February 22, 2025 
Maxima Bella is living up to her name.
Maxima Bella, in Italian, roughly translates to “the greatest beauty.” It’s not just a pretty name because, together with Polish dressage rider Sandra Sysojeva, 9-year-old Maxima Bella is dominating the world of international dressage.
Looking down the mare’s FEI results, between May of 2024 and the end of the year, there were only two occasions where she didn’t win, and more importantly, 10 where she did. Those two non-victory events were CHIO Aachen, where she picked up a second place, and the Olympic Games in Paris, where she won everyone’s hearts at only 8 year old on the start list.
The winning streak has more recently brought Sysojeva and Maxima Bella to their first CDI5* victory to close 2024. They opened 2025 in the same fashion, winning the CHI Al Shaqab Grand Prix Freestyle.
A score of 81.740% propelled them to the top of the leaderboard in Doha, with Hans Peter Minderhoud of Denmark in second place with Glock’s Toto JR. (79.190%) and Sweden’s Patrik Kittel in third with Forever Young HRH (78.895%).
“The aim was to make it to the podium here and we made it!” Sysojeva exlaimed after her win. “Al Shaqab motivates every rider to win the title in any event they participate in. Today, I felt proud standing on the podium in this exceptional championship.”
The music chosen for the occasion was a track two years in the making. Working closely with a music producer, Sysojeva developed the perfect blend of classical melodies to pair with her new freestyle, debuted successfully at Al Shaqab.
Despite their chemistry now, Sysojeva and Maxima Bella didn’t hit it off immediately. The mare was purchased off a video at 4 years old and Sysojeva tried to sell her as she proved to be rather difficult early on.
“She was the mare of all mares, [pulling faces] in the box, difficult to catch,” she explained. “Nobody bought her so I said to myself, ‘Enough, we have to start somehow to be friends’.”
That was the beginning of a magical partnership, and Sysojeva soon realized the horse had grand prix in her bones.
“She’s crazy talented and very, very smart,” Sysojeva described Maxima Bella.
The same brain that the mare used to escape her captor in the field helped her excel in training.
“If you were to ask me how I got her to grand prix so quickly, I don’t know; it seems like she was doing it all her life,” Sysojeva continued. “It’s like a child in school that is very talented and has nothing to learn there so can go straight to university. She was born to be a grand prix horse.”
Sysojeva and Maxima Bella could be the ones to watch when FEI World Cup™ Finals roll around in April; they currently sit in a tie for the lead in the Central European League World Cup standings.
Watch their performance in the Grand Prix at Doha:
