Laura Bechtolsheimer and Mistral Horjis kicked off the New Year in impressive style at the 2010 CDI-W Amsterdam where they smashed current British records in the Grand Prix and Kur – coming within just four percent of dynamic Dutch duo Edward Gal and Totilas.

Taking second in the GP on a record 78.04%, Laura and Alf stepped up their game and put the pressure on Gal and Totilas who finished first on 82.17%. “I was really happy with the (GP) test as he had no mistakes—he was really relaxed and easy to ride,” said Laura. “The only critique I received from my dad that our extensions weren’t as expressive as they could have been. So I took that feedback into the Freestyle.”

Buoyed by her earlier success, Laura set her sights on yet another British record in the Kur and captured second with a sensational 82.30% – again trailing Gal and Totilas by fewer than five percent.

“The Freestyle was fantastic,” said Laura. “I played the music a bit lower as he (Mistral Horjis) has had issues with the music in the past and I just wanted to build his confidence. Well my strategy paid off because he stood still in the halts— some great progress!”

Looking to the coming months Laura voiced her enthusiasm for what the future holds. “It just builds our confidence so much to come out this strong in 2010. We’re definitely excited for the year to come!”

Read our exclusive interview with Laura here: http://www.horseandcountry.tv/ask-the-expert/hc-interview-laura-b