Let's start at the very beginning...

...A very good place to start!

Now that I have (nearly) recovered from jet lag by sleeping 18 hours a day, I have sorted through the hundreds of photos I took to go with my recollections of an awe-inspiring tour of Deutschland, for which I gratefully thank Jenny Carroll for all the time spent coordinating the numerous attendances at the championships and studs that resulted in a once in a lifetime experience. Also a thank you to everyone who helped us by providing contacts who were willing to give their time freely so that we could learn what has enabled the Germans the world recognised leaders of dressage.

Anyway, we started the tour at Heidelberg, a beautiful town in the province of Baden-Württemberg. Attached is a photo showing the view from the top of one of the mountains. On the day of arrival, we took a "leisurely stroll" up to the ruins of the Schloss (castle) - photo attached - before having dinner on the Fussgängerzone (pedestrian zone) near the cathedral not far from the kornmarkt ('corn market') - photo attachted.

Next day, after some skillful bus driving through tiny streets, we arrived at the Brookhouse Stud, home of Emma Hindle, a British Olympic rider. Emma kindly demostrated riding one of her FEI stallions - photo attached. Afterwards her stud manager willingly spoke to us about the steps undertaken to select and purchase horses suitable for Emma to ride and for breeding. Emma has a strong and focused personality and clearly knows what she wants in an Olympic horse. She willingly and openly shared her views and opinions on training and preparing horses and what criteria she thought was important in determining if the horse will make it to Grand Prix. Suprisingly she was perhaps more forthright than the German trainers who we met later. Lastly, some of her mannerisms and looks (including long ponytail) reminded a few of us of our own Rachael Sanna!

As I sort through my photos, I will post more on our trip.

Bis Später!
Emz