Every day life

 My horses Sini Solina and Sini Spirit are still going out on the field. It´s November and a bit muddy but they are still really enjoying it!

Me, Sini Solina and Sini Spirit

Soul is getting ready for training

Sini Solina wins!

I had a show today with Sini Solina. It was in Unna-Massen only about 1 hour drive from our barn. The class was Prix St. Georges. I'm really happy with her! She only cantered one time in the extended trot because I pushed her a bit too much and then there was little tension in the four and three tempi changes. But she also got lot of 8s for example from the shoulder-in and halv-passes in trot. We got 71,6% and that is our best score so far in the small tour!

Second place for Solina

Sini Solina got second in Prix St. Georges special with 68,45%. She was so good until the four tempis changes which were a bit wild and then the last center line with halt, reinback and medium trot where she cantered. I won the class with another horse, Lemming but Solina was the last horse to go and that's why she was allowed to go to the price-giving and wear the winner blanket! Yey!

Sini Soul

I'm not superstitious but I'm going to risk it anyway and say it out loud. Sini Soul is back in real training and going well. He was injured last year and after a long and patient rehabilitation everything looks good now. I'm going to take my time with him and I won't rush it to show him. He is now 8-years old and before his break he was already on Prix St. Georges level. We are not quite there yet but I don't have any doubts that he doesn't get there soon. 

Time flies

Hello everybody!

Greetings from Etteln! The days pass by quickly when there's a lot to do. Unfortunately I couldn't be in the finish team for WEG because the horse Lord of Lennox which got the needed qualifications got injured. So I was following the games for home.

Sini Solina is going well. She is getting more solid in her piaffe and passage and we are working hard on the tempi changes. If I want her to be my horse for Rio then she has to go Gran Prix next year. I'm really optimistic about that but we still have to work constantly and hope that there won't be any injuries on our way.

Also there has been more changes in our daily basics. My groom Marieke is not working for me any more. I'm on my own at the moment. So I was struggling to get along by myself the hole august but now I am slowly getting it all organized. I had to get use to do things again differently and make good plans to minimize the wasted time.

This week is Bundeschampionat in Warendorf and I have one 5-year-old to show there. It is always fun to be there and the show is amazing with so many interesting horses. And you get to see the people you haven't seen for a long time because they all are gathering around. So I'm looking forward to that!

Solina's first show

Today was really hot but it was only good for Solina. She stayed calm in the test and was concentrated. Only the fodding was still very wet after 2 days raining and it became deep on the diagonals so I think that's why Solina tripped in the first extended trot and cantered. We got 69% and was on the fifth place. 

Sini Solina

I'm going to have a show with Sini Solina tomorrow. It's a first show for a long time so I hope she is not going to be too wild! 

Tomorrow morning I have to ride 6 horses at first and then I'll leave for the show at 1 o'clock. The show is in Dortmund so it's not so far from us.

Now good night and sleep tight!

Hello!

I'm driving to Perl-Borg for this weekend to show Lord of Lennox in the CDI 4* and Capo in the small tour.

There has been some changes in our daily basics. I won't compete with Sini Spirit anymore. He is now leased to Phillip who is a young rider at our barn and who will ride and take care of Spirit for now.  Sini Soul and Solina are in good health and Spirit is enjoing his life on the field and the easy training with Phillip.

I'm still working long days and was away a lot to compete and also few times in South Korea to help one of our clients with his qualifiers for the Asian Games. I also train and support one Indian girl with her two horses who also qualified for the Games.

Sorry about the delayed update! Will give you more news soon!

Emma 

First week at work

I started to ride and work again one week ago. The first days were still difficult because I didn´t have any strenght in my left hand and in the fingers. But day by day it´s getting better. I´m also going twice a week to see the Physiotherapist to work on the stretching and bending in the finger. My first show was supposed to be Hagen but it´s coming too early. All my horses had an easier time while I was injured and now I need some time to get them back to the competition shape. So I´m planning to ride in Mannheim one week after Hagen.

Tomorrow I can finally start riding again! It has been 7 long weeks since my finger broke but today is the last day. I am a bit worried how good I can use my hand and my fist but I'll hope I'll get soon back in shape :)

News

I finally have a date when I can start riding. I will start working again on 7th of April. I hope everythings fine by then and I really can start riding. I started to do gymnastic today with my finger. It is still stif and I can not make a fist and it hurts to bend it by I hope that all gets better by the time. By the way, we are making a new homepage for Team Sini Finland and if there is something what you want to read please let me know!

Sini Spirit in his favorite activity =)

Still a broken finger

So I went to see the doctor again. He said my finger looks better in the x-rays but it's not completely healed. I still have at least 2 weeks before I can start riding.

I miss riding. It is hart to stay at home or go to the stables and not get on a horse. I try to do something what I normally can't do when I'm working and don't have any extra time. I go to see my horses almost every day. They are fine and enjoying the german spring weather.

A broken finger

I have bad news about myself. I fell from a horse and it was not bad at all but I think I got my finger stuck in the rains which is why my finger got broken. Everything has been a little bit chaotic and there has been a lot to organize but now a day by day it's all getting more clear. My groom is taking care of Sini-horses and riding them but so that they get an easier time now while I cannot ride. I still need 2 weeks before I can start  riding and that is if everything's fine. I need to hope for the best!

Unna-Massen

The show with Solina went well. She was a bit spooky as we got a chance to show the arena to the horses. There were a lot of flowers and plants all around and on one long side were tables and chairs for the audience.

I was happy with the test. We got no big mistakes even if some flying changes were a bit tense but Solina felt much better than in the last show we had. We got 70,8% which is our best score so far and ended in the second place.

