The Tölt Tales

The Tölt Tales Fika - Tölt Together

• The Tölt Tales • Episode 7

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0:00 | 48:48

Two Podcasts meet! We had the chance to chat with Arnella and Juha from the Tölt Together Podcast.

Arnella and Juha know each other and worked together for many years, have both been very successful in the Icelandic horse world representing Finland, and are genuinely nice people to talk with.

Join us chatting about how they started with Icelandic horses, their podcast and a lot of off topic stories.

https://www.instagram.com/tolttogether/

https://open.spotify.com/show/7aP56V4I7ucevZdPk4r39x


Music by Cob.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, @the_toelt_tales.

Ariane:

Come ride with us, Fika with The Tölt Tales Podcast.

Lionel:

After a lot of professional writers, vets, scientists, and all kinds of people, we decided to contact our competition. Though they are not our competition, they are like fellow amateurs of podcasts, I would say. It's Arnella and Juha from the Tölt Together Podcast. Hello.

Arnella:

Hi.

Juha:

Hello, hello.

Arnella:

So nice to be here.

Lionel:

Thank you for participating to this episode. I have a weird question. How cold is it in Finland?

Juha:

I think it's plus eight at the moment and raining. So it's really winter wonderland.

Ariane:

So you have actually Skåne weather. We call it Skåne weather because it's wind from the side and rain. So you probably have that.

Arnella:

Yeah, perfect Skåne weather.

Ariane:

It's the favorite weather of horse people.

Juha:

Yeah, this is the time when you really seek out the motivation to go out and do something with the horses.

Ariane:

Yeah. Yes, exactly. Last night, we took our horses in just to after work and we were like, why are we even doing this? This is, we love horses, but why are we having an outdoor hobby? I'm not sure.

Juha:

We know the feeling.

Ariane:

Yeah. You just go through it and then, but do you have actually, maybe it's a side question, do you have an indoor arena or something like this? Can you work with your horses inside?

Arnella:

Yeah, Juha has one and I'm building one now.

Ariane:

Yeah, you're building.

Arnella:

Yeah.

Juha:

Yeah.

Ariane:

But that is luxury. That is something that we really want to have as well at one point.

Arnella:

Yeah. This is why Juha has today been riding and I have not been training today.

Juha:

Hey, hey, hey, hey. I was riding in an outdoor area.

Arnella:

Really?

Juha:

Yeah.

Lionel:

All right.

Ariane:

Okay.

Juha:

Because I've been inside for the last two weeks, and now the outdoor area is not covered in ice, so I thought to use the moment.

Ariane:

Yeah.

Arnella:

My dad has been putting many hundred kilos of salt in our paddock, so I have been able to ride the last few days when it has been icy, but today I didn't ride.

Ariane:

Maybe then let's dive in, actually. Lionel mentioned, yeah, we have top riders, and you are actually both also top riders, known and successful in the sport since decades, actually, without mentioning how old you are, but that is the truth, right? So listening to your podcast and also hearing how you kind of grew with the sport and how the sport in Finland developed, I think your competition history and your path has also been very successful. So actually, maybe we can start with you, Juha, because you have been also Arnella's trainer, I remember, I think. And what does the day in Juha's life look like?

Juha:

Well, I used to be a full-time horseman, doing all the things that is involved. I still shoe horses, I still train a horse or horses, and I teach and train students. But we have quit in our farm, the breeding, what we used to do quite a lot. And then we've reduced the amount of horses that we have on the farm. And I've actually, I am now working daily on a construction machines, not driving them or not selling them, but I'm working on a biggest selling company here in Finland. So that's a long story, what I do, and we skip that, we stay on the horses. But I mean, it's still the horses are my profession in a way, and I continue updating my knowledge about riding and teaching and shoeing and all that is involved. But me and my wife Saia, we have cut down quite a lot about the, because they're in the biggest days here in the farm, it was around 50 to 60 horses. Now we have around 20 horses. So that's quite a drop. But I mean, that's life choices, what you mean?

Ariane:

Yeah, it is a choice. It's not really a hobby, it's a lifestyle.

Juha:

Yeah, yeah. But I-

Lionel:

But this is 20 of your horses? This is, you still do a bit of breeding or you have borders or?

Juha:

No, no, no, no. It's like we have maybe five to eight horses. I can't remember the exact amount of our own. And then there are like the private horse owners keeping a horse. Right. Yeah. And so, but I'm not training anymore for other peoples. It's just my daughter and my horses and what we are like keeping up.

Ariane:

Yeah, I saw your daughter is also coming up now with riding more and more and it's so she grows up in a horse family. Do you come from a horse family, actually? Me?

Juha:

No, I come from the streets. That's actually true. I just fell in love with the horse girl and that's how it all started.

Ariane:

Oh, no.

Lionel:

I can relate. I can relate.

Ariane:

Yeah, Lianel has the same history.

Lionel:

I don't know if I come from the street. I don't think I would qualify coming from the street, but I definitely started riding like 10 years ago because I met Ariadne. So it's not, but I don't think I qualify to coming from the street, though.

Juha:

Yeah, well, maybe you will hear it in the future. Because this is another story.

Arnella:

Yeah.

Ariane:

Okay. Yeah. Looking forward to that. And Nella, what are you doing? Like, how does your day to day look like? I know I follow you both anyway on Instagram, but I know that also, Nella, you are really active on Instagram and I also enjoy your stories when you talk. But how does your day to day look like?

Arnella:

Yeah, it's a little bit of everything. I have had my own farm in Sipo, quite close to Helsinki. It's like 45 minutes from this Juha's place. So I have had it in nine and a half, almost 10 years now. So also I have my own horses there. It's something around six or seven horses, depends on how you count them. And then mostly, of course, I'm training my own competition horses. So I still think that the main thing is my own competition career and to be a rider. But then I also teach a lot of people. And almost every day I go somewhere teaching, or then the students come to my place. So I'm actually from the University of Helsinki. I'm a master of education, pedagogy, which is my main thing. So I have a university degree of how humans learn. So I hope that, or I think it helps me in my teaching quite a lot. And then at the moment, I'm also studying to become a mental coach. And I'm ready like in one month or so. And the best part of that studies have been just to get to know other sports and other athletes from different sports and to realize how much we have similarities and we can help out each other and help the other sportsmen also, even if they are not horse persons. So yeah, I'm taking care of my horses and teaching and riding and of course, taking care of my three year old daughter also. So that's my daily life. Sometimes lecturing a little bit and then Instagram is also, of course, a part of my days, but it's not like work. It's just for fun.

Ariane:

But you both, do you come both from like the Helsinki area or do you come from other parts of Finland, actually? I just thought about it, because you are close to Helsinki located now. Do you actually come from that area?

Arnella:

Yeah, I'm the easier one. I'm born in Helsinki, and then I have lived a little bit around, but close to Helsinki all the time. And of course, during my university studies, I lived in Helsinki again. But Juha is a little bit far away.

Juha:

Yeah, I come from the north, or like not up north, north of Finland. Okay. Like maybe six, 700 kilometers away from Helsinki area originally. Then I moved to high school, to Helsinki area, where I spent my that time. And then I met my former girlfriend, nowadays my wife. And then we moved to here, close to here where we are, to rent a stable. And then we bought the neighbor, the neighbor's table like 2008. So I've been living in Helsinki area for since 1995. Yeah, 1995, around. I was maybe 16, 15 when I moved here. So that's my story.

Arnella:

Now you can count his age.

Ariane:

Yeah, 25, 25, 25.

Lionel:

Everybody in our podcast is 25 years old, just so you know.

Juha:

I mean, as a conclusion, I think it's really fun. We come from so different backgrounds, me and Arnella. And we've been in a little sister, big brother relationships for close to 20 years now. So I think this is kind of a story why we started our podcast. Because I mean, bringing the great people and a lot of sports together. Like we are so different, but so similar, me and Arnella.

Arnella:

Yeah, no matter your background or anything. Like all the persons, all the humans are the same value, and it's always interesting to hear the stories. And yeah, we love the sport and bring it to.

