Veijo Heiskanen on the tough years – and the way back: “I have more positive thoughts in my head now than last summer”
Published 2024-01-01 11.39
Veijo Heiskanen faces an uncertain future: “I’ve thought and thought…” Photo: Lars Jakobsson, Malin Albinsson / Tr Bild
Veijo Heiskanen, 64, was forced to see his home of 27 years, Balltorp, demolished.
In connection with that, the decision was made to move to Finland.
– It is the saddest thing that has happened in my life, he says.
Veijo Heiskanen was for several decades among the foremost trotting trainers in the Nordic region.
In connection with the closing down of the Balltorp training facility, something Trav365 has written about before, the Finnish Swede was forced to make a difficult decision: stay in Sweden, or move to Finland.
The choice fell on the latter.
– It’s scary, the kind of memories I have from there. It feels strange, sad and wistful, I feel really sad, can’t really describe the feeling. I felt it in my heart when I was there and saw how it turned out, he told Trav365 this summer.
“Still hard to think about”
To this day, barely six months later, the demolition of Balltorp arouses strong emotions in Veijo, who lived there for 27 years
– It is the saddest thing that has happened in my life. I would never have moved from there if I didn’t have to. It’s still hard to think about.
Heiskanen and his partner at the time, Henna Halme, started afresh at the Vermo racetrack, with around 20 horses in total.
Sambon was the manager and Veijo, with his many years of expertise, a kind of all-in-all.
The two are no longer together, but Veijo still helps out in the stables a few days a week.
He has also retained his trainer’s license and is currently responsible for a horse.
Is it a future world star?
– No, it’s not, but still pretty good with almost a million in the account. His name is Callela Ikaros and this winter he finished second, third, second.
“I will be fully recovered”
When Veijo doesn’t have horses on his mind, he tries to take it as easy as possible in everyday life, but at the same time keep his body moving to the best of his ability.
It’s no secret that the former Åby trainer has long been dragged with pain in both legs and hip after a long life in the service of the trot.
On August 15, he underwent femur surgery to remove two screws that had been bothering him since he fell off a horse four years ago.
– I only needed to stay in the hospital for one night. The operation went very well, although the wound bled for a very long time. The screws were too long, but now the leg feels as it did before the accident. I am very happy and the doctors say I will make a full recovery.
Positive reports thus from one of the trotting’s big names.
“I still miss Sweden”
Finding harmony in Finland, on the other hand, has not always been the easiest for the 64-year-old who has been Swedish.
– Actually, I hadn’t missed Finland at all. Privately, there was a bigger difference than I thought. How to behave and such. The mentality here is completely different than in Sweden, and so is the traffic. It hasn’t been easy, Veijo said just over a year ago.
Are there possibly plans to move back to Sweden?
– It is absolutely not impossible. I still miss Sweden.
Do you still keep in touch with your former colleagues?
– From time to time, but it has actually gotten worse at the end. They will definitely get in touch.
“It has been very difficult lately”
You have been very open in interviews that you felt very bad during the year. How did you manage to get through these tough times?
– I don’t know if I’ve done it yet. It has been very difficult lately as well. However, it is slowly progressing and I have more positive thoughts in my head now than last summer.
When we feel him on the pulse regarding the future, if he has plans to expand the business in the long term, the answer is:
– I have thought and thought but have not yet come to a sensible decision. At the moment there is not much to tell, but in mid-February I hope to know more. However, I will not have a large stable, but mainly play with some of my own horses.
Is it hard not to have a plan for the future?
– Yes, of course and worse than I thought. Hopefully it will work out in some way, he concludes.
Veijo together with friends Torbjörn Jansson and Anders Lindqvist during the Elite race weekend this year. Photo: Maria Holmén / Tr Bild
2024-01-02 03:45:25
#saddest #happened #life
