Kathy Connelly Welcomed as Neue Schule Ambassador
Riverhead, NY (November 13, 2013) – “These bits are real performance enhancers,” says FEI dressage rider, trainer, coach and ‘S’ level judge, Kathy Connelly, of Elysium Farm in Harvard, MA about her enthusiastic endorsement of Neue Schule Bits. “These bits are tops!”
Connelly has won national titles at all the FEI levels including the U.S. Grand Prix and U.S. World Cup Championships, has represented America at the World Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden, and was the highest-placed member of the Grand Prix bronze medal team at the North American Championships. Mentored by the late German trainer Herbert Rehbein and trained by Ernst Bachinger, current Director of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Connelly has always selected and trained her own horses.
“Since each horse is a new journey for the rider, it is important that the partnership is good,” says Connelly, who specializes in training piaffe and passage on the long lines. She understands that, in order for a horse to execute the precision of dressage correctly, its attention must be focused on its rider or trainer, and free of uncomfortable distraction.
“Overall, I think the bits are fantastic. The horses seem to love them. They are lightweight and comfortable. I especially like them because Neue Schule offers many variations of bits, which gives an opportunity to accommodate the unique conformation of a horse’s mouth. Because horses’ mouths vary greatly according to the interdental space and distance between the upper and lower bones, and palate.”
Perfect for the dressage rider, Neue Schule bits unite metal alloys with high degrees of copper (to encourage sweet, moist mouths) with revolutionary side-to-side responsiveness in its bit barrels to soften the jaw and poll and dispel score-lowering issues such as coming above the bit or locking against contact.
Connelly learned of Neue Schule through Mette Larsen of Metlar Premium Performance Saddlery in Riverhead, NY, the US and Canadian distributor of Neue Schule bits, when Larsen was using the bits to address tension issues in her own horse, Ulivi. The results spoke for themselves: Larsen and Ulivi were 2012 USDF KWPN Adult Amateur Horse of the Year champions in Prix St Georges and reserve in Intermediare I.
“Solving the problem of engineering a horse bit whose central barrel did not lock when contact was taken seemed impossible,” recalled Larsen. “Prior to Neue Schule’s revolutionary design, all barrelled bits, such as the Billy Allen, locked up when contact was taken. This unique ‘revolving barrel’ encourages relaxed acceptance, causing a horse to soften through the jaw, poll and top line, promoting throughness and a more harmonious partnership.”
The Neue Schule mouthpiece is also excellent for horses with minimal space between the tongue and upper palate. Larsen explained: “It benefits horses with a shortened distance from the corner of their lip to the muzzle, as it will sit further back in the mouth to discourage over-activity and tongue evasion.
The revolving barrel utilizes the thicker, center of the tongue to promote feel, response and acceptance while maximizing control and lift in the shoulder.”
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 standard. Learn more about Metlar – Neue Schule Bits at www.metlar-us.com or call, 631-252-5574.
Photo: Neue Schule bits is proud to welcome Kathy Connelly as a Neue Schule Ambassador. (Photo courtesy of Kathy Connelly)
Mette Larsen Metlar – Neue Schule Bits mlarsen@metlar-us.com 631-252-5574