Juha:

And Arnella especially loves the love stories.

Arnella:

Yeah, I was already so happy about your love story. I want to hear more about that. I think I could start an own love podcast.

Ariane:

Yeah, we can also come to that. I think sometimes it's really interesting how people met and how it started with everything.

Arnella:

Yeah, it's nice to hear those stories.

Ariane:

Yeah, I agree. But do you come from a horse family, actually?

Arnella:

No, no, no, no. My mom has been riding when she was younger, and then she stopped as a teenager. And I have always loved animals. So when I was five, I said to my parents that I want to start riding. And my dad didn't really realize all the dangers in it. So he just took me to a stable and we were looking at horses. And I came home and said to my mom that, hey, mama, I will start riding. And she looked at me and she was like, no way in hell you will not start riding before you are 10 years old. Because she thought it's so dangerous. And maybe they thought that in this five years, I will forget about it. And I have been playing the drums and dancing and theater and all kinds of hobbies, but I always wanted to start riding. So when I turned 10, I woke up in the morning, 6.30, put the computer on and I'm also a little bit not so young anymore. So it wasn't so easy to go to the computer when I was 10 years old. But I found from the internet some stables and printed out the stables close to us. And then I woke up my parents and said that now I'm 10 years old and now I start riding.

Lionel:

All right.

Ariane:

Awesome.

Arnella:

That's how it went. And then just by accident, the stable closest to us was an Icelandic horse stable. And then my mom started to ride also together with me. So that's how it started. And in one year, we already had our first horse, Drekki from Laikamoti, who we still have 30 years old. Oh, wow.

Lionel:

Oh, wow. But Juha, how come did you start with Icelandic horses? Because there is not only Icelandic horses in Finland, right?

Juha:

No, it was my, at that time, girlfriend.

Arnella:

Now what?

Juha:

Now wife. She has been riding Icelandic horses since 91, I think. Yeah. And then she had a small break in the teenager's years when she met me. And then she got back into the hobby, and then I was standing outside the riding area and watching it. How on earth does it look so difficult? Why don't they do what the teacher says? What's wrong with them? And then I started going on horseback myself, and this is not so difficult. What's wrong with these people? And then I started learning by myself. And of course, then I learned something by myself. And then I started, oh, there is something that is difficult actually. And then I started taking lessons. And then we actually, then I got my own horse really swoon. And then I competed on a Finnish Championships level on, I think, the second year I was riding. And ended up in the A finals. So because I've always been a person who starts something, he goes fully into it. I mean, this is no exception. So, but it was, I think it was quite funny.

Ariane:

That is impressive.

Lionel:

Me, when I started, my trigger point was, we were going to the stable every day. And I was collecting the poop, I was brooming, I was taking care of, you know, taking the tack and stuff like this. And she was going on her merry way in the paddock and riding and having fun. And I was like, what the, like, is it going to be like this? I'm taking the shit and you have fun. So a month after a month, I was like, okay, I will try to ride, I will try to ride the horses. But the farm next to us was Icelandic horses. So that's how I started.

Arnella:

Yeah.

Juha:

Yeah, it was the same, quite the same with me.

Ariane:

You fall into that.

Lionel:

You see them enjoying themselves and you're like, okay, well, wait, what am I doing here?

Juha:

Well, and I was on my, I think I was 19 the first time I climbed on a horse. And I still remember that it was a terrible, pintle, fat, piggy pacing mare that I was given. And without the saddle, we just went out. So I really don't think, like that was the most perfect way to start it. But I didn't fail. I managed the whole hour. Then I started watching, what's so difficult in this? I started doing it by myself and then getting a letter on some teachers. But the reason, actually, the reason these sounds all funny and stuff, but the reason, because I've always been a really competitive person. And my first horse, actually, was a really good one. And they started this national team program here in Finland back in the day with Palperaj Holmarsson, who we interviewed. And I immediately got into that, and Palli is still a great inspiration to me. And then he was like next to God for me. So I got into very good hands as a good guy and a good teacher, like straight from the beginning. So that's why my growth in skill and horsemanship was so fast, because I got an extremely good guy straight from the beginning. So we can tell it the funny way or we can tell it the true way.

Lionel:

The serious one.

Ariane:

We see this now, Lionel, the first horse that we bought, that we took the horse that kind of made sense for us. It was nice to go out and everything, but it was of course not a high quality horse. So now we have also a Lekia Moti horse since one and a half years. So now we see the steps that Lionel makes forward. Of course, you need to work on it. It doesn't matter if you buy a good horse, you still need to work on it. The horse can also want as much as it can do. And for Lionel, starting with like mid-30s to ride, to sit on a horse the first time with like 35, it's crazy.

Arnella:

Yeah, I think we have been talking about this in the podcast with Camilla Head. We had really much about these steps that the rider needs to take to climb up the ladder to get.

Juha:

That's really my philosophy in bringing up the competition riders. Just before we started this interview, me and Nella, we were talking downstairs that if people are criticizing Nella for buying a good horse, I mean, if she wants to be there and ride on a high level, she needs a horse who can do that. Because if she takes a lower quality horse that cannot meet the standards she wants, that's unfair for the horse to be asked such things.

Ariane:

Absolutely, I agree.

Arnella:

You need to match the horse with your ambitions.

Ariane:

Exactly. I mean, there is no point in...

Arnella:

And it's still not easy even if you have a horse with good qualities. You really need to work for that, and it's never easy.

Ariane:

No, exactly. I mean, we see this. Like, you train since years and there's also a lot of luck, but a lot of work in it. So, should we go back to our questions?

Arnella:

We were like completely out of time.

Juha:

This is just normal for us. We get sidetracked in many ways.

Ariane:

But it's really nice to talk to you about it. So it's just really nice. I understand why people do it. So, you have horses and we talked about how many. So, normally, most of the guests say they have like, when they have more than five, they normally say they have five horses, because I think that's just like a good... Some of them say 10, because it's also a good number. But yeah, we talked about how many horses you have. But when is the last time actually you bought a horse? Do you know this?

Arnella:

I know this better, maybe than Juha. I have bought now this autumn two horses, so both this, my new competition horse, Soul Faxi from Reykjavik, the Pinto one. I'm really surprised that I have bought a Pinto horse after having only black horses in like 15 years.

Ariane:

Seriously.

Arnella:

Yeah, I have been really, the black color has really been my thing. So I'm still shocked every day I go to the stable, but I'm getting used to it. And he is the cutest and the best, so I really love him. But then also because of course he needed a friend. So one month after I bought him, or two months maybe after that. So I bought one also a gelding called Tumi, Frau Hofstödum, I think. He's a really nice guy also from our friends, Art-Nordann, Kristinsson and Vera-Sireen. And he is more like, he can do everything. Maybe my daughter Stephanie will someday ride him. But now he's more, I love to ride him. And then I also give lessons with him. And I think that has been one of the best things now this autumn to have a nice horse, what you can teach with, that you can put your riders, that you know they have their own horses and stuff, but they are stuck with their own horses. They have been riding them like five years or something and nothing else. So that's the best part to put. Every day I have time, I ride him myself, but then he also does some work. So now when I said this, I realized that, I think my dad didn't know that I have bought him, but now he knows.

Ariane:

Now it's out.

Juha:

Cancel your dad's 45 years of riding.

Lionel:

But we can beep it. We can beep it for the entire sentence, you know. It's going to be a long beep.

Arnella:

No, you can put it out. I think he knows. I have now just told him that I borrow him from Arno Dannevera, but I think he knows that I have bought him because he stands together with Sol Faxi.

Lionel:

Are you saying that when some students are coming, you propose that they ride him? Is it what you're saying?

Arnella:

Yeah. Some students come with both their own horse, and then I have, of course, on beforehand asked that if they want to ride another lesson also, so then they can ride to me also. Or then some people who don't anymore have their own horse or something like that. So they come with to me. Now I have had three judges, I think. So I think I'm training the Finnish judges quite well now.

Juha:

I haven't told me that either.

Arnella:

No. So I think that has been, I do something for the sport.

