Bastian Tammentie
BIO
Personal Profile
Bastian was introduced to the equestrian lifestyle by his mother and started riding regularly in a at the age of 6. He was a pony owner at the age of 8 and started competing at the age of 10 with riding school horses first in dressage and soon after in show jumping. At the age of 11 he traded his Shetland pony for a 4-year-old Estonian Native Horse gelding whom he trained with the assistance of various skilled riding instructors and top-level riders and showed him in local and regional levels. At the age of 15 he and his horse retired from competing, but not before placing second at their riding club championships in 2006.
His horse passed away in 2012 after which Bastian has returned to riding school. He attends lessons and ran a pony club once a week as well as exercised an ex-harness racing mare twice a week before moving to the UK.
In over 20 years of horseback riding he has acquired various skills including but not limited to rehabilitating a previously mistreated horse and livery stable management. In 2015 he was hired as a personal riding instructor, in 2016 he was trained by the Equestrian Federation of Finland to become a pony club coach, and in 2017 he was taught emergency horseshoeing at Ypäjä Equine College. In 2018 he began a full saddlery training course in manufacturing and repairing tack, also at Ypäjä Equine College.
In June 2017 he was hired by one of the biggest riding schools in England and moved to London to train for his BHS qualifications. In January 2018 he was offered a groom position at Wellington Riding for six months. After returning he helped rehabilitate and exercise a warmblood eventer for a year until the horse changed owners. Nowadays his focus has shifted to tack repair and manufacture, but he still rides a little less regularly.
He received his academic training in social sciences (MA, Jyväskylä University, Finland) majoring in sociology with additional studies in ethnology and education. His undergraduate studies included a 6-month study abroad period at Keele University, England, where was also a member of the Keele Equestrian Club. His previous studies include cultural anthropology and intercultural communications studies at Alkio College, Finland 2011-2012, where he was awarded with a scholarship for extensive studies
2019 -
Part-time entrepreneur. I repair various pieces of tack for my local riding school (until the end of 2020) and livery owners (2021 onwards) including rugs, stirrup leathers, headcollars, reins and bridles. I also occasionally make tack, such as bell boots, brushing boots and grass reins.
2016-2017
Kortepohja Stables
General assistant & pony club coach. Responsibilities schooling and exercising riding school horses (with one horse in particular).
Pony club coach twice a week first in a team of two (autumn 2016) and then alone (spring 2017).
All yard duties when on site.
Feb 2018 - July 2018
Wellington Riding Ltd
Livery groom. Responsible for the daily care and well-being of +20 livery horses in a team of four.
Occasional sole charge on the yard.
Successfully introduced some concrete improvements to the daily practices on the yard.
Completed BHS Stage 2 Care & Ride.
June 2017 - Feb 2018
Trent Park Equestrian Centre
Working student. Responsible for the care of 6 horses out of 140.
All yard duties.
Assisting with clients and special events.
Teaching children and beginner riders.
© Roosa Järvinen, @roosajarvinenphotography
Experience
Tack repair & leathercraft
"The only bit you need is a bit of knowledge." - Warwick Schiller
I was trained in equestrian tack repair and manufacture at Ypäjä Equine College, Finland. I work with different materials (leather, BioThane, etc.) in order to create various pieces of tack that are safe, comfortable and sustainable keeping in mind the horse's anatomy and use and the rider's preferences. I'm able to fit and design tack to correctly fit the horse, and repair broken or worn tack, including rugs and billet straps.
At the moment I do not fit or reflock saddles.
What I've made...
Headcollars
Bridles, bridle parts and reins
Grass reins
Boots (tendon, brushing, fetlock, bell)
Girths
Breastplates (5-point, 3-point)
Other goods (jars, belts, bags, phone cases)
What I've repaired...
Rugs
Bridle parts (cheek pieces, nosebands)
Stirrup leathers
Reins
Boots (plastic and leather)
Harness straps
What I'm looking for
FAQ
I'm not currently looking for employment.
If there's one thing I've learned working with horses is that the more I train, the less I seem to know. I'm therefore always willing to improve my existing skills and to learn new ones.
In my experience, proper communication is the key to ensuring the horses receive the best care possible. That's why I find it very important to maintain a good relationship between myself and the employer. Ideally my employer is approachable and our interaction is as smooth as humanely possible.
Are you looking for work outside the EU area?
Not at the moment, although I am keeping my eyes and mind open for new opportunities.
Do you have a driver's license/Can you drive a horse box?
I have a license that I can use in the EU/EEA area, but unfortunately I'm not qualified to drive a horse box or a lorry.
I would like to meet you in person before hiring you, can that be arranged?
Absolutely. The most cost-effective way is to arrange a Teams meeting in order to talk face to face, but in some cases I can make a short trip to meet you for an interview at your location.
Do you have any health issues we should know about?
Due to a bad fall I have limited mobility in my right shoulder that shows up as lopsidedness when riding. I also have a slight auditory processing disorder that sometimes makes it difficult for me to hear what people are saying, so please bear with me.
The more you know...
© Roosa Järvinen, @roosajarvinenphotography
My mission
I'm a strong advocate for natural horsemanship. I believe that there are no "problem horses"; there are horses who are having a problem with their environment, and there are people who are having trouble with communicating with their horse. I believe that both issues can be solved on the horse's terms.
There's a musical term called tempo rubato which translates to stolen time: a tempo that has been sped up has to be slowed down again as not to lose the melody. Similarly, I believe that the time spent training a horse is more or less constant: rushing through important steps early on in training means having to come back to those steps later, whereas taking time to build strong foundations means faster advancement through training later on.
It's not fair to ask a horse to do something he's not yet ready to do, be that while riding or when approaching the horse on a field. When a rider takes their time building trust by respecting the horse's limits, they avoid creating problems later by unwittingly pushing the horse too much.
My goal is always a relaxed, content horse. I don't particularly concern myself with intense exercise - there are far more skilled riders than me out there more suitable for this kind of riding, and they are needed. I concern myself more with helping the horse find relaxation in the stable, in the arena, and under saddle. When I can care for the horse without causing him concern, lead him with no pressure on the lead rope and ride him in all three gaits in long rein with him staying happy and relaxed, under his own control, I've accomplished what I set out to do.
Get in Touch
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