I've planned the next show for Solina in 3 weeks and that will be Prix St. Georges.

Home

Last week was a busy week. Hubertus wasn't there because he was training in Florida and I had two extra horses to ride. This week will hopefully be more quiet and we can go back to our normal routines.

I have a show coming on this Thursday with Solina. It's a national show nearby only 1hour away from us. She is doing fine at home. We have been training a little bit piaffe and passage and I have to say that sometimes we get some nice moments. Only the one tempi changes are more difficult at the moment. In the show I will ride her in s-class but I hope that sometime this year we will be ready to start Gran Prix. Just need to keep practicing! 😄

Happy new year!

So the holidays are over and the normal day routines can start. I was working the hole Christmas time and that's why not able to go home to Finland. 

My normal day is still the same. I am starting at 7:30 in the morning and riding 10-13 horses per day. Sometimes I have lessons with some of the horses I'm riding to teach their owners.

The weather in Germany is not really like winter. We have had more or less +10 degrees and some nice sunny days. I have been able to ride outside still. Not very typical for January. We will see if the winter comes at all this year...

Have a nice start for this year and take a good care of your horse friends!

Emma

Happy New Year 2014 for everybody! Hope you have a nice time with your family and friends!

Paderborn

The last show of this year for me was today with Sini Solina in Paderborn. It was a 2 day national show with jumping on Saturday and dressage on Sunday.

The class I rode was S* which is like Prix St. Georges but with less changes in serial changes. Solina was really tense as I walked or tried to walk around the arena on the break. In the warm up she got more relaxed but didn't quite let me ride her. The same continued in the test. She was constant and did her job but didnt give 100%. We made only one big mistake but that cost us the first place. We got 69,92% and that was 7 points less than the winner had. Anyway I'm happy to finish this year and start the next year with a new enthusiastic.

So enjoy your time preparing for christmas and let the new year come!

Time flies and it is already December. And soon enough it will be Christmas and new year. I haven't bought any christmas presents yet but I hope there will be time soon. I have been busy working at Hubertus' stables. Now when there are no shows for me I have more horses to ride than before.

Sini-horses are all good. Marieke is taking care of them. I've planned one more show for Solina in 2 weeks. It is just a small local show here in Paderborn but then the break won't be too long before her next show. She still needs routine what comes to the horse shows and travelling.

Oh, last week we got our first snow this winter! It didn't last long but it was there and everything were white for a moment. I hope we will get snow for Christmas. There is no Christmas without snow!

Take care,

Emma

Warstein 19.10.2013

I had a super show weekend with Sini Solina and Capo! Solina won her first S-class with 69,2%! I'm super happy with that! Then she got also third in Prix St. Georges special which Capo won! Solina got 67,8% and Capo 72,27%. 

Now I will have a holiday for 2 weeks. I'm looking forward to see my parents and my sister and her family and to spend some good time with them! 

Guxhagen

I had a show with Solina on Thursday evening. It was a national S-class with only 14 starters. There was a prize-giving goons on as we went indoors to do the warm up. Solina got nervous and was so tense that I needed to walk and do posting trot longer to make her calm down. I was really happy how she relaxed in the warm up and how she let me ride her. Unfortunately just in the beginning of our test they had some problems with the mickrophone and it did some really lout voices that make Solina broke in to the canter few times, once in the extended trot. She got more relaxed again during the trott tour and the canter pirouettes were nice but there was still some tension in some of the flying changes. We got 67,46% just 8 points behind the winner! 

Greetings from Etteln

We have had a real autum weather. Sunny, cold and windy. I am still trying to ride outdoor as much as possible and the horses are going out for pastures. 

Sini Spirit is feeling fine! He is enjoing his free time now after Herning. He is going out for the field every day and he got already a real fluffy hair. I'll ride him too but we don't train in any show at the moment.

Solina is step by step getting better. We had a good training today as Emile Faurie, our team coach was here in Germany to see us. He was also very pleased to see that Solina is getting stronger and she is taking more and more weight on the hindlegs. We still have a lot to do. I have planned 2 more shows with her in October. The first one is on next Thursday. 

Best regards Emma

Big disappointment

So this was not our show. Somehow Sini doesn't like Europeans... I was well prepared for this show and I had a good feeling and I did everything I could but it was not enough. Sini was good in the warm up and calm when we walked from the warm up to the arena and also the first trott part was good . But then he started to get too tense and he was only running away under me so I had some difficulties to keep him with. We got some very expensive mistakes and then the judges started to give not so good points from the movements which were still good. But anyway I am really disappointed and unhappy with the result and that I can not ride the special any more. I think we still be staying here and cheer up for Henri as he is the only one who still can continue riding.

So that is how the life is. Sometimes we have disappointments and sometimes we can celebrate. Sometimes there are tears for saddness and sometimes tears for happiness. I will lift my head up and start looking forward. I still have my memories from London and from Kentucky, the best experiences with Sini ever. 

Greetings from Herning

So far everything's good. The first day here is now behind us. There was not happening much, the last riders came and we were able to ride on the main arena. Sini was a little bit nervous in the arena but relaxed after little bit of work. Hubertus is coming tomorrow so we will have our training in the afternoon. Tomorrow is also the vet check.

European Championships 2013

Herning here we come! We have less than 200km to go and everything is going smooth. Sini is traveling very well. I have my boyfriend Thomas and my groom with me and the rest of our team will be arriving on Monday or Tuesday. I'm so excited about next week! We have good team with 4 good riders and 4 nice horses! Keep the fingers crossed!

Lingen 12.-14.7.