Ariane:

It's good. We should definitely come and visit you and also ride to me then.

Arnella:

Absolutely. Yeah, he's the best. And it's really nice to teach with the horse like that, because you know that when you get the rider to do the right stuff, the horse really, it works. So yeah, yeah, yeah, really nice.

Juha:

Yeah.

Arnella:

And so I know when I bought a horse, but I don't think you have bought any.

Juha:

Because I did so much breeding back in the day.

Ariane:

You had so many horses, you didn't need to buy more.

Juha:

Yeah, I haven't had the need to buy a horse actually. That must be, well, I've bought some, let's say I bought some horse from, yeah, actually, yeah, okay. Now I remember. This is a good story, actually. I bought a saddle from a friend in Sweden and it came with the horse.

Ariane:

Nah, seriously?

Juha:

It was actually quite a nice mare. The owners, it was in my friend's stable in training, but the training fees were late and it went so that I bought the horse for this and this amount of money. And he just said that, okay, take this mare with you, so we don't have to fight with the owner anymore. And they did deal with that. So and the paperwork and everything was done. And it was a legit, yeah, yeah, yeah. It was no shady things in it. Yeah. And then I sold it after two weeks and blah, blah, blah. And everybody was happy, even the new owner of the horse. But that's like maybe 11 years ago.

Ariane:

Yeah, at least. So since then, you just had your own breeding.

Juha:

Yeah.

Ariane:

Oh, wow.

Juha:

Yeah. Now my own horse is from our own breeding.

Ariane:

Yeah.

Juha:

And I competed in this season for the first time in what? Six years?

Arnella:

Yeah. Yeah. It was nice to see Juha back on track.

Juha:

Yeah. I competed in once earlier this year, and then in Finnish Championships in T1, and I came third.

Lionel:

All right. Is it not a common thing, Arnella? You restarted competing, or you plan on restarting competing as well, no?

Arnella:

Yeah. I have, or I don't know why there was a pause really, but first, I think COVID came, because then I was competing with my best horse ever, Tour from Gärsta, and I didn't have any plans to retire him yet. So I was planning to go to the World Championships that got cancelled because of COVID. And then when he won, I competed him in Finland and got over eight in T2, and would have been really fun to have some international competitions that year. But no, there wasn't any. And then 22, I got my baby. So then I have been pregnant in between. Yeah, Stephanie was born. And then when I got pregnant, my friend said that, oh yeah, she will be born in the beginning of July. So maybe you can ride the Nordics in Oland in the beginning of August.

Juha:

All right.

Arnella:

No, I will not do that. But there was some suggestion that I should have done it with Tore. But I don't think it would have been fair to Tore, like with four weeks since getting birth. But yeah, so that was the pause. And then, yeah, then 23, I just competed with Tore's son, a little small competition here at Juha's place. And then I got Diri, 23 in the autumn, so 24. I competed my T2, or Diri Fraur, of Kjellstødum, both from Eddarund and Siggy Matt, my good friends in Iceland. But then in the Nordics, things didn't work out as planned. So we were not in the finals as we had thought we would be. And then Diri was a little bit injured in the autumn. So then last year, this 25 was a pause, even if I didn't want to have a pause, and was really to compete in the World Cup 25. But I have been competing since 2005 and in the Finnish team, I think, since 2008. Yeah, 2009, I wasn't in the World Championships, but since 2010 every year. So maybe it was not so dangerous that I had a few years off. I think I will come back even stronger, but I really want to still compete and train.

Juha:

Trust me, Nella, you need a break.

Arnella:

Yeah, maybe I needed a little break.

Ariane:

Sometimes it is really like this. You take a break and you come back stronger.

Arnella:

Yeah, now I at least really know that I really love this and really want to do it because I know how much or how it was really nice, but also really horrible to be in the audience at the World Championships in Switzerland. So now I really know that I want to be on the track there.

Ariane:

And should we talk a bit more about the podcast that you're doing actually? Now we've been like chatting a lot about horses. And of course, the podcast is about horses. But when we go to the actual podcast, Tölt Together, who had the idea first? Do you remember?

