The final Pohjola final class of the Horse Show was held at the Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Center, where Kullo Kender, riding Agilero, emerged as the winner of both the final class and the overall competition. Ella Nuuttila and Nolan placed second in the overall competition, and Shani Karavani on Donuts Dg Z placed third. The winners of the Pohjola Finnish Horse and Small Rth overall competitions were determined on Saturday.
Kullo Kender, an Estonian who has settled in Tallinn with his horses and spent many years in Finland, was unbeatable with Agileron once he got up to speed. The experienced rider sought to give his horse valuable experience in larger arenas at the Helsinki Horse Show, but Kender also relished winning the overall series. The pair was the only one to complete a clear round in Sunday’s final class and finished all three final rounds without any penalty points.
“This really put me in a great mood. The horse felt like the best one on the track today; it had already settled in well at the arena and did a great job,” Kender says. The Estonian veteran also praised his younger competitors.
“Of course, my experience here gave me an advantage. There were also a lot of young riders in the competition who did a really good job. The Kultajousi arena was challenging to ride in—there’s not much space, and the audience gets really close. I’d even go so far as to say that this arena is more challenging than an international arena, and many of the riders really gave it their all.”
Second place in the overall competition went to Ella Nuuttila, 18, from Hyvinkää, who trains with the Hattel Riders team and rode her gelding Nolan, delivering consistent and steady performances. Nuuttila placed third in all three final classes. She came close to winning the last final class as well; her time was faster than that of class winner Kender, but unfortunately for the pair, the final obstacle on the course came down.
“I’m feeling good; overall, the weekend went well, and the horse has been really good and well-behaved here. I had clear rounds on Thursday and Saturday, but unfortunately, I knocked down that last pole today, which is a bit of a bummer.”
Nuuttila secured a spot in the Helsinki Horse Show finals back in the fall at Ypäjä, and the rider and horse had plenty of time to prepare for Helsinki.
“The Pohjola Indoor Series has served as good preparation for this event; it’s been nice to get to tackle some of the more challenging courses here at home over the winter. The challenges have been well-suited to us and have prepared us well for this.”
Shani Karavani, 18, from Helsinki, placed third in the overall competition riding Donuts Dg Z. Like Nuuttila, Karavani delivered consistent performances throughout the competition; she trains under Antonia Hartwall at the Eriksnäs stable.
“We’ve been training with Antonia for the Horse Show, and it feels like we’re already doing really well at this level. Looking ahead, the plan is to move up to classes that are a notch higher,” Karavani says.
1.3. National Show Jumping Results, Helsinki International Horse Show, Messukeskus
Pohjola Bronze Road to Helsinki, Overall Results
1) Kullo Kender / Agilero, Estonia, 7
2) Ella Nuuttila / Nolan, Hattel Riders ry, 9
3) Shani Karavani / Donuts Dg Z, Eriksnäsin Ratsastajat ry – Eriksnäs Ryttare ry, 13
Pohjola Bronze Road to Helsinki 3 125 cm, time trial. Started 13th, finished 4th.
1) Kullo Kender / Agilero, Estonia 0/55.99
2) Veronica Nurminen / Travenort’s Ida-Maria, Asikkalan Seudun Kilparatsastajat ry 4/50.79
3) Ella Sisko Nuuttila / Nolan, Hattel Riders ry 4/54.58