It was a busy weekend. I had 3 horses and 6 test, 2 each day. I´m very pleased with the results and how my horses were to ride. Happiest I´m because of Sini Spirit. We have had our difficulties in Helsinki and in Aachen and I just tried to built up Sini´s confident in front of the audience again. So that is why I wanted to ride the Gran Prix without much pressure that Sini stays as relaxed as possible. Of course the passage and piaffe was not what he can do and then we also got some mistakes in the flying changes. But it was enough to continue to the special. Our result in Gran Prix was 67%. On the next day Sini felt still relaxed so I tried to put more pressure on him that he shows better passage and piaffe also in the test. It worked quite well. He let me ride him throuhg the hole test. There were still some mistakes but it was better than the day before. We got 70,4% and with that we got the on the fourth place! I´m also very happy about Fiaro Lacendos. I had him with me for the small tour. On the prix st. georges he did his best test ever and got 71,89%! We got second with that score! He also did very well in the intermediate I. Only one pirouette was not that good but still a very nice test and that gave us 70,5% and the third place. Also the third horse Capo, a 7-year-old holstein stallion, did well. He was on his first big show and he went now just the second and third time on Prix St. Georges level. I rode him in the Nürnberger Burgpokal qualifications. The first warm up test was not very good. He got too much behind my leg and didn´t react at all when I tried to keep him together. So I was prepared next time. The second test was much better. Only mistakes in four tempis, he did only 3 flying changes instead of 5. We got 68,34% which gave us the seventh place. Overall I had a nice weekend and I hope me and Sini are on the right way again!

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..... =)

Finland!!

Hello, I'm so excited! I am going to Finland after long time for horse shows! I've been planing to ride Finnderby in Ypäjä from 6th till 9th of June and Helsinki Masters one week later. I will take 3 horses with me: Sini Spirit, Sini Solina and Fiaro Lacendos. It's going to be hart 3 weeks with the travels and shows but I hope I could have time to spend with my family and friends too! We will start our journey at Friday next week and before that we still have a lot to do and to organize. But we all are very excited and hoping the long trip goes well.

Solina

I had a show with Solina. We were lucky with the weather. It was raining the hole day at home and where the show were was sun and +25. In the first test Solina was really spooky and got tense because there was a restaurant on the short side and it was little bit higher than the ground. So practically the people were sitting above the horse. And she didn't like that. I entered Solina also in the second class which was intermediare I level. The first test was Prix st. Georges level. The second test was already better and Solina got more relaxed. I was able to ride her better through the test. There were still some tension and she was not really relaxed in the walk but the trot was nice and the half-passes were good. Also the changes were more relaxed. She got 65,85% and was 8th.

Lisätietoa kirjasta

Kirjaa voi tilata netissä osoitteessa http://www.sininetkauppa.fi/emma-kirja Ja se on myös myynnissä Hyvinkään ja Riihimäen Suomalaisissa kirjakaupoissa. Hyviä lukuhetkiä!

The black stallion

Let me introduce you to our new member in SINI-family: Tannenhof's Rousseau Noir. "Rousseau" is a 7-year-old hannoverian stallion. He has been 4 weeks now at our barn and we are getting along very well. He's just a sweet horse and I am very happy that we found him!

The book

I did a short trip to Finland yesterday. It was about publishing a new book which is telling the story of me and Sinituote. The story about how it all started, how I met Monica and Ilkka Brotherus, how our co-operation began and how we reached our goal, the Olympic Games in London. The writer is a finnish freelance journalist Margit Ticklen who also took most of the pictures in the book. Some of the photos were also taken by Ilkka Brotherus himself during our journey. I'm very touched and overwhelmed about this big suprise. I hope the book encourages other sponsors to get involded in riding because the long-term co-operation is possible, it is rewarding and worthwhile for all partners. I am very thankful that Sinituote made it all possible for me.

Sinin henki, Emman tahto

Tein eilen pikavisiitin koti-Suomeen uuden kirjani julkistamistilaisuuteen. Kirja Sinin henki, Emman tahto kertoo minun ja Sinituotteen yhteisestä matkasta, miten kaikki alkoi, mitä matkan varrella tapahtui ja kuinka pääsimme yhteiseen tavoitteeseemme Lontoon Olympialaisiin. Kirja on Margit Ticklenin kirjoittama sekä suurin osa kuvista ovat myös hänen ottamiaan. Lisäksi myös Ilkka Brotheruksen hienoja otoksia niin Lontoosta kuin muualtakin matkamme varrelta löytää kirjan sivuilta. Olen erittäin otettu siitä, että minun tarinastani on tehty kirja ja toivon kovasti, että se kannustaa muitakin yrittämään ja olemaan ahkeria sekä yltämään tavoitteisiinsa oli ne mitä tahansa. Toivottavasti kirja on esimerkkinä muillekin sponsoreille siinä, että tälläinen pitkäkestoinen yhteistyö on mahdollista, kannattavaa ja erittäin antoisaa kaikille osapuolille. Sinituote on mahdollistanut minulle paljon ja olen heille siitä ikuisesti kiitollinen.

We are finally back at home. It was a long trip and a lot of happened but now the horses are happily back in their own stall and feeling well.
We wanted to leave on Monday at 5.00 a.m. We got everything packed on the day before and we just wanted to load the horses and take off. It didn't quite work that way. The truck didn't want to co-operate and I could't start the motor. I called MAN emergency number and they called us help. We needed to unload the horses and then we waited for somebody to come to fix my truck. We waited 3 hours until a man came. He worked 4 hours before it was safe enough for us to start our way back home. We loaded the horses again and left and got stuck before we got out from the stable area. At least there were still men to get us out with their tractors so we could finally leave. And almost 8 hours later than what we have planned we were on our way. It took us 12 hours to get to Offenburg where we stayed over night. Next day we left at 9 a.m because it was late last night before we went to sleep and we only had 460km left. Unfortunately the nature got this time on our way. The winter came back and there was the biggest snow chaos in Germany. It took us again 12 hours before we reached Etteln! I'm so happy that we are safe and the horses are fine after the long trip. Now it's time to rest!

