There’s one horse everyone is talking about after the Olympic dressage grand prix: Maxima Bella, ridden by Sandra Sysojeva.

She is the youngest horse in the competition at eight years old – two years younger than any other horses contesting the dressage. Add to that a rider competing for Poland, a nation that could be described as “emerging” in dressage circles, and there were few expectations ahead of her grand prix test today.

Sandra has owned Maxima Bella since she was four years old, buying her from a video. But she didn’t like her at first and tried to sell her for a couple of years.

“She was the mare of all mares – [pulling faces] in the box, difficult to catch,” said Sandra. “Nobody bought her so I said to myself, ‘Enough, we have to start somehow to be friends’.”