Photos from Gladstone

We've arrived in Gladstone!

After an early start on Friday morning, the trailer came to the barn at 2:30 am. All was packed and ready, thanks to Anna, so we got out with no problem and got to the airport on time, thanks to Heather. My kind of girls! Well done!

At the airport they tell me that it's only my horse in the crate and that the other horse was not o.k. to go, so.......here we are, only Finally and me, in a FedEx plane on our way to Gladstone. All went well and Finn was such a brave boy. Every trip he makes, he gets better and better. I tell you it has been a long road, but it paid off!!

In NJ the weather was not that bad, so the ride from the airport went easy. At Gladstone there are not that many horses yet, so it is nice and quiet. Horses that had to fly in are there, but that is about it.

So far I have just ridden Finn in a soft warm up style--more so he got loosened up. He is out grassing and had a great spa day done by Anna. He looks very content and actually both eats and drinks--that is a good sign!!!

Tomorrow I will start riding him more and Debbie will keep an eye on me in the morning.I know he will be great!!

Taison is also in, but he is still in California. I got the message too late to get him on the flight that Finn was on in a few hours. So I'm working on getting him to Gladstone. If you have a cargo plane to lend me, just give me a call! That would be so great to have both my horses in the Finals and I hope it will work out. They are both so cool and we all miss Taison here--remember that Taison is Finn's best friend and will always make things safe and perfect.

So this is it for now. Enjoy!

~Mette

A Very Special Thanks

As I head off to the Dressage Festival of Champions in Gladstone next week, I’d like to say a special thanks to all of the people who have helped get me there. It takes a lot of help and support and I could never have gotten this far on my own. So, thank you:

Cory Walkey for making her beautiful facility, Mill Creek Equestrian Center, available to me and making sure that everything is running smoothly there and for being there whenever I need her as a friend and a supporter;

Anna Dahlberg, who takes care of my horses both at home and at shows and stays on top of everything;




Dr. Charlie Boles, my veterinarian, and his staff at Specifically Equine, for staying on top of my horses’ well-being and taking care of everything else from vaccinations to horse passports to FEI rules. I am very fortunate to have him and his wonderful staff behind me, plus I'm thankful to have someone I can trust and who is so knowledgeable;

Robbie Cozart, my horseshoer, for taking such great care of my horses’ feet—as the saying goes, “no hoof, no horse;”

Carlos Gomez, the Mill Creek Stable Manager, who drags my dressage arena everyday and ensures that the footing is always perfect, so my horses stay sound and always takes care of anything I need--always;



Donna Gulnac, my web administrator, for keeping my website up to date and making sure you all know what I’ve been up to.




And thanks to everyone else who is behind me in friendship and in spirit helping me to make this work! Your support is very special to me!

~Mette

Finally!

After all the hard work and all the shows and preparation, it did pay off! My horse Finally is going to the Dressage Festival of Champions: the USEF Finals in Gladstone the beginning of August. When I started out the show season, my goal was to make it to the finals, but since Finally didn’t yet have a show record, I didn’t know if that would be possible. The most minor issue of the show season turned out to be actually riding my tests; my biggest challenge was getting Finally used to all the commotion that occurs at horse shows, since this was a new experience for him. When I got one thing down, something else popped up.

The finals in Gladstone are also the selection trials for the World Equestrian Games that are occurring this fall at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, so I know it will be a fun and exciting show. All of the California horses will be flying out to New Jersey and I hope that the travel, heat and big East Coast bugs will not give any one too much grief. I will be on the flight with my horse and the plan is to arrive at Gladstone a week early on July 30. There is still a chance that my horse Taison will qualify for the finals as well—he is number two on the waiting list. Taison is actually feeling and going better now than he did at many of the shows this year, so I really hope I will get to take him to New Jersey, too.

I’m working very hard preparing myself as well as I can and am really looking forward to the show. My brother and sister will fly out from Sweden to watch me compete. My brother, Carl Frederick, and his wife, Birgitta, have never seen me ride! My sister, Elizabeth, and her husband Goran were actually at Gladstone when I competed there with Basquewille in Grand Prix a few years ago.

I hope all of you are having a great summer and wherever you are it’s not too hot!

As always, best wishes!

~Mette