Text © World of Showjumping

“I love where I am right now,” Denmark’s 32-year-old Zascha Nygaard Lill tells World of Showjumping. “I enjoy working with the horses the way we do, building them up. Sure, championships are always a goal, but what I enjoy the most is the journey with each individual horse.”

From taking her first five-star Grand Prix win in Hong Kong in February to being a part of the winning Danish team at the Longines EEF Series Nations Cup in Martofte in May, the 32-year-old has had a solid 2025-season so far – which in July resulted in selection for the Longines FEI Jumping European Championship 2025 together with Charino PS (Chacco-Blue x Norit Larino).

While Zascha lives in Lastrup, Germany, her horses are based about 50km away, in Damme with Andreas Kreuzer. “We both work for Schockemöhle, so I train with Andreas and manage everything together with him,” Zascha explains. “Currently, I have a team of seven to eight horses, two home riders and a show groom. I have a son, so I have to stay very flexible with my schedule. Therefore, I need a few extra hands to help me ride at home and keep the horses going when I am away at shows. I start early in the morning – around six normally – and then ride until one o’clock in the afternoon before going home to pick up my son.”

I enjoy working with the horses the way we do, building them up

As a junior, Zascha worked for Andreas and Christian Schou at Absolute Horses in Denmark, but later took two years to study. "When I started to study, I was not really sure what I wanted to do, but after two years I just really missed horses. Then I went to Germany in 2016,” Zascha tells about her career path. “I reached out to a friend and got a job in Münster, riding for Jens Baackmann – where I stayed until 2019. Now I can't see myself doing anything else than ride.”

“I kind of restarted my career when I moved to Germany,” she continues. “In 2019, I began working with Andreas. At that time, he was on his own, and it’s only for the last three years that we have both worked for Schockemöhle. We are based in Damme, while the rest of the PS-operation is in Mühlen. My string of horses is a mix between horses from Schockemöhle and other horse owners.”

“We work really well together,” Zascha says about her co-operation with Kreuzer. “We trust each other completely, which is important. We talk about everything and decide the shows together. He's very committed to what he does and I think he brings out the best in each horse and rider. I feel like he brought out the talent I had; he can see the potential in every individual, and I think that makes him such a good trainer.”

This year, Zascha has reached many of her goals – including taking her first five-star Grand Prix win – together with Com’On Stanley (Argelith Stakkato x Calido I) in Hong Kong. “Stanley’s co-owner bought the horse for us to go to Hong Kong because one of his best friends organises the show. He went to Hong Kong with his whole team, and stayed there the whole weekend with us. In the end, winning the Grand Prix there was a little bit unreal; everything happened exactly how we had hoped for. I would say that was the most emotional win for me so far – and the biggest accomplishment yet,” Zascha tells about the win with Com’On Stanley, who in June was sold to Qatar.

The next big goal is the 2026 World Championship in Aachen

In July, another milestone was reached when Zascha was selected for the Longines FEI Jumping European Championship 2025 in A Coruña, Spain. And with her second senior championship in the books, Zascha is already busy thinking ahead. “The next big goal is the 2026 World Championship in Aachen,” she explains. “That's my biggest goal right now. We're looking for horses for that already and trying to make sure that we can keep one or two until then.”

“I am also on a GCL team called the Basel Cosmopolitans, and doing well with them has been another important goal for me this season,” she adds.

Working for one of the biggest trading stables in the world while going after major goals in the sport takes a lot of planning. “It’s a fine balance and not easy to attain,” Zascha explains. “In the end, if you really want to be in the top, you have to have the possibility to keep your horses for a longer period of time. The better you know your horses, the better you can ride them – and the better you can perform."

If you really want to be in the top, you have to have the possibility to keep your horses for a longer period of time

"I love bringing up the young horses, I like being the one teaching them and doing all the firsts with them. That is what I did with Stanley. We had him since he was five, and to then go on and win a five-star Grand Prix with him, it is just a different feeling," Zascha points out.

“Eventually, we usually end up selling the horses, and even though it can be difficult to see them go after years of working together, there are always new projects coming,” she continues. “It’s nice to have one or two horses that you don't have to sell so you can stay in the sport as well. We all know it's really difficult to keep the horses, especially for us as we work for a sales stable. Now I think we have a few really good horse owners who like to see the sport and are willing to keep the horses for a bit longer. I think that makes a huge difference in my career.”

Another fine balance Zascha has to manage is combining motherhood with a sports career. “It is not so easy,” she admits. “It takes a lot of planning, and my mum plays a really big role in this. She's basically living with us. I decided from the very beginning that I wouldn't bring our son along to the shows all the time, because I think he should have his routines at home. I have tried to manage it in that way, and my mum or my husband are with him at home while I am showing. However, it gets tougher the older my son gets. It gets harder and harder for me when I have to say goodbye to him on a Thursday and I won't see him for four days. When I have normal work-days in Damme, I wake up really early so that I can make it home in the afternoon to be with him. However, you need to have good people around you to make it work.”

 I think motherhood has just made me stronger

While motherhood has changed Zascha, it has only been in a positive way – she has found a great purpose outside the competition arenas. “Now, when I don’t have a good weekend at a show, it is a nice feeling going home to my son. Being loved and loving someone is just something bigger,” Zascha says. “I think it makes it a little bit easier, knowing that there is something more important than showjumping. And also, you have somebody to share the ups and downs with. I think motherhood has just made me stronger.”

“I've heard a lot of women say that they are a bit more nervous, that they're little bit more cautious, after becoming a mother, but I have not experienced that,” she tells. “It took me a while to get back in the saddle though because your body just changes completely. I would say it took me two years to feel completely the same again physically.”

“I think it's sad, but I understand why,” Zascha says when asked how she feels about the lack of women at the top of the world ranking. “It is not only in our sport as an athlete; I feel like this is the case in all other careers as well. If your priorities change when you become a mother, I think that is absolutely fine. However, if you're woman, and a mother, and you still want to do your thing, have your career and live your life to the fullest, you should do it. I know it's difficult, but everything is possible. We should not feel limited by the norms in society. Being at the top of the rankings is not what I'm aiming for, either. I don't want to be at a horse show every weekend, and there are times where I'm not going to jump the Grand Prix because that's better for my horse. I enjoy the journey with the horses, seeing how they grow up and how their careers develop – not only my own.”

“What is really important for me as a rider is my team; to work together with everyone, from the grooms, to the vet, the farrier and the trainer,” Zascha says. “Over the last years, I have truly realised how important team work is. When you have a good team and all your basics done at home, all that is left for the shows is going into the ring and believing in the work you have done. It's about believing in your horse and believing in yourself. That – and being patient – took me to where I am today; believing that my horses and I can do it.”

28.7.2025 No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.