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 :