Saturday

In the morning I trained the horses and they feld good. All of them are still feeling fresh which I'm wondering because it has been such a long trip so far. The weather was a bit cooler today. During the night it rained and the morning was also gray. The sun came out first in the afternoon but the temperature didn't rise so high. The freestyle began at 17:20. My starting time with Sini was 19:30. The music was so loud, much louder than I wanted in the sound check,that Sini got scared and was tense trough the hole test. Anyway somehow I managed to rode him and we did all the movements but with tension. I think the judges didn't see it all the time because we still got 73,35%. Tomorrow Donnelly will go the special and Sini will have a small earned break. :)

Vidauban friday

Today was Donnelly's turn. I rode him in the gran Prix for special. Our starting time was 9:18 in the morning. It was still very cold. When we came to the stables it was -2,5 C. Donnelly feld good in the warm up but he got a little bit strong during the test. I was not quite happy about the test. We made one small mistake in siksak and a bigger mistake in one tempis. Our score was 69.4% and third place. Terhi Stegars made a very nice test and got only 1,5 points more than me and she was second. Also Henri Ruoste did well and placed on place 8. We all qualified for the special on Sunday. Sini and Liebe I trained alone because Hubertus flew home already. The freestyle is tomorrow evening and Sini goes at a fourth last horse.

The morning was really cold. In the stables were -5 C and it feld freezing. I started to ride about 10 o'clock. Hubertus came yesterday and we already did light training. Today I started with Donnelly and rode Sini and at last Liebe. All of them went well and Hubertus were happy. Sini had also his Gran Prix today in the afternoon. That's why I rode him in the morning and before the test I did only a short warm up. Sini got a bit tense as we rode in to the arena but calmed down before I started the test. The test began well, we had one mistake in the passage after the first piaffe where Sini suddenly cantered. In two tempis were also had mistakes and the last change after zigzag was late behind. I was very happy about the passage and piaffe and that Sini let me ride him. We got only 68,3% because of the mistakes. We still ended on the second place! Sini qualified for the freestyle which is on Saturday. Donnelly goes the Gran Prix for the special tomorrow early in the morning.

The first night in Vidauban

We arrived in Vidauban about 6.30 p.m on Monday evening. We found our boxes and made them ready for my horses. At first Liebe was really nervous because she couldn't see the other horses. They are all standing in a row next to each other but the walls are closed so they can only see horses on the other side. But we didn't have neighbors yet. We gave the horses water and hay and after a while we took them out for a walk. Later we gave them mash but Liebe didn't start to eat. We took the temperature and it was 38,9. I tried to call the show office, stable manager and the official vet. Nobody answered. Finally the official vet picked up and came out that he is not even here! I couldt believe it! He's coming tomorrow but then it would be too late to help the horse! He promised to sent me another number who might know the number from local vet. We took the temperature again and know it was already 39,5!! Finally I got a number from the vet and she promised to come but se was 1,5h away! Unbelievable... So we just waited and cooled Liebes legs with cold water. At 11.30 p.m the vet came, Liebe got the medicine against fever and got better soon. It was already so late so we decited to stay with the horses and sleep inside the tack box. We rolled blankets around us and tried to sleep.

Vilamoura saturday

Today is our last day in Portugal. I rode Donnelly in GPS and Sini in freestyle. Donnelly lost his shoe again this morning but luckily the farrior was here and could put the shoe on immediately. Donnelly felt good in the warm up but I tried make him a little bit more going for the test and it worked. The test was better than the day before. I was happy with the halv-passes and pirouettes but in one tempis on the center line we made mistakes. The score 70,98% was enough for the first place. Also Sini did a really good freestyle! I'm very very happy. The score 74,75% was my best score so far in international GP freestyle. Sini was second in that class. I'm very proud of my horses! On sunday morning at 4 we wil load the horses and drive 900km to Valencia where we will stay one night and then continue to Vidauban. It's going to be a long trip again.

Vilamoura Gran Prix

The day didn't start very well. In the morning when we took Donnelly out from the box we noticed that he almost pulled a shoe off from his hindleg and then stepped on it. He was a bit sore from the hoof as we took the shoe off. The ferrior came quickly but first we wanted to show to leg to a vet. That took a bit longer. The vet check the leg and said we should put the shoe back and then he'll check Donnelly again. This was only one hour before the class and Donnelly was suppose to go as first. The vet suggest that we talk to the judges that I chance my horses and start with Sini first. It was all okay but then we needed to make Sini ready in 15 minutes.everything went well and I was in time. Sini did a very nice test. There was only one bad chance in one tempis otherwise he did everything well. He got 70,17% and I was more than happy. Donnelly's starting time was later so he got time to rest and get to use to the new shoe. He was the second last horse to go and the fudding was already bab. Too deep in the corners and diagonals with holes. Donnelly had some troubles with the rhythm and was unbalanced. He got only 68,6%. At the end Sini was second and Donnelly fourth so the day got better!

Freestyle

I qualified with Donnelly to the freestyle. I don't have a own freestyle music for him so I borrowed Sini's freestyle. It fits quite good. My starting time was at 13:00. Donnelly felt good already in the warm up. He was a bit more concentrated on me than before the Gran Prix. In the freestyle he cantered once in extended trot and one change was not good. Otherwise I was very happy with him. We scored 73,2% which was enough for the 4th place. It was nice ending for the show. Other horses I jogged that they don't get too stif before the transport.

Saturday

Hey!

