Emma Väre has broken into the domestic trotting elite this season. With the first place in the Kymenlaakso race, the woman from Vihtälä became the female trainer who won the biggest jackpot in Finland with a warm-blooded horse.
10:41•Updated 10:47
It’s half past six in the morning when things start happening at the horse farm in Vithälä. It’s breakfast time. The main character of this story is yet to be seen, so the horses can eat in peace.
Emma Vare arrives at the stables at seven. The 29-year-old horse trainer himself no longer lives on the farm, but his childhood home has turned into a workplace. Mother took care of breakfast.
Next, the horses are brought inside and in the morning they train with a two-kilometer run around the space. There are 19 horses and Väre has one employee to help.
Today, the routines are slowed down by the reporter and cameraman who have arrived.
– These days there are more interview requests and attention, Väre laughs.
The reason for the attention is the winning streak of Väree and the horses he trains in autumn and early winter raves. There are also new horses in line for training, but according to Väree, 19 is the right number, and there are no plans to expand the operation.
The stable’s number one star is the 3-year-old mare Aurora Comery, who has risen like a rocket towards the top of Finnish trotting.
The horse, also known as Aukku-titti, made its trotting debut in August, when it finished second in the Vermo trial. It has won six of its first eight starts, and the winning streak is five races long.
– Aukku knows that it is a little better than the others, and even if it wasn’t, it would still think so.
Väre made history in October when he and Aurora Comery took first place in the Kymenlaakso race and a prize pool of 36,000 euros. It is the biggest win by a woman in a domestic warmblood race.
In November, there was an almost equally lucrative victory, when the duo won the final of the Breeder’s Crown.
– It feels a bit like don’t wake up from this dream. I could expect something, but not on this scale. Everything has fallen into place and we have succeeded at the right time.
Horses should have fun at work
Väre says that he is 90 percent a coach – guiding is on the side. This year, he has driven in 84 starts, of which victories have been accumulated in an impressive 23.
As a director, Väre is something of a rarity. There are also plenty of women around the horses, but they are less often seen riding in racing carts.
– I think some women just don’t want to race. But I also know those who have a burning desire to race, but don’t have the opportunity when they don’t have their own horse. Then it is more difficult to get in there if there is no route or familiar.
Instead, young women are more visible as coaches. In addition to the wave, they have also reaped success Christa Packalén and Janita Antti-Roiko.
The cornerstone of Väre’s coaching philosophy is the well-being of the horses.
– The most important thing is that they are all right. When they are in a good mood, they also like to train. With young horses, it is important that the activity is regular. Parents aim to have fun at work. They get to be with a friend in the yard, get good food and good care.
It is also important that the horses have the right style on trot days.
– I am careful that when we leave the house, everyone has clean and uniform equipment. Blue is my favorite color. Horses are great animals, so yes, they must also be representative when we are in the villages.