Laenlammen tila

When I arrived to Laenlammen Tila where I met Suvi Mähönen. I quickly realised what an inspiration this young woman is. Twenty-one years old, here own horse farm and tourism company, she learned to speak English in a year and moved to Lapland when she was 19 years old.

One of the most beautiful things about being an intern for Visit Lapland is meeting all sorts of people all over Lapland. I love that I’m able to listen to their stories, learn from them and hopefully help putting their work in the spotlight trough writing these articles and posting on social media.

Horsebackriding in Lapland

Suvi started the Laenlammen Tila horse farm about a year ago. She’s a year in the running and already thinking about expanding. She has customers almost every day for the horseback rides and I definitely understand why. As someone that grew up in between horses myself I would not know a better way to explore nature than on a horseback.

I had the opportunity to join Suvi on a horse ride and was very thrilled to be back on horseback after more than a year. I first got a mini tour around the farm and Suvi introduced me to the horses. As someone from Belgium where most horses live in stables, it pleased me so much to see how much space the horses got to live. Big fields with lots of shadow thanks to the trees and more than enough hay to nibble on all day.

I got to pick Sarakka, a Fjord horse, out of the field to saddle up and Suvi took her horse Hermanni. We brushed the horses and got them ready for the ride. Covered with horsehair, the horses were shedding because it’s spring, I sat in my saddle ready to head to the woods.

Exploring nature from a horseback

We walked, trotted, and galloped trough the beautiful Lappish wilderness, hills, and landscapes. While looking at the beautiful surroundings Suvi told me how she moved to Lapland only a few years ago. She moved here and went to the guiding school to become a wilderness guide with the horses. After her internship on a horse farm her former boss called her and asked her “Hey, I’m quitting the horse farm, do you want to take over the horses and start on your own?”

And so, the adventure began! Suvi told me smiling that she asked her husband what he thought. He said to give him a few moths and the property would be ready for the horses. I always love the stories of how companies came to life, and I love the simplicity of Suvi telling me hers on a horseback, passing the Lappish woods. At 21 years old running her own company, doing everything herself, it’s something a lot of people dream of.

The lake and hill nearby Suvi’s horse farm is called Laenlammen and so the name: Laenlammen Tila came to life. Suvi also tells me about her plans to expend the farm. She wants to build some more cabins for the guests to stay in and a sauna or wellness area. She also wants a shared kitchen where she can teach visitors how it is to live in Lapland and share local recipes and good food.

Suvi’s story

Suvi’s dream is to show people the real, local way of living in Lapland and how to do that with horses. She wants to show the world that horses are not only useful to ride but that they’re capable of doing many different things like pulling sledges and to help people discover nature.

When Suvi was young, she dreamt of having her own farm with animals together with her cousins. Little Suvi back in the day couldn’t even imagined that one day, when she grew older, she would have her own horse ranch. She grew up in a big city; Espo. I’m pretty sure that the younger Suvi, riding horses only once a week and wanting a little farm, is very proud of her right now.

Suvi moved to Lapland three years ago for the beautiful Lappish nature and photography. She started the nature guiding program here in Lapland. Not long after that she looked for a place outside Rovaniemi city so she could keep some horses and she did her training ships with companies in the equestrian field. That was the moment Suvi started to dream of her own company after her graduation. That company came a little bit sooner as expected. I’m certain it will be a success, the project for sure is in good hands!

Suvi’s Tips and recommendations

Suvi’s big recommendation for our Visit Lapland readers is to come and explore Lapland during the summer. She fell in love with the season of the midnight sun and endless days and light.

“Try to find small and locally owned companies when you visit Lapland. You will meet the kind spirit of the locals and experience Lapland in a real and authentic way.” Says Suvi on a final note, and I can’t agree more with that!

 

⇐ By Kaat Vandeweyer/Visit Lapland ⇒