Juha:

Who takes the credit?

Lionel:

Who takes the credit?

Arnella:

Yeah, I remember this quite well, because it was after the Nordics, 24.

Juha:

It was.

Arnella:

Because we had been, of course, then quite much together in the Nordics and talking about it. And then we had quite a lot of phone calls. And then it was one phone call. And we were talking something about horses. And then I just stopped and listened to it. And I think I said to Juha that, fuck this would be a good podcast. Just this is what we are talking about right now. I think it somehow started a little bit like that.

Juha:

Yeah, because if me and Ella, if we, she takes, why don't I take beer? We start talking about horses or around people. There's a lot of talk. And there's a lot of information flying like that. Yeah, back and forth. So we decided, why not share this? And we have so kind of big group of friends worldwide that we know during our competition career, which has not stopped in a way, that we can interview whoever we want. Because we kind of know people, more or less. So I think it was...

Arnella:

Yeah, it was, we can both take the credit, I think. And then I think quite fast, in the same phone call, we started to talk about, okay, if it would be a podcast, how would it be? And then we started to think about that, shit, it would be cool to bring the stars in our sport closer to just everyone and to people to realize how much their daily life is just really the same that all of us do. Train the horses, mock the shit, it's really, really normal life, even if it can look really glamorous on Instagram. So it's not so glamorous.

Juha:

For you, maybe, not me.

Arnella:

Yeah, Juha asked you for a glamorous life. Yeah, but then we just started to talk about it, that how cool would it be to get the stories. And yeah, and I at least love to hear the stories from the great writers and have gotten many times goose bumps and everything when we start to think about some moments. And yeah, and I think it has turned out even better than we ever thought it would be.

Juha:

Yeah, but I was really strict on how the podcast will be. Like I wanted to be raw, like mostly uncut, like a French chatting on a dinner table. You have the mistakes, and you have the... Ah, ah, ah, in a way.

Arnella:

Yeah, it is quite little cutting that has ever been done, like mostly none of the cutting. And yeah, I'm the nerdy one. But I have no idea how to do a podcast. So then after this phone call, I started to Google how to make a podcast. And yeah, I have learned everything from YouTube.

Ariane:

So, yeah.

Juha:

And even the microphone is loaned from my friend.

Arnella:

Yeah, but that's your contribution to this.

Lionel:

That's the 30%. Around 30%.

Ariane:

Yeah, for us, it's really Léonel also. He did a lot of research on YouTube, and he set it up. I don't know. What do you think, Léonel?

Lionel:

No, no, but I think it's, you know, how do you say that? It's editorial, right? It's you wanted raw, we wanted a bit different, but you know, we were joking about it at the beginning. Like, are we competitors? I say, like, I keep on saying with Ariane, like, there is not enough podcasts about Icelandic horses. It's just simply the truth. Whomever wants to talk about Icelandic horses is welcome. They should share their point of view, share their stories. There is different, you know, there is, I think it's, Mia, I love listening to your episodes because indeed, there is the raw, you know, and I love listening to our own episode as well. Like, OK, it's quite cool. So, no, yeah, I think it's a good thing that you started, honestly, and you're lucky enough you worked in that industry. I don't know if we can say industry, but in the environment since so many years, so you have so much to share, so much to share with the people who do not know how it works, you know.

Arnella:

And I really love your podcast also, and I think it sounds really professional. And sometimes when I listen to you, I'm like, we don't sound like this, but then I understand that's the golden in it, that we do something really different.

Lionel:

Yes.

Arnella:

And then I think we have been talking with Juha quite a lot also about stories that we just think are really normal, or we have been telling this so many times, but then we realize when we start recording it that, hey, maybe we haven't told it to everyone, and then it's a really funny story and everybody thinks it's really good. And then we are afterwards like, oh, what's it really so good? Because we have, of course, heard the story so many times. Thousands of times. So we don't anymore appreciate it. But yeah, that's true that we sit on quite many stories that we could share more.

Juha:

More than we can actually share.

Ariane:

But then, I mean, then you know that you need to continue your podcast for a long time because we want to hear them all.

