Emma Kanerva and Eye Catcher Working Their Way Up at 2021 CDI Verden

Shows

2021 CDI Verden

The 2021 CDI Verden on 8 - 9 May is the first ever international which the Verden Turnier show office, located at the headquarters of the Hanoverian Breed Society in Verden, has hosted in the spring. Just three CDI big tour classes were on the programme, but the weekend was spiced with two national developing Grand Prix horse tests.

Finnish Emma Kanerva won the national Intermediaire II and Short Grand Prix class aboard the 12-year old Dutch warmblood stallion Eye Catcher (by Vivaldi x Partout).

From Holland with Success

Originally owned by Indonesian investor Titan Wilaras of Platinum stabe in Riel, The Netherlands, Eye Catcher is a licensed KWPN stallion by Vivaldi x Partout.

He is a familiar face to the competition ring. First based in The Netherlands, he won the 2014 Pavo Cup Finals and double bronze at the 2014 and 2015 World Young Horse Championships in Verden under Kirsten Brouwer.

In 2018 Spanish Antonio Laiz Zandio, who took over the in-house rider position at Platinum stable from Kirsten Brouwer, successfully competed Eye Catcher at international small tour level and won the 2018 Spanish Small Tour Championships.

Sold to Denmark

In the spring of 2019 Andreas Helgstrand bought Eye Catcher from Wilaras, whose Platinum stables became a struggling business.

A month later the Dane sold the chestnut stallion to Kanerva's sponsor Gerd Saborowski for Finnish Grand Prix rider Emma Kanerva to ride.

Germany - Denmark - Germany

Emma made her show debut on Eye Catcher at the Louisdor Cup qualifier in Elmlohe in August 2019 and also rode the qualifier at the CDI Oldenburg in October that year.

In 2020 the horse disappeared from the competition scene. The stallion was sent back to Denmark to be resold. There he was initially trained by Spanish Severo Jurado Lopez, before the rider left Helgstrand to go independent.

A conclusive sale did not happen and in the end, Eye Catcher returned to Germany to be re-united with Emma.

Based in Stade near Hamburg (GER), Kanerva and Eye Catcher made a come back to the arena in February 2021 at the local show Buchholz in der Nordheide, where they won the Inter II. At the CDI Verden, they made it a double win at national level, scoring 72.939% in the Intermediaire II and 72.636% in the Short Grand Prix.

Known for being short on words, Emma described her victory in Verden as "simply super" in the press release that was sent out.