Emilie Lindgaard

We have talked to Emilie Lindgaard, international representative of Denmark as an individual and in the Danish team for the FEI European Championships this year. She told us about her season so far and vaulting in Denmark. Keep on reading and train like Emilie!

About Emilie

Age: 19

Nationality: Denmark

Horse(s): I do not have any horses at the moment, but we are searching for our future star! Instead, I am so privileged to be able to borrow and train on a horse of a girl from my club and also my team horse Turbo Af Kloster who I competed on in Ermelo 2017.

Lunger: Thomas Bisgaard, also my stepdad who trains me since I’ve started doing individual on a higher level and we started to compete internationally, and Maria Rasmussen – The lunger and trainer of my team! I have been lunged by Lasse Kristensen as well at competitions, and at practices at home.

Achievements in Vaulting:
– Danish Champion 2013-2014 (individual and team)
– Nordic Champion 2013 (individual and team)
– Winner of Preis der Sparkasse (Aachen) with my team
– Participant at European Championships and the first Danish junior vaulter ever to compete at a World Championship.

Started vaulting at the age of: 12

I couldn’t live without: Music, my lip balm (and of course vaulting, my friends and family ☺)!

I could perfectly live without: Homework

Motto: “Forget the mistake. Learn by the lesson.”

1. How are you doing at the moment with your trainings?

Actually pretty good! We are working hard on getting ready for Aachen and the European Championships! My arm is finally working again since my injury in Ermelo 2017 – It’s amazing to be back on the horse, doing all the stuff I love again!

2. We know that you’ve injured your elbow. What happened and how is recovery going?

I had to do my dismount, like the picture, where I jump unto my hands and then off. The move I do before is a sideways stand to the outside and I’m got a bit out of balance. After the new rule, that you have to get off before the bell, I’ve learned my music down to the smallest detail, so I knew that the time was running out – and I had to get off quickly. But because I was out of balance I sort of just threw myself into the dismount. The problem was that the horse was gone and the next thing I could put my hands on was the ground. So I landed with my left hand first and my body went over it and my underarm bent 90 degrees backwards and got dislocated. Luckily nothing was broken!
My recovery is going really well. Though, it took some time for me to get it 100% stretched, it is now fully stretched again when I’m putting effort into it. My goal is, of course, that it comes more naturally. But now I also focus on getting the strength back in it. I did a backwards swing and totally collapsed because my arm wasn’t strong enough. 

Photo: Daniel Kaiser

3. What are your goals and plans for this season?

My goal was to go to the European Championship as an individual. Since it’s my first year competing as a senior it would have been really cool! But after my injury I’ve decided to withdraw myself from individual this year. I’m still competing with my team both in Aachen and in Ebreichsdorf! Our goal is to do the best we can at our first European Championship and then get a gold medal around our necks at the Danish Championship in September!

4. What is ALWAYS in your training bag?

Water, vaulting shoes, a shin for my elbow and headphones.

5. Are you a vaulting fashionista? How is your weirdest training pants?

I kind of always wear black – Maybe sometimes I take some grey knee-socks with it, too. My weirdest trainings pants are actually also my most special ones. I got them in Hungary in 2014 at my first European Championship ever. I think I’ve worn them 2-3 times, because they are freaking ugly, but they still mean the world to me ☺

6. Who makes your competition catsuits?

Kim Couture! She made my first catsuit and she will make my last! Her suits are always flawless, good quality and she keeps having new ideas and keep making more and more special suits! She’s one of a kind!

7. What model of shoes do you prefer and why?

I prefer Bleyer, with two soles. Once I always used Nadia Zülow, but I have really small and narrow feet, so I find that the others are fitting my feet better. Also I feel that they are more flexible and lighter – I like that a lot!

8. Some vaulters use different surcingles for compulsories and freestyle, do you? If yes, why?

I do not! We only have one type of vaulting surcingles in our club, so that’s the only one I use.

9. Do you have sponsors? What is your relationship with them?

Yes I do! Nathalie Horse Care is a Danish horse care brand made by the Danish/German dressage rider (and princess) – Nathalie Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, who makes these wonderful products for my horses, so they can shine and get healthy hooves and skin. I also have the company Subsero, which sponsors me financially, because travelling with horses can be so expensive. I am grateful for having those two as my sponsors!  

10. Can you list the main products you compete with?

– Main surcingle:  Kristensens Elite Surcingle (LD handles)
– Pad: Form made Felt Pro Pad
– Shoes: Bleyer Pro Vaulting Shoes

11. If you had to invent a new product for the vaulting community, what would you create?

Bigger hats with sound proofing! With our big horses (and then big ears) it is impossible to find the perfect hats for the horses with sound proofing… I’m not very creative, so I can only develop on things that exist, haha ☺

12. Any surprise/announcement for us?

Not at the moment 😉

13. Please tell us a bit about vaulting in Denmark. Do people know the sport? Is the vaulting community in Denmark growing? Do Danish vaulters have troubles obtaining vaulting material?

Vaulting in Denmark is really small. We have about 1000 vaulters, but we are still very active internationally! Latest at CVI Flyinge where we had about 20 individuals, 1 pas-de-deux and 6 teams competing. Really great to see how the sport is growing and we get more and more Danes out competing internationally. Also it seems that the clubs around in Denmark are growing bigger and bigger and we often get more horses and new faces in the sport! The sport is more and more shown in magazines, newspapers and even on the TV – So the sport is definitely getting more reputation now than it has ever had before! And hopefully it can grow even bigger as the years go by!

We do not have vaulting material problems in Denmark. They are easy to access (of course, vaulting equipment is not cheap) – for example in my club the head coach and owner is Lasse Kristensen, the owner of Kristensen Vaulting Supply – So for us it is very easy 😀