Sini suprise

Wow, I have to say! Sini Spirit surprised me really! He was ignoring the rain and wind and the warm up arena which was under the water. We made a nice Gran Prix with no big mistakes and got 70,83%. One judge gave us 67% which was much less what the other judges gave us. But anyway if you think about the last indoor shows I did with Sini I'm very reliefed and proud of him now. And we ended second after Carl Hester!
There was one day break for him and then today we did the Gran Prix Special. This was our first time to ride the old GPS again. It fits to Sini because there is a lot of passage and transitios in the beginning. We had a mistake in two tempis but despite of that the test was good! We got 72,27% and ended up again second after Carl Hester! This was a really good beginning for this season and I'm looking forward to ride Sini next time in Hagen in April.

Vidauban Wednesday

It's still raining.... I rode all the horses in the morning on the training arena which was totally under water. The last horse had the sand all over his body, also the bridle were covered by sand.
In the afternoon the rain stopped shortly and through the vet check we stayed dry. But as the last horse were ready and they opened the main arena, the rain started again. I wanted to walk with Sini and Dark Diamond still on the main arena even if I got wet once again.
Solina goes the Prix St. Georges at 10:19 tomorrow morning and with Sini I ride the Gran Prix at 16:54. Dark Diamond goes on Friday the second Gran Prix.

Vidauban

We left today early from Lyon where we stayed one night. It was 5 a.m when we load the horses and started our drive to vidauban. 5 hours later we reached our destination. It was sunny but very windy. We let the horses rest few ours before I took them out for a ride. I walked and jogged them a little and they all felt fresh and funky :) Of course a bit stif after a long trip but still they wanted to move.
Tomorrow we have the hole day time to rest and put all our stuff to their places in our tack box. And of course I will ride the horses and see how they are.

We have everything packed and ready for tomorrow. I will go sleep now so I can drive first. We have a long day ahead of us, over 900km to drive and hopefully no traffic! Tomorrow is sunday so at least there are no trucks on the highway. Let the journey begin!

The Latest News

So there is a lot to tell. We decided to go to Vidauban next week. It comes quickly but we got everything ready. I will take Sini Spirit, Sini Solina and Dark Diamond with me. We leave early on sunday morning and drive to hole day to Lyon where we stay over night. From there we continue to Vidauban on Monday. I'm very excited. Last year the show was wonderful and I have nice experiences from there. This year there are some other riders from Finland too so it's going to be fun to be there.

The days go on as always. I'm riding a lot and Marieke takes care of Sini Spirit, Sini Solina and Sini Santos. Sini Spirit has now a little break. I'm still riding him but mostly to keep him in condition. And we do some basic work, no movements but a lot of transitions and bendings. He is in a good mood. Sini Santos will have his next show soon. 24th of February we have a national show in Mönchengladbach and I will ride Santos in young horse gran prix. I'll take also another horse, Fürst Kasper, with me. He had a long break and this will be his first show for the long time. Sini Solina is starting to do some half steps. It seems that she is talented :

Mechelen - GP Special

63,5% was not quite what I've expected. Sini was totally fine and relaxed in the warm up and as we went in to the main arena he just freezed. We have had some problems in the last indoor shows and I have to say I'm disappointed to end the year this way. Now I just need to sleep over one night or many nights and try to figure this out.

I wish you all a happy new year and thank you for reading my blog!

Emma

Mechelen 2012

So the Gran Prix didn't go so well but it was still better than in Stuttgart. Sini was spooky and unfocused most of the test and that is why we got some mistakes. We got 66,83% and are allowed to ride the special tomorrow. It starts at 12:12 p.m and I'm the first rider. Let see if I can get Sini more focused on me this time!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

This year I had an unusual Christmas. I stayed in germany over Christmas days preparing Sini Spirit for a show in Mechelen. We left already today at noon and drove 370km to Mechelen in Belgian. It was good to drive. There were no trucks on the highway and also very little other traffic.
In the evening there was only the vet check which Sini passed. The riding I did already in morning at home. Our starting time tomorrow in the Gran Prix will be at 12:43. Wish me luck! :)

Jöllenbeck 23.-25.11.

Hi there! Sini got some holidays after Oldenburg and Stuttgart so I took my future hopes Sini Santos und Sini Solina and went to a show in Jöllenbeck. On Friday I rode Santos in Intermediare II. He went well, only the transitions from passage to piaffe and back were not good. Santos got 67,1% and qualified for the Gran Prix on Sunday. Sini Solina I rode on Saturday in M** class. She did a really nice trott part but got a bit hot in the end of the test and some changes were not so good. She got 67,64% and got placed. This class was also a qualification to a Prix St. Georges which was on Sunday morning. The Prix St. Georges were Solina's first one. I'm very pleased how she did. There was still some tension and that's why some small mistakes but also very good parts, like pirouettes and the trott part. In this class we got also placed with 66,49%. The day got even better. Santos did a very nice first Gran Prix test in his life and got 66,58% and he was fourth! He did good passages and piaffes and the canter movements were all scored with 7. There was one misunderstanding when we were supposed to do the right half-pass out of the corner and Santos cantered. Otherwise he did well. For Santos and Solina this was the last show in this year. Next time they will compete in January. I'm very looking forward to the future to see how my horses will develope!

