Mette's March 2008 News update

My last show at LAEC during the first weekend in March, I call “wine and water.“ I think that Taison was the wine, although he has a lot to learn and do better, he pulled off a pretty good test. We had some eights for pirouettes and flying changes and then I had some other small bubbles, for miscommunications and all that, but for my first time out with him in this developing horses program and at Prix St. Georges level, I thought he did well.. He’s so new to it and he’s so big and he’s come such a long way, that I hope by the end of this year he will be pretty solid in this test and I hope he can still qualify to go to Kentucky in September. In the Developing Horse Qualifier, he scored almost 66% was third.
Emma Maclaren’s horse, Royal Luck, had a very good test in Prix St. Georges, but the score wasn’t that high. He got nailed for his walk and I lost one of the pirouettes because he had to go the bathroom and couldn’t do both at the same time. That cost me too much in points. He has a nice presence and he does a lot of good stuff in his tests, so I’m looking forward to the next show which will be in San Diego at Showpark the weekend of March 15. He did well in his Intermediare I test, he scored 64+% and was third place. It was almost the same in that test; I had a good ride and did a lot of good things, but one big bubble. That’s why I call this show wine and water.

The first show out for them was okay. It’s a long way until this year is over, so I hope to do well. The next big show is at Burbank, the last weekend of March. I’m going to bring Basquewille out in Grand Prix. I’m looking forward to that because he’s now been out of the show ring since April last year at the World Cup in Las Vegas. I’m not nervous, just excited that his foot now seems to be okay after that having to deal with that abscess for so long. So he is now entered in that big show at LAEC the last weekend in March.

Mette's February 2008 News Update

"I was fortunate enough to have my best friend, the international judge, Birgitta Bergsten to help me with my horses and prepare me for the show season. She came in January and unfortunatelythe weather was awful, so I had to move six horses to a barn with an indoor ring. I was lucky to find a place to stable six horses where I could also practice. I had a great time and learned a lot again. To me it’s extremely important to have the judge’s point of view, it’s not only that you train and practice, because the judges are the ones who will tell you how you are doing—at least their opinion-- and in the end they will dictate the results of the show. I had my four horses, Donatello, Basquewille, Taison and Rockefeller and Emma Maclaren’s Royal Luck and Cory Walkey’s Coby 727. Basquewille is still trying to recuperate from his abscess and he is coming along very well and I hope that I will be able to bring him out to the CDI shows and hopefully make it to the finals in June. I’m not sure if I will compete Donatello in the six year old competition, but that is what we worked on with the flying changes and half pass. He will be ready to go, but I’m not sure if I will do it. Taison is going out on Prix St. Georges and the developing horses test. Rockefeller sits around a 3rd level workout. With Coby and Royal Luck I’m trying out for the high performance national championships and I hope I will make it with them as well. We worked all day long each day that Birgitta was here. Birgitta put in a lot very good work and I enjoyed working with her. I think she has a phenomenal eye and is very patient and correct: straight is straight and through is through and pirouettes are pirouettes and there is nothing in between. She does it in a very nice and humble way. I wish more judges had her point of view of what is correct and what is incorrect.

Debbie McDonald is back in town and she’s coming to Mill Creek to help me with my horses. I enjoy very much working with Debbie. She has a wonderful eye and is a very good teacher. I used to say that we speak the same language, not that we are speaking Swedish, but we have the same point of view of training and how things should be done. Without good help from the ground, you are sunk. I wish I could work with her more often and keep her here to myself. But that is not how it works, so I’m thankful for every time she can be here."

Mette's November 2007 News Update

Mette placed extremely well on Taison and with her clients' horses, Coby 727 (owned by Cory Walkey) and Royal Luck (owned by Emma & Simon James) at the Del Mar Classic CDI in November.

Mette's October 2007 News Update

Mette and her horses finished well at the USDF/CDS Championship Show in Woodside in October 2007. Donatello (pictured right) finished 5th in the Training Level CDS Horse of the Year class and Taison finished 2nd in the Third Level Horse of the Year class in the Woodside Regional Championships Dressage Show.

Mette's August 2007 News Update

Here is a quick update to let you all know what Mette has been up to the past couple of months. She has been mainly giving clinics and has been in and out of Europe, both on horse buying trips and to visit family. She has been working with Debbie McDonald and riding six horses. This summer, Mette has also had many students coming from all over the world, with and without horses. She currently has students from Australia, Malaysia, Sweden and soon from Hong Kong. Mette says: "The barn is full of nice and dedicated students and that's really fun!"

Mette’s horses are all going well, but she has not been to any shows lately because of the heat; she feels it’s not fair to press the horses for performance in the show ring during the hottest summer months. Mette will be back to the show ring, however, for the regional finals in Woodside, California (October 11-14) and then she will be riding in the International CDI November 9 - 11 at Showpark in San Diego. Mette is looking forward to the 2007-2008 show season and working with Basquewille, as well as her promising young horses, Donatello, Rockefeller and Taison.

Mette's June 2007 News Update

Mette taught three amateur clinics for the California Dressage Society this past Spring. Read a rider's report and several letters of appreciation for one of Mette's Clinics (PDF file From the May 2007 CDS newsletter) and more letters about Mette's clinics (PDF file From the June 2007 CDS newsletter).

Mette's May 2007 News update

Donatello finished 3rd in the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Western Region Selection Finals for 5 year olds at the Flintridge Dressage Show. This qualifies him for World Breeding Championships in Verden, Germany this summer! (Read More)

Mette also place extremely well on Cory Walkey's new horse Coby 727 and on Emma and Simon James' horse Royal Luck. It was Mette's first show on both horses. Mette's horse Taison also had top finishes in his divisions.