Greek Air Sold

Dressage

Sweden

Greek Air, Emma Kanerva's Finnish Olympic team ride, has been sold.

Greek Air is a 14-year old ZfDP registered gelding by Gribaldi out of Flybaboo Air (by Florestan x Landadel x Ramiro). He is bred by Gerd Küst.

Licensed Stallion

Greek Air is a maternal half-brother to Spanish international Grand Prix horse Sir Olli (by Sir Donnerhall).

The chestnut was licensed as a 4-year old at the 2015 ZfDp Stallion Licensing in Lentföhrden.

He did his 30-day stallion performance test in Schlieckau in March 2015 and scored 7,68 for dressage and 6,98 for show jumping to finish on a total of 7,38 points.

He was registered to have stood at stud with Dimitri Pardalis in Pinneberg, but has no offspring registered with the German equestrian federation. He was gelded to be focused on sport.

Greek Air was first competed as a 3-year old in 2014 by Sandra Frieling. She rode him in a few riding horse tests. A year later Vivien Küst showed him in 2015, while in 2016 it was Hermann Burger's turn, alternating rides with Küst.

Emma Kanerva

Greek Air came in training with German based Finnish Olympian Emma Kanerva after which he was purchased by her employer Gert Saborowski.

She debuted him in May 2017 at L-level and they finished 7th in the 6-year old consolation finals at the 2017 Bundeschampionate in Warendorf.

In 2018 they competed in the Nurnberger Burgpokal qualifiers and represented Finland at the 2018 World Young Horse Championships in Ermelo in the 7-year old division, placing 15th in the Finals.

In 2019 they did the Louisdor circuit and returned for those developing Grand Prix horse classes in 2020. They qualified for the finals which were held at Schafhof in Kronberg due to corona. They were fourth.

At the 2021 European Championships in Hagen

Their international Grand Prix debut was in May 2021 in Verden, where they scored 73.196%. They qualified for the 2021 European Championships in Hagen, where they were 30th in the Special (65.319%). In 2022 they were member of the Finnish team at the World Championships inHerning and made it into the Special, placing 26th with 72.149%. They did the World Cup qualifiers in 2023 but at the 2023 European Championships in Riesenbeck they could not move beyond the Grand Prix despite a 71.040% and 34th place.

Kanerva and Greek Air put the icing on the cake in 2024 though as they qualified on the Finnish Olympic team in Paris and made it into the freestyle final in which they were 12th with 81.607%.

Sold to Sweden

At the 2023 European Championships in Riesenbeck

Kanerva and Saborowski's collaboration came to a surprising end after the Paris Olympics with Emma leaving to go independent when she heard her top horse was going to be sold.

Greek Air has is sold to Swedish Matilda Stymne as her Under 25 prospect.

Photos (c) Astrid Appels