström said, but “the jumping was always incredible.”

Hellström wasn’t sure what Cicci’s future would be after her accident.  

“I was more devastated for the horse,” she said. “It was really hard to see her, and it felt like she was also a bit in pain from it. We did the surgery as soon as necessary to remove the eye.”

Veterinarians told her that every horse is different when they lose an eye. They encouraged her to try jumping to see how she coped after the mare recovered from surgery.

She described Cicci’s recovery as like starting to walk again, and she spent several months handwalking and walking over poles on the ground, reassuring the mare and observing how she handled the loss of her eye, before she even tried riding again.

“It was only me that handled her for the first couple months,” she said. “No one else cleaned her box or even took her to the wash place, or anything. I did everything myself with her, just to try and help her, like to guide her, because I was the one who had the closest relationship with her. So, it was really a special time, the first time I jumped her after the accident. She has never [acted] like that, before or after. It was just pure happiness. It was like the spark came back again.”

The only change Hellström has noticed while riding is that the mare now will kick out to the right side if she hears something and can’t see it. As a result, Cicci wears warning red in her tail and Hellström makes sure to give everyone a wide berth while warming up and heading into the ring at shows. She’ll also sometimes take an extra stride when turning to the right just to make sure Cicci has time to focus.

Hellström, 31, says Cicci is her first big-time horse. She’s based in the Netherlands with her partner, Irish rider Eoin McMahon where they work with young horses up to international ones. While Hellström didn’t have the performance she hoped for this weekend in the League of Nations, finishing in eighth place with the Swedish team, she’s excited for her future with Cicci.

“I would say we have a very strong bond,” she said. “My groom was longeing her this morning, and … then I just called her, and straight away, she looked at me. We know each other really well.”

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