Aachen Gran Prix

It was not my day... It all started well, the training in the morning was good and Sini got better and better. Also the warm up for the test in the afternoon went well, without any problems. That's why I'm chocked about what happened in the arena. Sini got his tung between the bits just in the beginning of the test. He tried to get it back but it didn't work out. There  was nothing I could do. Normally I should have stopped and go out without a result  but this was a team competition and Finland had only 3 members in the team so I needed to ride till the end and get a result for the team. 

Unfortunately our show now in Aachen is over. I'm not allowed to ride the GP special any more. So Marieke is going home with Sini and we need to make a new plan from now on till European championships. 

Wednesday

All our team members past the vet check today! So the worst part is done and now we just enjoy the good show. 

The CHIO Gran Prix starts tomorrow at 9:00 a.m and I'm almost in the end with Sini at 15:33.

The training today went well. I still happy with Sini and very hopeful about tomorrow's test.

Aachen

Not after a long time we already have the next show. This time it will be CHIO Aachen. It is something special this year because we have a team for the first time since the year 1989. And I have nice memory's from last year. It was during Aachen when I found out that I am going to ride in Olympic Games.

Sini game yesterday with his groom Marieke and I came today. The first training went well. I happy with Sini, he stayed calm and relaxed trough the hole training. Tomorrow ist the vet check and the Gran Prix is on Thursday.

Home sweet home

Finally home! We travelled again 3 days, one day with the boat and 2 days driving. We stopped again once in Stockholm for a night and once in Kokkedahl at Mikaela Lindt's barn. The horses were traveling well even if the last day when we arrived to Germany was really hot. We had over +30!
Sini can rest a couple of days and then we need to start to prepare ourselves for Aachen! It is going to be exciting with the Finnish team in CHIO Aachen. And for now it should be our last show before the European championships.

Helsinki Masters 2013

We drove to Helsinki on Wednesday early in the morning. We had first a training with Emile Faurie. He is the head coach for Finnish team now and he was supposed to train us 2 days and then also help in the warm up if needed.
I was very happy with my horses and he gave me some good tips :)
On Thursday I rode Sini Spirit for the first time in Laakso stadium where the show will be. He was quite tense but got little better by the time. Later in the evening I took him out again to walk around the warm up.
First test on Thursday was the Prix St. George. Fiaro was the first one to go. He was good in the warm up and the test was nice and he was more relaxed than on the show last weekend. We had only one small mistakes in 3 tempis and he got 68,8%.
Sini Solina was very nervous at first but got more relaxed during the warm up. She got tense again as my turn came and I started to ride around arena. Trot was still quite good, she got even 9 from the one half-pass! But the walk was not so good anymore, she was hurrying too much and in the canter she got tense and too hot again. Some parts were good but in both serial changes we had mistakes. In the end she got 65,48% and ended to the third place! Fiaro won that class!

Friday

The first class, intermediare I, started already at 7:30 a.m. Fiaro was again first horse on the starting list. I was really happy again with the test even if I got again one mistake in 3 tempis and one canter pirouette was not so good. He was still good to ride through the test and this was a good last ride with Fiaro here in Finland. We got 68,9% and Fiaro won again!
Solina was much better in the warm up than the day before but in the test she got so tense again. She didn't want to walk at all and the both canter pirouettes were broken because she changed behind. One good thing was that we made both serial changes without any mistakes! So there was still something good in that test. This time she got only 62,98% and ended up on the fifth place.
But then the day got even better. Even if the weather was not the most perfect and it was raining a little bit the Gran Prix was successful for us. I had I nice ride with Sini Spirit. There was one big mistake in the sic-sac and the last piaffe was not that good but for the first test after a longer break it was a good start for me and Sini. We got 70% which was enough to win the class. And as a team we got silver in the Nordic Baltic championships! The gold was also very close but at the end Denmark was little bit better. Sweden got bronze.
Tomorrow is the freestyle where we fight individual for the medals.

Finnderby Saturday&Sunday

Wow, what a Weekend! I wasn't expecting that kind of success! 3 first places and 2 times second. I'm really happy with both of my horses.
On Saturday in intermediaire I Solina was nice to ride and had a good expression but in the end she got a bit tense. We had two mistakes in the flying changes and the last transition from canter to trot got long. She had 67,7% and that was our first time winning on this level.
Fiaro got second just behind solina with 67,3%. I also had mistakes with him in the changes and he cantered after the salute in the beginning..
The last test was the intermediare I freestyle. Solina was the first one to go. She was already more tense in the warm up than the days before. And then next to the warm up was a vaulting show with loud music and applause so that didn't make it any easier for her. My freestyle music for her was Robbie Williams. The trot tour was still good but in the canter she got really tense. She got 65,1% from the first freestyle in her life.
For Fiaro I had the music from Transformers. The test was good, very nice trot tour and good parts in canter even if there were few small mistakes. He got 72,4% and won the class! :) yuppie!
Sini Spirit was in Ypäjä only two days for training. He will compete first time on Friday in Helsinki.

Finnderby

On Wednesday we drove to Ypäjä with Sini Solina and Fiaro Lacendos. On Thursday was the first test which was Prix St. Georges. I showed the arena to the horses in the morning but they both were relaxed and not spooky at all. First I rode Solina and I was quite happy with her. We got some small mistakes, Solina lost her rhythm in one extended trot and the extended canter got out of control in the end. But we had only one flying change which was late behind. She got 66,3%. Fiaro as well did a nice test. There were no bigger mistakes but the heat got the last power out of him. He got a little bit tired at the end. He got 68,9% and won the class! And for our surprise Solina got second!
On Saturday I ride them both again in Intermediare I which starts at 10 a.m.

Finland!!

After a long trip we finally arrived in Hyvinkää, Finland. We were here yesterday late in the evening. The horses were tired but happy to get into their stalls. It took us 3 days to travel. We made 2 stops over the night so that we could take the horses out of the lorry and they could get some rest. Today I took the horses out for an easy ride. They were all fresh and loose and happy to move. We will stay in Hyvinkää for a few days and then we'll load to lorry again and head up for our first show in Ypäjä. By the way it is really hot in here..... =)