Emma tells about her background

I am Emma Kanerva, a Finnish dressage rider. I graduated from high school in 2004. I have three older siblings. Only one of them has had riding as her hobby. I was born in Mikkeli, but I spent my childhood in Tuusula when my father worked for the garrison. My mother is a nurse.

Excitement and fear when starting a new hobby

The youngest of my older sisters, Tiia, used to take riding lessons when I was still in the kindergarten. I used to go with her to the stables and admire the horses. Every chance there was for riding on a lead, I would insist that I get to ride. I started off lead when I was 8 years old in Järvenpää.

The first competition

In 1993, we moved to Hyvinkää and I started attending Riitta Holopainen’s classes. My first competition was a show jumping competition in which I competed with the horse I used at the riding classes. Afterwards, I took part in several club competitions, in both, dressage riding and show jumping.

When I was 12-years old, my riding instructor, who is my present-day coach, Riitta Holopainen had me ride the lesson pony, Fatuhiva. During one of our lesson, Riitta told me that Fatuhiva and I showed great promise for the future.

I rode Fatuhiva in the lesson riders’ championships winning it in 1999 and 2000. Both of those years I also won pony riders’ championship and in 2000 I also won the show jumping competition. After this, Riitta offered to lease Fatuhiva to us and we took the opportunity.

Dressage riding felt right

Dressage riding was our real strength, and my interest in it was greater than in show jumping. Hyvinkää Riding Centre specializes in dressage, so it was natural for me to concentrate on dressage training there.

Antero and Sini Spirit


The Brotherus family which had been following my progress with Fatuhiva offered their daughter’s race horse to me as a schooling master. Hence, in the autumn of 2001, Åtoftens Volanti (at the stable called Antero) arrived from Germany to Riitta Holopainen’s private stable. I had the pleasure of riding Antero until 2005. Antero has been the best teacher and companion in the world. Together with him I have been able to experience the best moments of my riding career and the best international success.

Soon, however, it was time to search for a new horse since Antero was getting older. It took more than a year to find the horse, which felt like an eternity – the right horse was just not to be found.

I believed that I would know it immediately when I sat on the right horse. And that is what happened. The first time I sat on Sini Spirit, I knew he was the right horse for me!

At the end of July 2005, Sini Spirit was waiting in a stable when we arrived back with Antero from a long journey competing in the Nordic and European championships. I was really excited because I would be able to teach Sini everything that I had learned riding Fatuhiva, Antero and many other horses.

In 2005 we moved with Sini Spirit to Germany to work and train under the direction of Hubertus Schmidt. And this is where we are today.