TESTIMONIALS
JAYNE ESSIG
I reached out to Maria after a mutual friend recommended her to help me find a new horse. Due to Coronavirus and no travel, finding a suitable horse where I live in rural Canada is next to impossible! Although I have purchased broodmares and young horses off video before, I have never purchased a horse I have not sat on! So this was a big leap of faith.
After speaking with Maria and corresponding with her I felt more comfortable with the process. I sent her videos of my riding, a detailed description of the type of horse and feel I’m looking for along with my goals and budget. Maria tried several horses on my behalf and after each ride I received a thorough ‘ride through’ response with pros and cons of each horse and overall opinion. If I was interested, Maria would return and ride again, videotaping each moment from start to finish. She was very transparent in the process and is truly working for the buyer.
With Marie’s help I found a wonderful 8yo gelding (not pictured) whom I have had for a few weeks now in Canada. He is everything and more that I could have asked for and I’m absolutely thrilled with him. The ride ability and feel was spot on and I can’t thank Maria enough for finding this special guy!
- Equinox Acres Dressage
Alana Andrews
At the end of 2020, I began my search for a quality young horse. However, due to COVID-19, I was unable to travel to Europe to try horses. After some research online and a fantastic reference from a U.S. team member, I decided to contact Maria Anna Digman to set up a test ride of an interesting horse I had found online.
While I did not end up purchasing the first horse due to veterinary findings, I was so pleased with Maria’s description, personal opinion on ride-ability and comprehensive videos. I truly felt that I was given a full objective overview and plenty of information in order to make a decision regarding a possible purchase.
In the end, I purchased the third horse that I sent Maria to test ride for me. I had so much confidence in her riding skills, as well as her honesty and integrity, that I decided to send my new horse to her for an additional few months of training before importing to the U.S. She has since given me wonderful training updates, photos and videos and I can already see improvement and progression in an otherwise very quality horse. I couldn’t be happier with my decision to purchase Majoor (2017 Daily Diamond x Special D) and I cannot recommend Maria enough to anyone looking to purchase sight unseen in the Netherlands. Truly a great resource for the American market!
- Los Angeles, CA
Helen Gallaway
“My experience using Maria to try a horse for me in The Netherlands worked out amazingly well! Because of the travel restrictions, I was unable to go abroad and try horses for myself. I had a crack team of friends that were very experienced in importing horses and finding the right horse for clients, so I decided to go for it and look for my newest partner with the support of this team. I had spent months looking at horses here in the US and had a very restrictive budget, like many adult amateurs, so I was convinced by my team I could find something better overseas and could still stay within my budget. After one or two horses I liked failed either the temperament test or vetting, I was shown a lovely young bay gelding that hadn’t really been pushed and that had a lot of experience hacking out and riding in large groups. This sounded like the perfect horse for me! I like a horse to have some real life experience before they specialize and this gelding seemed to fit the bill! He was the right size, the right experience and on top of that a stunning mover. That’s where Maria came in. She easily scheduled a trial ride for me with a long list of my preferences and needs in the back of her mind. She videoed the whole trial, with the owner riding and then with herself in the saddle. After I reviewed the video, we had a long conversation about her thoughts. She convinced me that this horse fit all my criteria and was lovely, sweet and besides a few tweaks in training, would make me a wonderful partner. Based on that conversation I decided to pull the trigger and have him vetted. Long story not so short, he passed the vet and was soon on his way to Florida. He came off the transport after his quarantine super calm and sweet and just wanted to eat grass. He has been everything that Maria said he was and more. I am incredibly happy with him and we are slowly deepening our relationship and we will go to our first show together in a couple weeks! Having a contact like Maria that can not only bring her expertise to the ride, but someone that knows both sides of the pond is truly invaluable! I will not buy another without her help! Thank you so much Maria for such an amazing and honest horse purchase experience!”
Jennifer Roth
My name is Jennifer Roth. I am a USEF "S" dressage judge from California.
Maria is an up and coming top young professional who has trained and succesfully shown several horses thru Prix St. George and Intermediare II. Although she has not yet had the opportunity to show Grand Prix, she has trained the movements on many horses. I have been a clinician off and on for over a decade at the her barn. During this time I have witnessed many problem horses being transformed into useful and competitive horses for dressage and jumping.
Maria has tremendous feel and talent and has done a great deal of training on her own. Maria is also a gifted teacher, sympathetic and articulate, passionate and energetic with great desire to pass on her knowledge to others. Her students are always very successful at shows!
I would highly recommend Maria in all capacities of rider , trainer , Instructor and coach. She is a team player and would be a great asset to any Equestrian Center.
Kasey Bedard
There is no rider that I recommend more highly than Maria Hallet, and no trainer with whom I would rather entrust my horse. Maria has a special talent for bringing out both the talent and personality of a horse. She is kind, but firm, and in this way is able to earn the love of every horse she sits on. Maria works not only to put a correct foundation on a horse, but also to develop a working partnership based on trust. I believe that it is because of this that she is able to discover so much potential in the horses she rides. All the horses she has in training are happy, relaxed partners, and are therefore willing to try their hardest to do anything she asks, and figure out any new challenge she puts in front of them. With her focus on relaxation, stretching, and correct training, Maria prepares each horse to face the challenges of each new level with eager interest, rather than tension and fear.
Maria pours her heart and soul into her riding, and I truly believe there is no place she'd rather be than on the back of a horse. As a trainer she has a knack for knowing when to push, and when to go back to basics. As a rider she has elegance, grace, and never-failing compassion for her horse. The result is happy horses who are confident and passionate about their jobs. I truly cannot recommend anyone more highly.
Melissa Lucas
We are so grateful for Maria Kwinten test riding our Pony Cool Men prior to purchasing him. We were unable to travel to try him and she was able to go test ride him for us for a very reasonable rate. She rode him and took comprehensive videos and pictures and gave us her overall impression of the pony. It really put our minds at ease in the buying process knowing there was someone who could give us an objective opinion. Not to mention she is a phenomenal rider who you could easily have ride a young horse through a finished experienced one really opening up the possibilities of her trying horses for clients. The pony was just as she described & we would definitely use her services again & highly recommend her to others.
Karen Knott Siebert
I imported my first horse in 2019. To say I was afraid and worried is an understatement but luckily with the guidance of Maria and my trainer, Ally Rogers - it was an awesome experience. Maria understood exactly what I wanted and what concerns I had and she did everything possible to ensure me Cevano would be a great fit! She couldn’t have been more right! He was everything and more than I could have ever hoped for! He’s definitely a horse of a lifetime and I still pinch myself knowing he’s mine. I would without a doubt use Maria again in a heartbeat to help me find a horse. She still keeps in touch with us and keeps track of our partnership!
Also - I earned my third level scores needed for my Bronze medal with Tuck at our first show only one month after him arriving in the US! We got our forth level scores in 2020 and were headed to PSG! Unfortunate Covid and a rider injury delayed a lot of our training in 2020. But here’s to us getting back on track in 2021! If you want someone to help you find a horse or you need someone to go try a horse for you and want an unbiased and honest opinion- do NOT hesitate to get Maria’s help!