Sunday Gran Prix Special

The last day. It has been again a long weekend. There was some good parts and some bad parts but I still go home with one great experience. Liebe was good again in the special. She was fourth with 68,7%. She got hotter and hotter during the test and then at the end we got some mistakes. I'm still very happy about her. Now we go home and both horses will have an easier week so they can recover from the long trip.

Saturday

The Gran Prix 4* started at 8 a.m and I was second on a startinglist with Liebe. She was really nice and relaxed in a warm up and I felt good to start our test. Liebe stayed relaxed and supple trough the test, only in one piaffe and in the one tempis there were mistakes. We got 68,2% which was enough for the fifht place in the competition. With Sini Spirit I rode the world cup freestyle later in the afternoon. In the morning I went with Sini to the main arena when there was free training. He was still a little bit tense and got nervous when another horses left the arena. The same we had in the test. Sini didn't feel happy to stay alone in front of the audience and our performance was not good. It is so difficult to know which places or arenas Sini likes or where he gets totally scared.

Gran Prix on friday

I had the GP with Sini today. I took him out in the morning and rode him 1/2 hour on the main arena. He was relax but more looking around than the day before. Our starting time was at 11:10. The warm up felt good and I was confident. Then it was our turn to move on to the main arena. The warm up arena is a totally different arena than the main arena and you have to go outside to change them. The way takes few minutes and goes next to a street where there is a lot of traffic. So as we got to the main arena Sini was already nervous. And the hole test went that way too. There were a lot of smaller mistakes and Sini didn't walk. We were the last ones with 66,85%. I'm very disappointed because the training and the preparations went better than in Oldenburg. I'm allowed to ride the freestyle tomorrow afternoon and then I ride the Gran Prix in the morning with Heimliche Liebe at 8:09 a.m.

World cup

My starting time with Sini Spirit today is at 11:10 a.m. Keep the thumbs up! :)

Stuttgart

Marieke took the horses Sini Spirit and Heimliche Liebe with her and drove on Tuesday to stuttgart. I rode them first at home and then she left. I drove afterwards on Wednesday morning to ride the horses there. I could train in the warm up arena during one dressage test. The first test for Sini is on Friday and for Liebe on Saturday. I wanted to take the horses to the show ground so early because Sini needs always more time to get to know to the new places.
Vet check was today at midday. It was placed in a small garage where could go only one horse at a time. There were only like 10 meters place to trot forward. So Sini couldn't stand still because he was alone and then he trotted really fast that he could get out of the garage quickly. Both horses passed the vet check.
Before all that we were allowed to train on the main arena. The arena is huge! The biggest indoor where I have ever ridden. Sini behaved very well and the training went good. I felt he was more confident and pleased now than the week before in Oldenburg. Let's see how it goes tomorrow! I'm very excited about our first world cup!

Oldenburg

Our trip on Wednesday didn't start very well. We got Sini and everything in the truck and we had past the half way already when my groom realized what she forgot. She had forget the keys to our tack trunk and that was the only key! And of course that tack trunk were locked. So as soon we got to the show ground and had put Sini in to his stable we needed to find somebody who can broke in to our tack trunk. Luckily we found a gay who did it and it was not so difficult. So we need to put extra keys and a new better lock to our list what we need to buy.
The next we made Sini ready for training. There was free training in the evening and that is also the reason why we travelled so early. I wanted to spent as much time as possible with Sini in the main arena so he would get use to it. This is our first show after the Olympics and also the first indoor show for a long time.
So as I was getting ready for riding and putting my boots on the zipper broke. I couldn't believe it! The zipper broke the hole way on my right boot so I couldn't close it! And of course this time I didn't take an extra pair of boots with me.... So I had no chose but put some black tape around my boot and try to ride.
The riding was good. Sini was relaxed, I didn't do so much, just got him calm and concentrated on me and then I finished. Now my only problem was how to fix my riding boot! I asked the show office if they now somebody who can help me. They found me an address from a shoemaker. It was already closed because it was so late but I planned to go there on a next day.
On thursday morning very early I rode Sini once in the warm up arena. It was a tent but a very small one. At first Sini was very nervous because there were no other horses but as soon two more horses came he felt much safer. After riding I called shuttle service and asked then if I can get a ride to the shoemaker. They drove me there and the shoemaker said he needs to put a totally new zipper and it will take a while. I said I need to have the boot back tomorrow by the noon because I have the horse show then. He said he will try. So the rest of the day and also Friday morning I was very nervous and anxious to get my riding boot back. And as we drove back to the shoemaker on Friday and I got my repaired boot back I felt so happy and relieved! Just in the!
The warm up was not as good as the days before and Sini was tense because of the small warm up and people and shops around it. The test went the same way. There were some good parts but also some movements like pirouettes didn't go so well. At the end we got 70,34% which was enough for the fourth place. It was a good start for the indoor season and I'm happy that we can ride the special tomorrow.

November comes

Hello, it's monday now and I'm looking forward to the next weeks. I will have a very busy november. There will be 3 shows where we are going and it meens also a lot of driving. This week we will go to Oldenburg with Sini Spirit. The week after is Stuttgart, also with Sini. And the week after that is Bielefeld, national show, for Sini Solina and Sini Santos. For Oldenburg we will leave on Wednesday. It will be for Sini the first show after London. We will see how it goes. I'm anyway excited! Emma

Helsinki UB Horse Show

Moi kaikki! Tänä viikonloppuna Suomen hevoskansa kokoontuu Hartwall areenalle jossa järjestetään jokavuotinen Helsinki UB Horse Show. Olen itse tulossa piipahtamaan areenalla sunnuntaina. Tällä kertaa ei kylläkään kilpailumielessä. Olen siellä iltapäivänäytöksen ajan. Tulkaa moikkaamaan!

