Wonderful day!

Was in the warm sun with my boys all day today, I body shaved Start and gave him a sporty haircut, he looked very sparky! He is so intelligent and hansome, there is only one like him and I love him to bits! When I decided to buy him I had not ridden him, only seen him ridden by two clients, I did not want to testride him because I knew that if I did I would want him and at that time I was not able to buy him. Lyckily (for me) he had piro and was not able to be exported to USA, my situation changed and I found the possiblility to buy him. I did not even think about that I had not ridden him, I just knew that the feeling would be awesome, and it is, Start is awesome! And I will let him be seen, you can count on it!
Start today

My favourite picure from the first time I rode Start!

Festivo's photo-diary from Caravaca

More photos of Festivo MR in Caravaca!
Arrival day thursday evening..

Betty always find friends..

Above; I am so tall I can see over the walls!

Below; Friday morfology, Festivo scored 24 points for movements and so did one other participant so they both had to do a second round, very nervous! But he was outstanding and won the movements!

To the right the other movement-guy.. Very good also, he was Movement Champion last year and is from a local Mucia studfarm.

Warm up that was very short, I was calculating time very carefully and I wanted to save the up-work with extentions for last but my land-men got it wrong so when I thought it was three before me it was my turn! Gulp - not good, had to run for it, can't trust those spanish men, I need a (swedish?) organized groom, anyone up for it for SICAB?!!? Luckily he was ON, and we scored 22 and 26 = 24 for the ridden test! 3rd best! After the morfology Festivo was 6th but with these scores he moved up one and ended up 5th place of 13 horses!

As Festivo won the Best Movements in his section he also got to compete for the Adult Champion Movement title the last day, where he was beaten (beautifully!) by one of the older stallions.

Festivo & Tony

And this is how happy I was to recieve the price! Javier was also very happy!

Yeguada VIKINGA PRE interviewed by Melpi

Melpi represented by these gentlemen are doing a great job for the PRE race filming every moment of the horses participating in the championships and making the competitions assessible to everyone all over the world. Yeguada VIKINGA PRE and Festivo MR got a great deal of attention, thank you so much for appreciation and for talking to us! See inteview here, översättning svenska nedan;
http://www.melpi.tv/index.aspx?v=35
Viktoria Sandberg & Melpi


































Översättning Intervju;

Melpi - Vi har här Viktoria Sandberg, ägare till stuteriet Yeguada VIKINGA PRE, ett stuteri som kommer ifrån Halmstad, Sverige, långt från där vi befinner oss just nu, med utmaningen föra in PREn i dressyr på hög nivå. Stämmer det att det är ett av stuteriets mål och intention?

Viktoria Sandberg- Ja vi är entusiastiska över att få in den här rasen i dressyren, vi vill visa alla att de här hästarna är mycket funktionella och att de kan prestera bra även inom internationell dressyr.

Melpi - Ett prov på detta har ni nu då ni här vunnit ett pris i Bästa Rörelser, grattis till det!

V.S - Tack, tack!

Melpi - Vikinga PRE's idé är att ha avelshingstar tillgängliga för svensk avel och att tävla dem i olika dicipliner och internationellt såväl som i dressyr som morfologior, för att kunna tillföra den svenska PRE aveln riktigt bra och beprövade funktionella avelshingstar,

V.S - Ja det stämmer fint, i Sverige finns nu ett stort intresse för den spanska rasen och vi är mycket entusiastiska över att aveln där ska bli så bra som möjligt, nu har vi tre avelshingstar och vi vill att de ska vara tillgängliga främst för den svenska aveln.

Melpi - Vad bra, framtidsplanerna är att fortsätta tävla här i Spanien?

V.S - Ja vi kommer att tävla både i dressyr och morfologiska championat och vi kommer även att ta Festivo MR till SICAB!

Melpi - Vi önskar er mycket framgång i detta äventyr, vi som PRE entusiaster tycker det är väldigt roligt att det finns PRE älskare i ett land så långt bort från vårt eget som Sverige!

V.S - Ja det finns många!

Melpi - Det tycker vi är väldigt roligt att höra, vi önskar ert stuteri allt det stort lycka till på vägen till att få era mål uppnådda och VIKINGA PRE's hästar blir berömda för sin funktionalitet och dressyr,

V.S - Det får vi hoppas!

Melpi - Och så grattis till ert pris ni tagit hem här i Caravaca och tack för att Melpi-TV fick tala mer er,
Med Melpi har Sverige kunna följa vad som har hänt här,

V.S - Ja och det är de jätteglada över att få möjlighet till, jag tycker att det är mycket viktigt för alla att rasen kommer ut internationellt och roligt att människor kan se de tävlande över hela världen, ni gör ett riktigt bra jobb, tack för det!

