The competition day offered many successes and emotional moments for both the riders and the judges.
Mads Hendeliowitz was very pleased with his performance. Last fall, he was able to compete with his horse only once due to a neck injury that caused partial numbness in his left hand. Now, returning to the track felt good. He described his horse as talented but temperamental and extremely sensitive.
“I’m really happy with him. He’s demanding, but today we worked well together.”
Mads particularly liked the arena because of its spaciousness and great atmosphere. He was especially pleased with his pirouettes and his collected walk, which he felt went exceptionally well.
Anu Sironen, for her part, was delighted with her horse’s calm demeanor.
“I’m really, really happy because my horse is extremely sensitive and has never competed in an arena like this before.”
The most important thing for Anu was that the horse remained calm and confident. She felt she could have pushed the horse even harder on the course, but decided against it to keep the horse feeling good and relaxed, also with the future in mind.
Last summer was a difficult time for them when their horse lost an eye.
“At the time, I thought it might never compete again. But it has come back stronger than ever. It’s incredible how it handles situations like this,” Anu said, visibly moved.
Ville Vaurio, Nordic champion and three-time Finnish champion, considered it a privilege just to be there.
“I’m so grateful to be here, especially given how difficult the pandemic has been. I know friends who have lost their horses, so I have to be satisfied with this performance.”
She described her routine as having had many good points, but also some costly mistakes, and the horse reacted a bit slowly at times. He’ll go into the next day with the same routine, without any changes. The music adds a little excitement.
“I have two versions of the song, and I forgot which one I sent in. So it’s a bit of a surprise to me, too. I don’t usually like losing to the Swedes, but this time it’s just part of the game,” Ville said with a smile.
Danish judge C Susanne Baarup, who served on the competition’s judging panel, was making her first visit to this new setting.
“I’m really impressed. The arena is magnificent, and it’s great to see such a large crowd here even on a Friday afternoon. It’s good for the sport.”
According to him, the class was enjoyable, even though the arena wasn’t exactly easy for the horses—some of them were nervous in the turns.
“All the riders performed well, however, and did their best.”
She also highlighted the new rules allowing riders to choose between a double bridle and a snaffle, which provides more flexibility in their choices.
International Dressage Grand Prix. Started 9th, placed 5th.
1) Mads Hendeliowitz – Autograf Q, SWE 68.00%
2) Sofia Möller – Flawless, SWE 67.41%
3) Anu Sironen – Ypajan Fioretto, FIN 65.76%
4) Ville Vaurio – Dante NL, FIN 65.65%
5) Peggy Högsten – Frisco, FIN 65.37%,
…9) Katja Kuokka – Fillyhill’s My Special, FIN 60.94%
Full results: LINK