Saturday

Today I rode Sini Santos and Rock'n Rose in young horse Gran Prix. Santos was first horse to go. He was much better than on Thursday. He did really nice passage and extensions in canter. We got 66,5% and in the end we got the 4th place! I'm really happy about him. He is learning so fast. During the show he also improved a lot. Also Rock'n Rose did well. She was also better than on the first day. She didn't do the piaff but the hole canter tour was really good and now mistakes. She got 65,98% and ended up for the 6th place. It was the first GP placing for both of them!

Donaueschingen

We came on wednesday with 3 horses: Sini Santos, Rock'n Rose and Fiaro Lacendos. Sini Spirit I had to leave home because of the slightly swollen leg. There is no need to take any risks and travel with him almost 600km to south Germany. Fiaro and Rock'n Rose in the lorry On tuesday I rode the Louisdor preis  which is a Gran Prix tour for 8-10 year old horses. Sini Santos and Rock'n Rose they both went Inter II for the first time in their life. I'm really pleased with them. Santos test didn't start so well. First he change the canter as we were entering and then after the salute he cantered instead of trotting. In the piaffe he stayed a little bit behind my leg and that is why the piaffe was not as good as Santos can do. The rest of the test was without no mistakes. Of course there is still a lot what we have to improve but for the very first time it was ok. Santos got 64% and Rock'n Rose just few points more. She had also a lot of mistakes and she didn't do the piaffe at all. I'm happy that I can ride them both again today. The class starts at 15:00. Yesterday I rode Fiaro Lacendos in the nürnberger burgpokal warm up class. The trott was really good about 75% but then in the canter we got many mistakes and the score dropped down to 64%. The qualification test for the Nürnberger Burgpokal is on Sunday. Santos&Marieke Fiaro

Training at home

Sini Spirit had some easier time after London and now he is step by step getting back to the work. Our next show will be in Donaueschingen 13.-16.9. Also my mare, Sini Solina, is developing. We are training now for the Prix St. Georges level but we have also started with the half steps.

Home

We are back home and everything became normal again. Sini got some easier time now, I still ride him 6 times a week but we go mostly hacking and do only light work. I'm working like usual but I got only 9 or 10 horses to ride. So it's not too stressful at the moment. I have one small show coming on 1st of September. I will ride Santos and Fiaro Lacendos in one s-class.

Photos - Ferry

Fotos from the Olympics - vet check

Travelling home

We left from the show ground after the freestyle on Thursday. We were brought to Kyra where my lorry were standing during the Olympics. We unload our staff and load them into my lorry. We wanted to leave early on Friday morning so we could drive before the morning traffic past London to the ferry. We left from Kyra at 5:00 am. and drove to Dover to the ferry. There were first a problem with our papers and it took us longer to get in to the ferry. It was 9:25 am when we finally got in to our ferry. We arrived in Caleis, France, around 11:00 and started our drive to Germany. We drove first to Retie in Belgium where we took Spirit out for a couple of hours and put him into a stall. He started to drink immediately. We let him walk and eat some gras before we continued driving. From Retie we still drove 4 hours until we reached home. Spirit was happy when he finally got out from the lorry and realised that we came home again. I think we all were happy to be home again and to be able to sleep in our own bed! I want to say thank you to my sponsor Sinituote Oy, Monica and Ilkka Brotherus, from the support they have given me and who made this all possible! I also want to thank my family and my boyfriend Thomas who always have been there for me. A BIG THANK YOU to my team: Marieke Oertel, Hubertus Schmidt, Tuula Pursiainen and Riitta Holopainen. And thank you all who kept the fingers crossed and cheered up for me!

Semifinals

I'm very happy about Tuesday. The all day was just wonderful. I got to wake up early that I could train Spirit once before the competition. He went really well! So I felt confident and relaxed before we started the warm up for our test. Spirit was doing well hole time and I had a good feeling to ride in to the arena. Through the hole test I was able to ride Spirit like in the training and now also the tempis were without mistakes. We got so far our best score from the GPS 71,889% and we were all very happy about that. Unfortunately it was not quite enough for the freestyle but anyway I'm very pleased about my first Olympic games and how they went for me. This was an amazing experience, my dream coming true and now I have to start dreaming of something new! :)

Weekend

Saturday and Sunday we had some time to see the city and do some shopping. I also invited my boyfriend and my parents to the olympic village to see who the life there is. It was nice to send some time together. I also rode Spirit in the morning and he still feels fresh and not tired at all. Tomorrow I'm going to take Spirit out two times just like on Tuesday when the test ist.

Gran Prix the second day

It was exciting for me up to the end. I had to wait the final results to see if I qualified or not. And I did! I can ride the Gran Prix special on Tuesday and I'm more than happy! :) On Friday I just jogged with Spirit and went for hacking so he could have a little time of. Today we start our training again. I have go trough my test with Hubertus just to see what the judges said and where we have to work more. For sure I need to work on the serial changes!

Gran Prix

Wow how amazing it was! Even if we got some mistakes in one and two tempis, I'm happy how Spirit was inside the arena. We had a good warm up and I tried to keep him focused on me and not on the audience and it worked! I'm really happy about the trot and passage tour and also the sicsac in canter and the pirouettes were good for us. The score 70,395% could have been better but with the mistakes I'm still happy that we got over 70%. Now we just need to hope that if that it is enough for the special.

