Text © World of Showjumping

“I love what I do because I love horses, but there are times when I dislike this sport because it has become an industry,” Erika Lickhammer-Van Helmond tells World of Showjumping. “I don't like the fact that there are people involved who don’t actually know their horses and understand the animal that they are. There is so much money in our sport these days that sometimes I feel like I don't belong in this world anymore. I'm old fashioned, and there isn’t much I don't know about my own horses – and I think that's how it should be. You have to have a relationship with your horses, and you have to spend time with them. I think it is important to remember that with horses, there are no quick fixes. All riders have a responsibility to know their own horses. Unfortunately, nowadays that does not apply to everyone.”

I'm old fashioned, and there isn’t much I don't know about my own horses – and I think that's how it should be

During the winter, the 43-year-old Swedish rider returned to five-star level with her home-bred I.Comme Tessa VHL (Comme Il Faut 5 x Casall Ask) – representing Sweden during the 2024/2025-season of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™, in Mechelen (BEL), Bordeaux (FRA) and Gothenburg (SWE). Kicking off the 2025 outdoor season, the two were part of the Swedish squad at the Longines League of Nations™ in Ocala. To World of Showjumping, Erika tells about her journey from the Swedish archipelago to the Dutch town of Asten, how combining motherhood with competing at the highest level has made her a better person, and how Tessa – her horse of a lifetime – has challenged her to evolve as a rider.

“I was a shy kid from a normal family, but somehow my motivation overpowered that and took me to where I am today,” Erika tells. “I am not saying that it is easy, but it is possible. I'm a living example that you actually can make it, despite your background.”

Erika was born on Gotland, a small island on the coast of Sweden, and started riding when she was five. “Trotting is very big in Sweden, and that was my first meeting with horses,” she recalls. “I was just a normal girl from town, I did not grow up on a farm or anything like that. However, I always loved animals and I think that love is what brought me to where I am today. I started with the trotters, and I did a little bit of everything; it was never clear in the beginning that I was going to be a showjumper. That just happened naturally when I got a pony and the most fun part of playing around was jumping.”

Erika ended up winning a lot with her pony Miss Sunshine, including the Swedish and Nordic Championships. “I was around 12 when I started to say that I was never going to do anything else than ride. I took my own road – and nobody could stop me,” Erika, who moved from home at only 16 and went to work for Peter Eriksson, says.

I took my own road – and nobody could stop me

At the age of 23, after taking part in a clinic with Eric van der Vleuten, Erika decided it was time to broaden her horizon. “I asked Eric if I could come to his place for a few weeks. He agreed, and I drove down to the Netherlands with three horses. When it was time to return to Sweden, I swore I would be back – although I was not sure how I would do it,” she tells.

In October that same year, Erika returned to the Netherlands – and has not looked back since. “My plan at the time was to come down with a few horses and see if I could work here,” Erika says. “However, all the owners that I rode for in Sweden back then wanted me to bring their horses. I had nothing, but my owners helped me a lot; one family even bought a truck so that I could transport the horses. Eric helped me to rent a stable – and I got it to work. It was very important for me to learn the world of trading, because otherwise I could never survive. I learned a lot and got the dealing running so that I could do some shows as well.”

While Erika’s first years in the Netherlands were successful both in business and sport, things soon took a turn for the worse; it was not easy to run it all alone. “My now husband Joris came into my life at the right moment because it was hard to be on my own,” Erika tells about a turning point in her life.

For the past 15 years, Erika and Joris have run VHL Stables out of their base in Asten – an operation they started from scratch at the Van Helmond-family’s property. “My husband’s father and uncle – who are still very much involved and help us a lot – had a small breeding stable with five boxes and one mare, that we could take over,” Erika explains. “That was the beginning of our breeding operation. Today we have about 30 sport horses here, as well as some students, and we breed too – more or less 10 foals every year. Joris and I do everything ourselves, from insemination to scanning.”

Erika and Joris’ vision is producing their young horses towards higher levels. “Right now, I have nine horses on my list,” Erika tells about her string of horses that is led by the 12-year-old mare I.Comme Tessa VHL (Comme Il Faut 5 x Casall Ask). “Two of my other horses – Saratoga LW and Vivi's Diamond VHL – have just started to jump on 1.50m level. I hope that in a couple of months, they can follow Tessa a bit more.”

