Our Way 1
The fact that Menhammar Stud Farm has been named
Sweden’s most successful breeder of trotting horses for an impressive 12 years in a row speaks for itself. Yttersta Stables, the competition stables where Menhammar’s horses are trained, plays a significant role in this success. Yttersta’s trainer, Pasi Aikio, explains the reasoning behind the stable’s success in making sure its horses perform at top level. FROM COMPETITION TO TRAINING ”HERE AT YTTERSTA, we have a clear profile in that we invest in training and developing young, untried horses,” explains Pasi Aikio. “We start early by studying all of Menhammar’s breedings, both as foals and one-yearolds, so we follow them for quite some time. Primarily it is the lineage and points of the horse that we look at; for example, to ensure that its conformation is not unbalanced. The gaze is also important – it is perfectly true that the eyes are the window to the soul. At the front of the horse we want to see a long, horizontal shoulder. In the hindquarters, the sacrum must be correctly angled because, unless the engine is in place, the legs don’t matter.” 24 OUR WAY MENHAMMAR