The last day before the competition

Today we got to train on the main arena. We had specific times for each country and all the individuals were put together so they had groups of 4 riders. Each group had 30 minutes to ride inside the arena. First I made a warm up outside and then some movements. When our time came I concentrated to keep Spirit focused on me and work. I'm happy about the result: I could end and leave the arena when my horse was quiet and relaxed. I wanted to give him nice a nice end and good memory.
Tomorrow my starting time will be 14:01 GBT as a 18th horse.

Vet check

I trained Spirit today first in the morning. He was better than the days before. I could ride him now almost like at home. Let see how he is tomorrow when we can ride in the stadium. Today was also the most important day because of the vet check. And both finnish horses were clearly accepted. That means: Let the games begin!

Part 5

Hello hello,

Today we were allowed to ride in the stadium but only for 15 minutes! There were no white fences yet so there were a lot of space to ride around. The stadium was amazing and it is really big! I walked Spirit first and let him look around. Then I did only some posting trot and I was quite happy how he felt. He was not as nervous than yesterday and also more relaxed.
In the afternoon we had our second training time and that was in the warm up arena. There Spirit was also better Danny yesterday but I could still feel some tension in his body. I'm happy that we still have days left before our first start.
The gross-country was today. I walked the hole course and saw the fences. I'm happy that I chose dressage! The course was hard, a lot of up and downhills and some difficult fences. Later I watched the conpeticion and I was interesting to see how the riders manage to ride their horses wisely up till the end. I have to say: it's not easy.

Part 4

I slep today. I have had so less sleep in the last days so I needed to load my batteries. Marieke was taking care of Spirit. She went for a walk with him and then let him eat grass. Our training time was today with 2 other countries, one individual rider each so together there were always 4 riders. Spirit was trough the hole time a bit nervous and didn't relax. We had the arena with a roof but sides were open so the horses could see everything. It was quite windy and the roof made of plastic was making noises which scared him. It's good that we have few more days here before our first competicion that Spirit can get to use to the places and to the stadion.

Part 3

The last two days has been rough and I didn't have good Internet connections at all so that's why I'm late with the third part.
Anyway, on Friday morning YLE (the finnish tv channel) came to Kyra's place to make an interview from me and Mikaela Lindht. That took about 2 hours and after that we took horses out for jogging. I did only posting trot and some canter. I had to make with Spirit some streching after the long trip on day before. It took us 10 hours from Retie, Belgium to Coolham, England! Little bit longen than we thought but that was because of 2 accidents.
Then after our riding we packed our things and they had a car picking up us to the
Olympic village. There was a chance for us to be a part of the opening ceremony.
That night was unforgettable! As I walked in to the stadium with the Finnish team I couldn't be happier! It was a great moment and a wonderful experience for me and I will never forget it!
I got into my room 1:30 a.m and already at 6:30 a.m I needed to wake up again. We drove back to Kyra where I rode my horse lightly and then we started to prepare everything for the transport to the Greenwich Park. We started to load the horses at 3:00 p.m and arrived the equine staging facility just before 5:00 p.m where the truck and all the equipment were x-rased and horses had an health control.
Finally at 6:00 p.m we reached the stables. Spirit got in to his new temporary home and was first a bit nervous. When we had all our stuff and decorations done Spirit got more relax. My groom took him afterwards for a walk and tomorrow we'll start our normal training again.

Part 2

Everything's good so far. We are now on the ferry from Calais to Dover. I rode today in the morning. We did only some light work and then we started the engines again. We drove 260km to Caleis and now it will take 1,5 hours with the ferry to Dover. Then we still have about 2 hours drive to Coolham where Kyra has her stables.
It's a beautiful weather but too hot for the horses to travel. Yesterday it was over +30 when we left home and now it is almost as hot.

London part 1

Today it starts, our trip to London. We have everything ready and packed, I hope! We got feed, the capot, blankets, umbrellas :) and my riding outfit including new helmet! Specially made for the Olympics.
I trained Sini with Hubertus in the morning and he was good. I feel now confident and well prepared for our biggest event so far!
The plan is to leave our stables in the afternoon and drive to belgium where we stay over night. And tomorrow we will continue to Calais where we take the ferry to Dover and then drive to Kyra to wait the transfer to Greenwich park.

I do London!!!

I have been chosen to the finnish team in London! Unbeliavable! I still can't really believe it. All the traveling and competing all over Europe is now worth it. I was hoping so hart that this day would come and now im so happy that there is no words. My dream to represent Finland in Olympic Games is becoming true!

Gran Prix Special

I was the last rider to go in the Gran Prix Special on friday evening. It was a long day to wait. My groom went walking with Sini in the morning and I rode him lightly in the afternoon. I did my warm up like before Gran Prix. Sini felt again relaxed and didn't get tense even if the audience was cheering for the other riders before me. My starting time was 22:21 so it was already dark and the arena had bright lights everywhere. I was still feeling confident as my time to ride in came. The beginning of the test was very good. All the half-passes and passages were good and we got a lot of 8's. In the walk Sini wasn't as relaxed as I hoped and he wanted to look around a bit. The canter was ok, maybe not as good as Sini can do, but there were still some good parts. We got 71,244% and ended up to the 6th place. I'm very happy about the week in Aachen. Sini is getting better and he gets more self-confidence after every show. I'm relief that this time we got 2 equal results and in both tests Sini let me ride him.