Lionel:

How do you build the list of guests? Did you, do you have a 50 people list that you go through at the moment? Or it's a bit more fluid?

Juha:

Yeah, we have next time, we have 1st of April and 27th.

Lionel:

Nice, nice.

Arnella:

What?

Juha:

No, no, no, joking, joking.

Arnella:

We have, I think, yeah, I can be really organized if I want, but this have been pure intuition. Like, I think we have just gone with the flow.

Juha:

I think she's suffering with me because I have never owned a calendar even. Yeah.

Arnella:

I think we just have one interview, then we chat about that afterwards. And then I think in the same chat, we start to talk about who should we ask next.

Ariane:

Yeah.

Arnella:

It's just intuitive and how the feeling is. And quite often it has been that, okay, this person mentioned this person, maybe we should interview that one next. And hey, we have this friend, we haven't yet talked to him. Maybe we call him and yeah, just go with the flow. We have not organized it more than that.

Lionel:

What we usually say is that we are the lucky one. We record the podcast with you today, but with other people, fantastic people that we got to talk to. And we get to pick their precious time. Yes, exactly. For us, you know. And then it happened that we record and then we publish it. And we learn so much, you know, like you're talking to James, talking to Adrien or Lisa, for instance, is very written to all the guests. Is there one of your guests or maybe all of you, do you still learn things when you do the recording?

Juha:

Yeah, we learn from every recording, but I have to say this. This is exactly why we started our podcast on the name of Tölt Together, because people like you, you are a little bit like maybe under thinking about yourself, and you are like, we don't have your background, but still people are giving us your time. No, these people are normal people, even though they are rock stars and world champions or whatever they are. Like you don't have to think that you are using their time. No, it's like they are amazing people, and the people around the Icelandic horse world bring together.

Ariane:

Yes, that's true.

Juha:

If somebody is too posh or too important to be on your or our podcast, then they don't have to. They don't have to.

Arnella:

I think every single interview we have been talking that, oh, it was like inspirational. Of course, every time we get something out of it, and every time we have been saying that it has been really like nice and motivating. And yeah, maybe also last year, yeah, it was horrible weather and blah, blah, blah. But then you really got out and rode your horse because you thought about this, that hey, yesterday, I talked with this and these people, and they really ride every day. So maybe we should also ride like really inspirational. And yeah, yeah, I think we really love to talk to these people. It's really nice.

Ariane:

But no, otherwise, we are also, like you said, it is, it, they are normal people. They are just like you and me. And, and, and we are also surprised how open people talk to us. And, and that's really nice. So, yeah.

Arnella:

Yeah, I think, like our episode with Annestine Höyggen, it was, I was like, shit, this is cool. How open she was. She really wrote her world championship program with us. Every moment, we were like there in the foregate program. It was amazing that how, how unbelievably open can you be and how, yeah, humble. And yeah, we were, we just sat here like, okay, she can talk. We just listen. This is so like, it's great and cool to hear. So yeah, yeah, we are really grateful for how open people have been and told us all the funny stories and the less funny stories.

Juha:

And really, for me, the really fun episode was when we were recording at your place with Kamila. Because me and Kamila, we are such a different, like, we are in different worlds. She's the academic one and I'm the farmer one. Farmer one, in a way. But she, I respect her and I hope that she has some respect for me. But I mean, it was, I love to, I would, if I had all the money and all the budget and all, I would never do it like through clouds and internet. I would like to sit with the people. Because that would make it even more like intimate and real.

Arnella:

Yeah, it adds value.

Lionel:

And I think that's where we got lucky, right? I think we got lucky, we are lucky to be, I mean, south of Sweden, it's pretty, we were able to go to Iceland, though Arnella, you went there as well, but we were able to go and see Nils-Krinsján Larsen, etc. We had our mobile setup for Iceland. We had some weird questions, but I think we already know, the tech person is you, Arnella, right? That you are the one taking care of all the technical ability.

Arnella:

Yeah, that's me and all the music and social media. Yeah. But of course, I chose music that I thought that Juha also will like.

