CdG team's Johanna Similä and Emmi Salminen have been selected to represent Finland at the European Dressage Championships, held in Hungary in August. Johanna is riding her last junior year on her horse Mein Freund, and Emmi her last young rider year on her mount St´Ophir. Last year, both girls took part in the Nordic Championships held in Denmark. This year, the Nordic Championships planned for Ypäjä had to be cancelled due to corona, and even the Finnish Championships were moved to September.
So with what mindset are the girls now preparing to head to bigger championships?
"We had problems with Ofi's health over the winter, and we honestly didn't have many expectations for this competition season. Mostly I was just dreaming that we would get to start something at all this season. But Ofi rehabilitated surprisingly well, and it actually felt like the forced break did him good," Emmi says.
"This season is my last junior year, so my expectations for this year were mainly to enjoy the familiar arenas and aim for the Nordic and European Championship teams. So in that sense, the goals have already come true," Johanna states.
The challenges of the corona spring
Especially late winter and spring were unusual for everyone, as the restrictions imposed by corona prevented competition and coaching activities. Normally, around 4–5 selection competitions are held for national team selections, starting already in March. That was the plan this year too, but because of corona the selection competitions ended up being just one competition.
"For us, this was in a way a good thing too, because due to Ofi's illness early in the year we probably wouldn't have been able to go to the selections and therefore wouldn't have made the team either. This year, a single competition carried a very big weight in the selections. At home, training has been going well, and we've been able to train even more difficult things calmly because competitions weren't being held. At the moment, all the young rider things are starting to be quite well in hand, and we can focus on test details and fine-tuning," Emmi says.
"Home training went well through the winter and spring. We had successes especially in increasing collection and in building Manu's muscle mass. On the other hand, riding a full test after a long competition break did bring challenges," Johanna describes.
For both girls, competitions have been few due to the circumstances, and there hasn't yet been time to build test routine this season. However, the situation is the same for everyone. Emmi and Ofi competed for the first time in Ypäjä at the end of June, after a 10-month competition break, and succeeded with good percentages and placings. Johanna also says that the lack of routine of course caused nerves, but in the next competitions things already felt smoother.
With what feelings do you go to the European Championship selections when you haven't really been able to compete?
"We went to the selections in a good and open-minded way. I didn't put pressure on the selections, and I actually wasn't nervous at all. We managed to ride a decent test—steady and fairly mistake-free—for 67%," Emmi says.
"The cancellation of the Nordic Championships was of course disappointing, because they would have been held in Finland, but fortunately other competitions were found to replace them. It was and is challenging to plan training and the competition calendar when it is still uncertain whether competitions will happen. The first selection competition was also our season opener, but we went with calm feelings because training had been going well, and there was no reason to suspect otherwise," Johanna describes.
The destination changes from England to Hungary
Both girls are in their last year in their own age categories before moving to the next level. Neither of them, however, puts pressure on the transition; instead, they look confidently to the future.
"The feeling is good! With Ofi, we've made the Nordic and European Championship teams during my young rider years, and we've also taken an SM medal and many wins and placings! Now it feels like when this season ends, we are ready to move forward. It feels like Ofi, after three years, is already starting to remember the PSG test by heart and is excited when he gets to do more demanding tricks."
Johanna is on the same line. "One part of what makes the sport exciting is practising new things, and there is definitely plenty of that ahead!"
Originally, the European Championships were supposed to be held in July in England, but now the course turns toward Hungary. For both girls, an European Championship place is the fulfilment of a dream, even though a long journey always brings a bit of nervousness.
"Our competition days are the team test on 18 August, the individual test on 19 August, and the Kür final on 21 August. Only the top 18 combinations based on the individual test qualify for the Kür final."