Gran Prix

I'm very VERY happy about yesterday! Sini stayed calm as we trotted in to the arena and we had a nice test with one mistake in two tempis. I was very relief after the test and happy with Sini that he stayed focused trough the test. The audience was unbelievable! They were cheering and clapping their hands and it felt wonderful! Thank you all who were supporting me and keeping the thumps up for us! We ended up to the 8th place with 71,043% and so far that is my second best result from the Gran Prix. Today we have a day off and I went already walking with Sini this morning. Later today we will have a training with Hubertus. On Friday we ride the Gran Prix Special which starts at 9:00 pm.

The training with Sini went surprisingly well. First I warmed up on one of the training arenas and went after that to the main arena. There were always 30 minutes planned for each country and Finland was with Switzerland together. I was feeling much comfortable than in Rotterdam and I was able to ride him like at home. Our starting time will be at 7:15 pm. as 13th horse. Together there will be 22 horses.

CHIO Aachen

Hello, Sini Spirit and Marieke travelled already yesterday to Aachen and I came today in the morning with Martina (the groom from Hubertus). I went directly walking with Sini inside the main arena and he was ok. The vet check was after midday and it went also well. Later when Hubertus is also here I will train Sini on the main arena. The Gran Prix is tomorrow starting at 5 pm.

Home again

We came back home from Rotterdam on Sunday. Sini Spirit and Heimliche Liebe travelled well. There were no problems at all. On Monday Sini had a day off. He went walking outside with Marieke, my groom and he also got to eat a lot of gras. In the evening I took Sini out and we did some streching. On Tuesday I worked him light as well. We did a lot of transitions and streching and today we will start again with the collection. We need to get prepared because next week is Aachen and that is our next show. It will be my first time to ride in
Aachen. I'm already excited!

Rotterdam CHIO

Hello! We left from our stables on Tuesday morning. I had Sini Spirit, Heimliche Liebe and my groom with me. It took us 5 hours to get to Rotterdam. There was one accident between and that's why it took us longer to drive than we thought. On that day we had only the vet check for both of the horses and then I trained then in the main arena. At first Sini was fine there but suddenly somebody put the electric commercial on which was on two sides of the arena and it was blinking. Sini got so scared of that and totally panicked. We needed to get out from the arena quickly and went to another arena inside the woods to calm him down. It took me long before Sini got relaxed and we could end our training. I really hope that I don't have to ride the test on the next day because I'm not sure how Sini will react when we go in again.

Sini Spirit Gran Prix

I trained Sini in the morning when the main arena was open. He was unwilling to move as he can. He almost didn't canter at all. I stopped riding and we went back to the stables. Tuula Pursiainen with our vet was checking Sini and found out that he has pain in his stomack. They took care of him and he got better before the Gran Prix started later in the afternoon. My starting time was 17:10 and as we prepared Sini for the warm up, he looked and felt fine. The warm up went well. Sini was calm and concentrated. In the test he got first a bit tense but I was able to ride him trought the test and after the walk he got more relaxed. We got 70,4% and it was enough for the second place! I'm pleased and now I just hope that we can make a nice ride tommorrow in the special.

Donnelly Gran Prix

Today was the Gran Prix for freestyle. I started with Donnelly. It was his first show after our south European journey. He got a bit hot and tense when I rode in to the main arena. And in the first part of the test he cantered 4 times! He cantered after entering, he broke in to the canter in extended trot and also before the first trot half-pass. But the second part of the test was good. We had nice pirouettes and serial changes and also from the zikzac we got two times 8 from the judges. After all we still got 68,38% which was enough for the fourth place. Donnelly qualified for the freestyle on Sunday evening under floodlight. That is going to be exciting!

Wiesbaden

Moi!

Terveiset Wiesbadenista! Hevoset, Sini Spirit, tulivat hoitajani Marieken kanssa jo torstaina, jotta saimme hevosautolle sähköpaikan. Täällä on pieni parkkipaikka ongelma sillä tilaa ei ole tarpeeksi kaikille autoille ja jos tulee liian myöhään ei välttämättä saa enää sähköpaikkaa. Itse saavuin Hubertuksen kyydissä perjantaina puolelta päivin. Kahdelta oli vet check ja sen jälkeen treenasimme hevoset. Ratsastin ensin Sinin ja yllätyksekseni ensimmäinen treeni sujui ihmeen hyvin. Sini oli aika rauhallinen ja keskittyi hyvin tehtäviinsä. Sini menee vasta sunnuntaina ensimmäisen luokkansa, joka on karsinta specialiin.
Sinin jälkeen treenasin Donnellyn joka ensin oli vähän pinkeänä. Donnelly on nyt ensimmäistä kertaa kisoissa sitten Etelä-Euroopan reissumme.
Tänään kävin jo kävelemässä Donnellyn kanssa pääareenalla ja kohta lähden treenaamaan Sinillä. Gran Prix alkaa tänään klo 15:30 ja Donnellyllä starttini on klo 17:00. Luokassa on vain 14 lähtijää.
Olen ensimmäistä kertaa täällä Wiesbadenissa ja tämä on aivan uskomattoman hieno paikka! Eilen kun ratsastin ekaa kertaa verryttely kentälle ja näin kilpailuareenan jonka taustalla kohosi vaaleanpunainen linna, en meinannut uskoa silmiäni. Näkymä oli kuin suoraan sadusta! Lisäksi koko kilpailu alue on puistossa puiden ja ruohokenttien keskellä. Täällä on lisäksi myös kenttäratsastajat joiden kenttärata puikkelehtii joka puolella puistoa.
Ihanaa on myös se, että lisäkseni myös kolme muuta suomalaista on mukana kilpailemassa. Mikaela Lindht, Terhi Stegars ja Henri Ruoste. Viikonlopusta tulee suomalaisittain tosi jännä!