Juha:

Like she gave me a choice.

Lionel:

He didn't sound it really real, Arnella, when you said that. I felt like, yeah, sure, yes, this is the music.

Arnella:

You're good in reading people.

Lionel:

I just didn't feel like Juha would have anything to say. You know, like, yes, it's music, so that's fine, I guess.

Juha:

Hey, come on, we have close to 20 years of history, me and Arnella. So it's pretty much we think alike. So it's not like everything, anything comes out of the price.

Arnella:

No, I'm not afraid of him.

Ariane:

So, no, that's it.

Lionel:

Do you have any plan for the future on the podcast? Do you already have your next episode, your next guest? Is it gonna be some surprises coming?

Juha:

Yeah, kind of. But I mean, let's say, to be honest with you, my biggest dream with this podcast would be live YouTube videos.

Lionel:

Oh, wow. Oh, right.

Juha:

Like walking in an international competition, whether it's a Nordics or World Championships or whatever. And because we know quite a bunch of people, and then just to have a kind of a live broadcast and go with the same shitty, crazy flow what we have, and really get people into this feeling, what we feel, what is the best. Like that is my ultimate, like...

Arnella:

Biggest goal, yeah.

Juha:

Yeah. Yeah. I have multiple friends who are doing it on my different hobby. Okay. Like they are, I'm following them like easily. They were on the World Championships, and they were just live feeding there. Right. And I could follow them like no problem. So the tech, it's not the problem. Okay. So, but I mean, it's kind of my final boss. Yeah. Because I love to meet people live, and I love to talk to them live. Yeah. But I don't know if you'll get it on this interview, but I want to talk and I want to have fun with people, and want to share this fun. So, that would be kind of entertaining.

Arnella:

Yes. Yeah. Of course, we will continue with the podcast as we have done now. And yeah, planning to have one episode per month, maybe. And we have our next guest coming, but that will be a little bit surprise, I think.

Ariane:

Super cool.

Arnella:

Well, we can forward to that. We all always, yeah, always have plans for who is the next one and next one, but maybe not any specific like, oh, this would have been a dream. I think Annestine Huygen was a dream for me, because as I told in the episode, when I was a little girl, she was really my biggest idol. So, so that was really, of course I have got to know her also a little bit, but it was really nice to get her to the podcast straight after the World Championship. I think the timing and everything in there is just golden. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm, we are really happy with that. But of course, it's coming new episodes. And as I said, there comes new stories every week, because we are not so normal people. We are quite crazy. So it happens a lot every week. So we will not stop talking.

Juha:

And we both have our professions and works, and we need to accommodate that.

Arnella:

Yes. Yes.

Juha:

Yes.

Lionel:

Yes.

Arnella:

This takes time.

Lionel:

It takes time.

Arnella:

Yeah.

Lionel:

Well, thank you. Thank you for this nice chat, I will say. I hope it was okay.

Arnella:

It was lovely.

Juha:

It was lovely.

Arnella:

Thank you. Yeah. Really fun.

Juha:

I hope you got the point of something from us.

Lionel:

Yeah. We know that you are the technical person and Arnella is just pretending. That's what we understood. I got you, Juha. I got you.

Juha:

Yeah. You are 100% of points.

Lionel:

This is what I understood, right? I was listening.

Arnella:

Yeah. You're a really good listener.

Lionel:

Yes.

Juha:

You're the same type of listener than I am.

Arnella:

I think we take a little mental coaching session after this.

Lionel:

That's perfect. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. And thank you, everyone, for listening. We will come back very soon with a new episode and more crazy guests like Arnella and Juha. Please like, subscribe, comment in your favorite podcast platform, our podcast, but also Tölt Together Podcast. Please follow them, listen to their episode. It's very interesting and they have crazy guests, as crazy as they are. And before leaving you, we'd like to mention that you can follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You can also follow Tölt Together on Instagram. And thank you so much, Juha. Thank you so much, Arnella, for spending the time with us.

Arnella:

Thank you. This was so great.

Juha:

Thank you and have a good day, everyone.

Lionel:

Thank you.

Juha:

Bye.

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