From left to right, Jacqueline Brooks, Chase Hickok of Neue Schule, and Cora Causemann.

Riverhead, NY – When Jacqueline Brooks said, “He was right on the music. Every score was in the 70’s,” she wasn’t kidding. On February 7, only two weeks after debuting their new freestyle, Brooks and D Niro went down centerline in the Adequan Global Dressage Festival’s premier Friday Night Stars event, the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle 4*, presented by The Dutta Corp. and from five out of five judges, nailed scores between 70.5% and 73%. “It’s a good start,” Brooks said, who went on to praise her horse. “He’s fantastic. A non-stop trier. He’s not the biggest horse or the biggest mover but he is the greatest partner you can hope for.”It’s that appreciation and respect for her equine partner – and the sensitivity to that connection – that earned Brooks the Neue Schule ‘Best Hands’ Award and a set of new leather reins from Mette Larsen, of Metlar Premium Performance Saddlery in Riverhead, NY and U.S. dealer of the UK-based ergonomic bits.     The Neue Schule ‘Best Hands’ Award winner said the connection between the hands and mouth has to be a comfortable one: “When a horse is uncomfortable in their bit, you can’t get to the rest of the horse. Your horse has to love their bit. They need to gain security from their bit, not run away from it. It has to be like a pacifier to them.”    “Jackie believes in the same kind of connection as the designers behind Neue Schule. Horses should strive to seek the bit, not avoid it,” says Larsen, who presented the Best Hands Award to Brooks between classes at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.     Neue Schule mouthpieces offer dressage riders a new, superior fit for their horse, including Comfy Contact Eggbutt and Comfy Contact Baucher designs whose gentle side-to-side responsiveness softens jaws and polls and encourages contact.    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 at www.metlar-us.com or call (631) 252-5574.