I was happy that I could ride Sini one more time inside the white fences after Friday's tension. Today's Gran Prix doens't count for the Olympics but it matters to me. Sini was from the beginning much more relaxed than yesterday and that was a relief. In the test he was first a little bit concerned buy relaxed quite soon. We did a nice test with one mistake in the last piaff but otherwise I was very happy. The score 67,8% was not as good as I expected but it didn't matter. Sini won the class and we got to hear the Finnish national hymn!
With Donnelly I trained some movements and parts from my freestyle. Et voila had one more test where he was second with 65%. This trip is very good to him to learn to be a dressage horse.
Tomorrow is the last day and the freestyle.

Thursday

The Equestricons Et Voila is a 7-year-old gelding, no so experienced so that's why I entered him to the owners tour today. The test was the FEI preliminary test for juniors with halv-passes, counter canter, simply flying chances and 2 flying chances. For the first time Et Voila did very well. He was not spooky or tense but got sometimes a little bit behind the vertical. And one time he chanced behind after extended canter. He scored 67,15% and won that class. Also my other horses Sini, Liebe and Donnelly went really well in the training. I'm excited about the Gran Prix tomorrow and happy to go to sleep now after a long day.

Today was training and the vet check. All 4 horses passed it and are able to compete. I trained them all like normal. I did the collected trot and canter, some half-passes, pirouettes, flying changes and with the GP horses I did also piaffe and passage. They all felt fresh and satisfied. Tomorrow I will ride with Et Voila the FEI test for juniors. Will see how he behaves. I don't know if he has competed a lot but this will be my first time with him. The Gran Prix is on Friday.

Sunday

I couldn't believe it, Sini was again at the beginning of the starting list. He was the second horse. It was the consolation Gran Prix for the horses who didnt qualify fot the special. The class started at 11 o'clock so it was not so cold anymore. From the beginning Sini was loose and relax and he stayed like that through the hole warm up. I was feeling very confident when I rode inside the arena. Sini did good piaff and passage, the hole trot tour was super, the zikzak and two tempis were good. Only in one tempis we made again mistakes. I was really happy after the test and the score 72,6% overwhelmed me. Our best test for a long time. I also rode Heimliche in the same class. I had to make her a little hotter to my leg that she will piaff again in the test. The passage were good and also I got the piaff but the one tempis didn't work out. She got the score 71,38% which was enough for the second place. And Sini won!! So happy that I could jump around and sing hallelujah :) Later in the afternoon was the GP special. Donnelly was the last horse to show. He feld quite good in the warm up. I was alone because Hubertus needed to catch his flight back to Germany. I made too many mistakes, one tempis were broken, in one passage-extended trot transition he cantered and some smaller things. He got 70,5%, still ok but I am little disappointed with the hole test. At the end he got the 4th place. On Monday it's going to be fee. The first testis again on Wednesday. Tomorrow I'm just going to walk the horses and ride few minutes posting trot that they don't get so stif after the hard week.

Gran Prix

Sini was first horse to go at 9 in the morning. It was still very cold and as started to warm up my fingers and toes were already frozen. Sini was also very cold and he was very stif in the beginning. I did posting trot long and slowly we both got warm. Sini started his test quite well. The trot tour were good exept one mistake in the second extended trot. Piaff and passage he did also good. Passage good be better but for the first test it was enough. Then we got to the canter and the mistakes came after one other. Only small mistakes in the flying changes but very expensive ones. And then the last center line with passage and piaff was again really good. The score was 69,02% which I'm still happy about.
Next I started with Donnelly. He's starting time was later in the afternoon. The warm up was good, he felt relax and powerful. In the test I was able to ride him like in the training. We didn't get any big mistakes. There's still much we can make better but for so far it was our best test together. Score 70,57% and at that point we got the first place.
Heimliche Liebe was the last horse in the class. She was a little more tense than the day before maybe because of the strong wind. In inter II she stopped in the piaff so now I tried to put on her more pressure that she will piaff also in the test. It worked and she did 3 times nice piaff and good extensions. She got also really hot in the test but I managed to control her. I was very pleased with her. That was her first Gran Prix ever. We got all surprised when we heard the score: 70,59%! And she won! And I won for the first time DCI Gran Prix!
It was unbelievable to stand in the prizegiving ceremony and listen the national hymn from Finnland. So it was a perfeckt day: Liebe was the first, Donnelly the second and Sini was 6th.
Saturday is a day off. I will train all horses with Hubertus and then on Sunday we compete again.

Hubertus came today and I trained Sini Spirit and Donnelly with him. They felt both much better than yesterday. It was the first day with Donnelly that I could train him almost normal. He still has been recovering from the transport.
Liebe had her first test today. It was Intermediate II. There were some nice parts in the test but both time in piaff she just stopped and the one tempis were not good. It was our second test together and already better than the first one. We scored 65,95% and ended on the 3rd place. It was a nice start for the show. And it got even better because Alexandra Malmström rode her Waterford on to the second place. Finland rules :)
Now I have to go to sleep! I need to wake up early bacause the gran Prix starts at 9:00 and Sini Spirit is the first horse to go.

The day started like everyday so far: breakfast at seven, a half hour later to the stables and breakfast for the horses. During the horses eat we get water, mock out the boxes, take the night bandages off, sweap and then start to prepare the first horse for riding. Today I took Liebe first and then Et Voila. Liebe has the intermediaire II tomorrow so we trained some movements out of the test. When I rode the 2 horses my groom took Sini and Donnelly for a hand walk. After Et Voila we had lunch and so had the horses too. Sini's turn was after lunch and the last but not least was Donnelly. Again when I rode the 2 my groom took the other 2 out.
Tomorrow is going to be different. Liebe has a test and the other ones I'm going to train with Hubertus. He comes to help me for 4 days. The intermediaire II begins at 15:30 and Liebe is the third horse.