Riverhead, NY (December 30, 2013) – Consistency in performance is the goal of good dressage and it’s exactly what Mette Larsen and Ulivi delivered to win the USDF KWPN All Breed Adult Amateur Championship in Intermediare I.  Last year, the pair also took the KWPN All Breed Adult Amateur Championship in Prix St. Georges, and the Reserve Championship in the Intermediare-1. 

Ask Larsen, who owns Metlar Premium Performance Saddlery in Riverhead, New York, the secret to success and she’ll say trust and communication. She purchased Ulivi as a three year-old and, despite her status as ‘amateur,’ has brought the horse through all levels of his training, resulting last year in a USDF championship as well as the KWPN Adult Amateur Prix St. George Champion and Intermediare-I reserve title.

But the part of the story behind why this horse and rider communicate so well begins in Germany in 2011, when Larsen visited the International Trade Fair for Equestrian Sports (SPOGA) and discovered Neue Schule Bits. Larsen, a doctor who specializes in geriatric medicine (as well as dressage competitor), saw the potential to the ergonomic design and decided to see how Ulivi might go in one.

“Neue Schule’s bits fit Ulivi better than any other, and so improved our ability to communicate, and therefore perform.  He was softer in the bridle, and more responsive, which took our training and showing to the next level,” she says.

The results were so immediate in Ulivi’s comfort and willingness to work that Larsen switched all her horses to Neue Schule Bits. “I liked the fact that the bits are designed with the latest in engineering and computer-aided design (CAD), and use a unique metal alloy called Salox Gold that was specifically developed for horses.”          

In 2012, as Ulivi’s dressage star kept rising, Larsen took her enthusiasm for the bits she had discovered in Germany a step further.  She became the US and Canadian distributor for Neue Schule Bits: “These bits make sense. These are now the only bits in my tack room.”  Alongside a growing collection of dressage trophies and tricolors.

Long Island-based Metlar Premium Performance Saddlery specializes in superior quality equipment and prestigious accessories inspired by the equestrian lifestyle, with a focus on progressive and creative innovation, comfort and high standards. Learn more about Metlar and Neue Schule Bits at www.metlar-us.com or call (631) 252-5574.

 

                                                      – 30 –

 

Photo: Mette Larsen and Ulivi.  (Photo courtesy of Mette Larsen)