I wrote a blog post about Ryan in January of 2023. This post is an update to look at his having declared for the Paris Olympics. I asked Ryan which horses he had declared.
He told me he has declared his two horses Sternenwanderer and Snoop Dog.
2, You have declared two horses . Sternenwanderer and Snoop Dog. I know I asked you about them before but please tell me about them again. Do either of them have any personality traits that you find amusing? Has Snoop dog done many shows at GP level or is this a new level for him.?
That’s correct. I’m declared on both horses. Sternenwanderer has been my steady Grand Prix partner for a few years and we continue to grow together. .
Snoop Dog is my bonus. I never expected him to make it into the Grand Prix arena and I am so proud of him for overcoming so many obstacles and always trying his best.
Both horses are born competitors. When I open the ramp on the lorry I have to hold them so they don’t canter up the ramp. They are both always up for an adventure.
Sternie is incredibly confident and Snoop dog can be a bit insecure but I just have to talk him through it and he will relax.
Ryan is busy getting his qualifying scores for the Canadian Dressage Team.He told me he would be competing in several CDIs. I asked him where and when?
We just competed in Olomouc, Czech Republic where we celebrated a double victory with Sternenwanderer in the GP and Snoop Dog won the intermediate II.
Ryan and Sternenwanderer with American Judge William Warren at Olomouc
We are driving to St. Margarethen, Austria this weekend and then Lipica, Slovenia after that.
Here are some of the questions I asked Ryan in the original interview.
Tell me about Sternenwanderer?
Sternie is a 2006 Reinlander gelding. I first met him when he was just 3 years old. Little did I know he would be the horse that makes my career!
And he loves the limelight. We had the best 2 weeks in Denmark last year because my entire day revolved around him and that’s how he thinks it should be. He really loves to perform and loves when the audience applauds. When we have been away at competitions he always knows when we are close to home because we have a few traffic circles just before we arrive at the stables. He always starts to whinny when he realizes we are nearing home.
My trainer, Dieter Laugks, bought him when he was 2 years old. I met him when he was just getting started under saddle. I rode him for the first time in 2017 when I was visiting Dieter on a horse buying trip and Dieter let me have a sit on him. What a feeling! I will never forget it! I have been riding him since May 2019, so nearly 4 years. Our main goal with Sternie is Paris 2024. I think it would be amazing to compete at Versailles. I have been to Versailles several times and I couldn’t imagine a setting more beautiful and classical for Olympic dressage
You grew up in Thunder Bay which is not exactly a place I think of as having a dressage profile. So tell us how did get from Thunder Bay to Europe?
Thunder Bay doesn’t have a big dressage community but it does have a lot of amazing people who really Iove horses. When I first started to ride it was all about having fun and enjoying horses. I did it all (mostly on thoroughbreds and quarter horses) jumping, western, dressage, trail riding, cross country….As soon as I got involved with horses I really wanted to be the best I could be. A good friend told me that if I wanted to be the the best I could be, then I would have to train with the best. And that meant Europe
Was Europe where you first went to train as a dressage rider?
Yes, this is true! My first job at a dressage stable was with Catherine Haddad in Vechta, Germany where I was a working student. I arrived and thought I had died and gone to heaven. Then the hard work set in but I still loved every minute of it.
In 2012 you moved to California with your partner Thomas Walker and set up a training and sales business there. I have heard that it was a snowstorm that made the California climate appealing. Is that true?
Thomas and I met in Germany where I was still living and he was based in Sweden. After realizing we were meant for each other we thought it would be logical to quit the long distance thing and dive into living and working together.
But in 2019 you returned to Europe. What brought you back to Europe?
Snoop is a 15 yo Oldenburg gelding. Snoop is a really fun horse. We have been showing international small tour. He’s up for just about anything. We were invited to do dressage demos at the Spruce Meadows last year so I decided that I would take Snoop Dog with me on the plane with all the European jumping horses. On a flight full of superstar jumpers everyone wanted to know who Snoop Dog was and what he was doing on the flight. We spent a week in Canada and he loved showing off what he could do. For the demos we used music by Snoop Dog! Pia Fortmüller and I did educational demos and we showed off a bit on the grass arena. The highlight was under the lights after the six bar competition. He loved it and was such a good sport about the traveling and demos that we did over 5
I wish you all the best of luck for your Olympic quest and beyond Thanks or taking the time to answer my questions.
unfortunately I do not have many photos of Snoop Dog or Sternenwanderer but there are some nice ones in the original post. click here to see that post. https://horseaddict.net/2023/01/29/ryan-torkkeli-and-his-horses-sternie-and-snoop-dog/
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