Noora Forstén, 40, will compete in the finals of the World Riding Cup this week in Germany. The previous Finnish representative at the competition was her husband Mikael Forstén.
After a break of 13 years, a Finnish representative will be seen in the final event of the World Equestrian Cup when Noora Forstén paved the way for the culmination of the reign of Leipzig. The World Cup final will be raced from Thursday to Sunday.
A special fact about the achievement is that the previous Finnish rider in the World Cup finals was her husband Mikael Forsténin 2008 and 2009.
What makes it especially special, however, is that Noora Forstén took a ten-year race break from riding until she decided to try racing a bit again three years ago.
– I guess it’s some kind of madness or passion? We had two kids and I tried not to compete for many years. I trained in Finland and tried other career options. However, show jumping is what I love to do all at once.
– It has an internal fire that is probably found in every competitive athlete. It can’t really be explained, Forstén chuckles at the Ruskeasuo riding stables in Helsinki in ‘s interview.
The traditional stables in Ruskeasuo are especially familiar to Forstén from Helsinki. When we watch the pony racing at the riding school, one remembers what Forstén’s first pony might have been like.
– I never got a pony, even though it was on the wish list every Christmas, Forstén laughs.
– I got a horse when the primary school was over with good enough grades. It was the kind of semi-Arab who was trained as a police horse, but it was not suitable for those jobs. For me, however, it was a good first race partner, Forstén says.
While still in high school, Forstén planned university studies and the profession of history teacher. After high school, however, he set up his own stable in Siuntio.
– I thought that I would live by running and coaching a stable in Finland. However, my eyes opened when I first traveled abroad to race. The world of horses was something I could never have imagined. The level of competitive sports, the quality of horses and the number of riders. I wanted to get involved, Forstén recalls.
While living and competing abroad, Noora also met her future husband, Mikael Forstén, who was the best show jumper in Finland at the time. When the couple beat together, the next step was to set up a common home, with their stables, of course. The home was found in Holland.
No obstacles – just slowdowns
Forsten’s couple maintained a good reputation in Finnish show jumping in the early 2000s. More than ten years ago, Noora represented Finland at both the European Championships and the World Championships. However, the next step was to pursue a family dream, and Noora withdrew from the racing arenas in 2011 with the birth of her firstborn.
– If someone had asked me if you would be competing again at the World Cup level in just over ten years, I would have just shrugged and said that I certainly wouldn’t! Forsten laughs.
However, the bite of a horsefly can be so long-lasting that Forstén found, as he did three years ago in Germany, a famous show jumper Ludger Beerbaumin chat bridge.
– I went there with the feeling that I would like to race again, just a little. Even then, one of the stable riders said, but wait, soon thirst for it more and more, Noora laughs.
Beerbaum is a true sports legend, a multiple medalist and a four-time Olympic winner, among others. The fact that Forstén marched to his stories and was selected for the coaching ring says a lot about the work and quality of work that Forstén has done in Central Europe over the years. Forstén’s current racehorse, the mare Con Caya, was also found on Beerbaum’s tip.
– Con Caya has been a fantastic horse for me. We started together then three years ago from the 140cm level and now we have risen to the GP level. Hardly anyone could have expected that, but it is the greatest subtlety of our species. The common development of the knight, there is a certain magic in it that cannot be explained.
The 11-year-old Con Caya is Forstén’s own, so there is no fear that the horse would be sold under the rider. Big money circulates in the horse trade, and many riders need good partners behind them.
It’s no secret that Forstén is from the rich Penti family and has also been able to invest in quality horses. Sometimes the last name has also suffered when bad tongues whisper about the ease of the species, relying on good horses.
– Maybe when I was younger I sometimes took it personally, but not anymore. The fact is that there is a lot of money in our sport. Maintaining horses, racing and raising horses to the top is expensive. Every international rider’s career is paid for by someone. It is paid for by either the sponsor, the horse shop, the spouse or the parents. Money is a fact that exists, but it is not talked about among top athletes, Forstén opens.
In many respects, show jumping resembles a formula circus, and Forstén also recognizes this.
– Let’s talk about whether a driver got his place with his own money? Or has the money been raised through certain partners? And otherwise they are not to blame for it. Both sports require a lot of staff, as well as a skilled person to handle the whole thing. It is not enough that you know how to ride. The most successful athletes today are those who have been able to gather around them a crowd that wants to support top sports out of love for the sport, Forstén sees.
Button performance in sight
“Top news,” Ludger Beerbaum said when Forstén recently secured his place in the World Cup finals. Due to Korona, the spring season of the World Cup was canceled, but Forstén collected two tenth places in the early part of the season and earned enough World Cup points to open the way to the finals. But what does he expect from the weekend?
– I’m going to do a button job. It’s been four months since the last World Cup, but Con Caya has been good and confident in the finals. There is the biggest obstacle (165 cm) we have seen together, but I am confident.
Forsten’s own preparation for the race is completely different from the race career ten years ago. He travels from Helsinki to Germany with his family whenever he has time.
– Every time I go to Germany, I have to focus 100% on riding. I take full advantage of the fact that I get on horseback and also follow my colleagues closely. The optimal situation, of course, would be to ride from morning to night, as was the case in the Dutch years at the time, but I think the foundations have already been made. In this sport, too, the mood and rhythm are important, and we have been working with Con Caya for just over three years now, Forstén concludes.
The first round of the World Cup finals in Leipzig will be jumped on Thursday and the second round on Friday. Out of 37 riders, the top 20 will advance to Sunday’s final round. will show the final round on Sunday, April 10th.