Home-bred I.Comme Tessa VHL – or Tessa as she is called in the stable – has been a gamechanger for Erika. “From the first time we saw her jump, she stood out,” Erika tells about the exceptionally talented mare. “The time with Tessa has been filled with happiness. Of course, you have some shows where it didn't work out – you cannot avoid that when you work with horses. However, she keeps putting a smile on our faces. That's also a big reason why we said we're going to keep her, because we enjoy our time with her so much. The journey with Tessa is the best journey I ever had with a horse. She even has her own hashtag, #anothermomentwithtessa.”

The time with Tessa has been filled with happiness

“I have educated a lot of good horses – since education has been my job – but Tessa has been something else,” Erika explains. “She just had it all from nature. However, she was not easy as a youngster. She was extremely sharp, she wasn't easy to get used to the saddle and she wasn't easy to handle. She did her first start as a six-year-old – jumping one meter – so she was a bit late into the sport.”

“With Tessa, it has never been about getting in different rings to jump her or getting her used to special types of fences, all these things she handled with ease,” Erika continues to tell about the journey that has seen the two step up all the way to five-star level. “It has been all about staying on her, and we were all a bit intimidated of riding her as a youngster. However, I never had any doubts about Tessa’s ability, I only had doubts about myself. She has so much quality, that I was not sure if I would be able to rider her – I never had a horse like her before,” Erika explains.

I never had any doubts about Tessa’s ability, I only had doubts about myself

”I always thought she deserves to compete at the highest level, because she’s born for that, but I didn’t know whether I was going to be able to take her there. I kept thinking that maybe she deserves someone better. Joris has been so supporting and kept telling me that now that we have Tessa, we should work with her and I just have to learn along the way. My struggle with her has been her rideability. She’s extremely careful, even more careful than she looks, and that combined with a lot of will hasn’t made it easy. So, we have gone slowly with her and she has jumped a year on every height her whole life. I need to be able to present the jumps to her in the best possible way, since she always gives 200% every time she sees a jump.”

After a consistent indoor season, Erika’s goals with Tessa have moved up a notch. “I don't close any doors for the Europeans,” she says about the summer season ahead. “However, this championship comes very fast. With Tessa it has never been about the height though – it has been about rideability and getting her strong enough in her body. If we find the same form outdoors that we had indoors, then I don't see the Europeans as an impossible goal. I’m already thinking about the World Cup season next year as well. I find that to be more of a realistic goal, because we have the experience from this season.”

We are working hard to make ends meet and we understand the value of Tessa

Even though holding on to Tessa has been a conscious decision, brushing off offers on the impressive mare has not been easy – especially when Erika has a big business to run and a family to provide for. “It has been a roller coaster,” she explains. “It's easy to say no as long as everything goes well. However, going through bad moments – which I think you have with all horses, no matter what you sit on – has been hard for me. We are working hard to make ends meet and we understand the value of Tessa. During my weakest moments, my husband Joris has always reminded me about our decision to work through any challenges. I have focused on improving myself, and I have gotten a lot of help – and I needed that to take the last steps with Tessa.”

Erika is a mother of two and while combining motherhood with running a business and competing at a high-level is not an easy feat, she believes motherhood has made her a better person. “When I moved to the Netherlands as a 23-year-old, I had tunnel vision,” she explains. “The only thing I wanted was to be the best, to win, to go to the Olympics. I had ambitious plans. I was not thinking about family, and I think I was not the best daughter, I wasn't the best sister. I only cared about the sport back then and motherhood has changed me a lot. After meeting Joris, we eventually ended up taking a step back from the sport and started to build something for ourselves – and also decided to start a family.”

When I moved to the Netherlands as a 23-year-old, I had tunnel vision

“Today, I would say that I'm a much better daughter and a much better sister,” Erika continues. “Motherhood has made me a warmer person and given me a whole different view on life. Today I have a little bit from both worlds, since I have returned to the bigger shows. I am not always there for every occasion the kids have, but on the other hand, they get to travel and they get to see a lot because I try to bring them with me. I have a fantastic husband who is a very good father and supports me. I can't complain about anything in my life; I can do the sport as I want, and I have great support from my whole family. Now, I wouldn't sacrifice everything just to be a championship rider – but when I was younger, I would have. These days it is more important for me to be happy with the life I lead. Meanwhile, I am very motivated for any opportunities having a horse like Tessa brings my way.”

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