Mette and Rico 5th in the nation

Congratulations to Mette and Rico finishing 5th in the nation!

It's been an amazing week in Gladstone and we are so proud and excited to congratulate Mette and Rico for placing 5th in the Intermediaire National championship!
The competition has been really tough through out the whole week but Mette and Rico definitely showed everyone that they earned a spot in the top 5!
Today was the final day of the show, ending with an Int freestyle. Mette rode to her Disco Carmen music and pulled of a fun and beautiful test, finishing up on the centerline in an extended trot with only one hand! As Mette said, she had nothing to lose!
After winning both the PSG and Int 1, Caroline Roffman and Pie took the title as 2012 National champions with a combined score of 74.5% David Blake on Royal Prinz from San Diego, CA, finished as reserved champions with 72.3%. Heather Mason finished 3rd with Warsteiner scoring 71.8% followed by Steffen Peters and Sundance 8, 71.3%. Finishing in the top 5 spot on a score of 70.8% was Mette together with Rico!
Thank you everyone who has been supporting and cheering them on for the big final! Mette is now on her way back home to California and Rico and his groom Anna are flying home in just a few days. We wish them all a safe trip back and will promise more pictures from the trip as soon as everyone is back home.
TEAM METTE!!

A perfect day!

It was so much fun to go into Int 1 knowing that I had nothing to lose.  Together with "my" Rico I did absolutely as good as I could. Rico stepped up to the plate and was so ready that I felt when I left the ring that we had done a great job! The only thing was that everybody else had the same idea', nothing to lose, just to fight. I love that situation  and I have always done better the more pressure Im under. I never get nervous, just more ready. I was in the lead for a long time and when the whole class was done I ended up 4th, very close to 3rd place. That makes me even more eager to be in the top three tomorrow. Thank you all for taking your time to watch me go. I waved to all of you, knowing that you would be out there. Tomorrow I will blow a kiss, and thats for you! My starting time is 12.43pm ET and you can still watch it on www.usefnetwork.com. Caroline Roffman won again and second was David Blake from California, Heather Mason was third and me fourth.
Tomorrow Im flying back to Los Angeles. Anna will stay to take care of Rico and fly back with him on Wednesday.

So please cross your fingers for another successful day and I promise to ride my heart out!

Gladstone

First day of competition

Mette and Rico placed 6th in the PSG today after a really, really nice test and a score of 69.6%.             Rico looked fantastic and had a good, clean test! The competition is really hard with the top 15 horses out of the country. Mette was very pleased, being in the top 6 after the first day. The margin to the horses right in front of them is very small so she feels really confident to go in to the Int 1 on Saturday.
Caroline Roffman on Pie won and Steffen Peters on Sundance was second. David Blake, also from California, was forth. So the three California horses went in for prize giving.
Unfortunately there was no live cover for the PSG but there will be for the classes this coming weekend, starting Saturday at 8.30 am ET. with the Grand Prix special. We think that the Int 1 starts around 2 but we have not got our starting times yet. You can check for the times and for the live cover on www.usefnetwork.com

Finally we are getting closer

So today is Wednesday and Mette rode Rico for the last time before the show starts tomorrow, Thursday. Rico looks really, really good, feels strong and fit.
During the afternoon the jog went on and Rico passed with flying colors. He looks so shiny and content and is ready to go!
After all the rain we got yesterday everything looks so beautiful today when the sun came out. So maybe for the first time over all the times I have been here it looks like the weather will be perfect.
The PSG will start on Thursday at 10 am local time. Remember that you can watch it live on www.usefnetwork.com.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Mette has arrived to Gladstone

Mette has now arrived to Gladstone together with Mill Creeks owner, Cory Walkey.

Mette is really excited to be here and can't wait for the competition to start. Mette took Rico out for a ride earlier today and she says that he looks and feels great after the long trip from LA to the east coast. He has settled in really well and seems to also enjoy being here.

Today is a very quiet day at the show ground. All the Grand Prix horses that showed last weekend are having an easy day and will not be showing again until Friday. The young riders, juniors and pony riders were all competing last weekend so they are packed up and on their way home. At the same time the horses who will be competing in the Intermediere and the Brentina cup are arriving from all over the country.

The jog for the Intermediere horses will be on Wednesday, so until then we are preparing and waiting for the show to start.

USEF National Championships 2012 in Gladstone, NJ

Next week Mette will be competing Anne Solbraekke's horse Mosegaard's Rico in the Intermediere division at the USEF National Championships in Gladstone, NJ.
We are super excited about the final, especialy since Mette and Rico earned one of the top spots on the list going into the final!
Rico and Mette's groom/assistant Anna left together with an early flight Friday morning.
Rico traveled really well and they both arrived safley to Gladstone.
So far the weather has bin perfect and it's a really beautiful show ground! Tomorrow Mette will arrive to Gladstone and a very exciting week is about to begin!
Make sure to check in for more updates and don't miss the live coverage on www.usefnetwork.com when the show starts.

GO TEAM METTE!!!!