Melpi - Det är roligt för oss att hjälpa med det vi kan och stödja det viktiga stuteri arbete som ni gör, stuteriet med en krona på V:et, ett brännmärke vi hoppas blir känt inom kort, ett stort lycka till och tack,

V.S - Tack till dig!

Festivo MR won Best Movements!!

Title; BEST MOVEMENTS - MEJOR MOVIMIENTOS!!!!
- 3rd in the ridden test, scored 24 points!
- 5th totally in his section of 13 horses!
- Qualified to Spanish Championships, SICAB 2010!

We are so proud!
We drove home with a smile all the 7 hours to Madrid from Caravaca de la Cruz where excellent horses and top PRE studfarms gathered together this weekend to compete and in a important spanish PRE championship.
This was a competition graded A (there are A, B C, SICAB is also A) depending on the amount and level of participants more or less get qualifications to enter the spanish championships in Sevilla in November. We choose to participate with Festivo MR in this competiton to see how well he would do in relation to excellent horses and to get him qualified to SICAB. We are especially pleased that he scored so well for his movements in both in morfology and functionality. It is not easy for a foreign Yeguada to achieve a title for Best Movements competing against the locals and famous hotshots!

Here is our big baby; FESTIVO MR

Videos;
Showing by hand/Morfologia Friday;
http://www.melpi.tv/index.aspx?p=160843

Ridden test/Functionalidad Saturday;http://www.melpi.tv/index.aspx?p=160843&t=F

As he won the movements in his section he also got to compete for the movement championtitle adults on the Sunday;
http://www.melpi.tv/index.aspx?v=28

Here is a link to the list of results;
http://www.gescabonline.com/directopre/index.aspx?Id_Concurso=1440

Festivo MR competing tomorrow!

Yes it is Festivo's turn now, we are in Murcia, Spain for attending a important PRE championship! Cross fingers, there are many excellent horses from the best studfarms from all over Spain, you can follow us on Yeguada VIKINGA PRE's Facebook page and on Melpis Live-web tv!

Swedish PRE championships

This weekend is the Swedish PRE Championships in Stockholm, this year we are not attending as we are competing in Spain but we wish our swedish PRE friends the best luck and a fun weekend, enjoy! Here pictures from Swedish PRE championships last year when our Donoso won the championships and was rewarded two championtitles!

Donoso VII

Campeón de la Raza & Campeón Funcionalidad 2009

See Donoso's video here

Can a PRE jump?

Well of course they can! Why should not a perfectly balanced, flexible, agile and intelligent horse that is bred for high school movements like capriole, levadas etc not be able to jump? This race has not been used for showjumping for the simple reason the spanish riding culture is based on dressage, Alta Escuela (high school) and bullfighting, i.e old traditional riding culture. Now showjumping is quite popular in Spain and in our stables the majority are showjumping competition riders.
The day Halagador went sailing over the fence I decided to jump him, he choose his theme. So today was the first time, he was a little hesistant to begin with but no stopping no, no, we are bullfighting generation and we are not scared, just careful. Third time he went for it, flexible and agile like a cat, he can definitely jump! I just love the expression on his face, a mixure of surprise and happiness. Me on the other hand is a little off, looking down etc, grr, but it has been...17 years ??? (what - am I that old?) since I was doing this regularly!
Very inspired I did same thing with Donoso, of course he did it even better (he would never let anyone be better than him) but he has had a little more cavelletti and pole training and I have jumped him at least once before which is enough for he is a clever and very ambitious horse.
I am very lucky to have Javier taking great pictures so I can tell my little stories. He does other 'invisible ' things too, like help me taking care of the horses those crappy days my body does not want to play. I have Fibromyalgia or FM/ FMS which basically is constant pain in muscles, joints and which sometimes leads to total fatigue. Now I am getting great help from spanish doctors and medicine and when I find the right medicine I will be perfect! So thank you Javier!
Javier makes his job as a photographer a sport so he is not the one shooting pictures like a machine-gun - no, he looks for the right one and took one of each jump, here they are all presentated in order!

Halagador's first, heja Hagge!

And Donoso!

Hepp!

Play-day in the sun

Summer came back and I deciced to have a fun day with Donoso and Halagador. D was spectacular as usual and I think I got some of it on a video, will post it when I figured out this way to complicated video... uff... why can't them make them more advanced and EASIER to use!?? Hagge got a SMALL paddock this time, with higher fence to stop him from jumping it, but he did measure the height several times, very naughty. I am so going to jump this guy he is definitely asking for it! These are my handsome boys today, not brilliant pictures but I had to play and take photos at the same time (that's my excuse anyway).
Donoso VII & Halagador Cen