Message from Mette: My friend and international judge, Birgitta Bergsten from Sweden, came once again as so many other years before. This year the weather was on my side and we got a lot done during the week Birgitta was here. Birgitta’s way of seeing how the movements are performed is clean, classical and correct. So for me as a rider, I just had to try to execute each movement the way it is supposed to be done. There are no shortcuts, I just have to ride correctly.
It doesn’t matter how much we all try at home--if we don’t do it in the way it’s supposed to be done, then we won't be competitive in the ring. So for me, it is extremely important to break down each test on each horse and at the end of the week, put it together. For me the riding is like pieces of a puzzle—you need to work on the basics: movements, test riding, putting the test together and having your horse fit, healthy and enjoying his work by not going into the ring every day. So you really have to set up a short term goal and a long term goal and hope at the end that all the pieces will come together and you get a perfect picture. Thank you so much Birgitta for taking your time to come and help me once again--I really appreciate all your help!
P.S. You can see Mette riding the new Developing Horse test for the first time on Taison with Birgitta's help on her YouTube channel!
