Year of 2010 Here We Come!

I trust that everyone had a wonderful Christmas, followed by a great party into the new year. I most certainly did. Basically my trip back to Canada was a whirl wind of excitement. It was so nice to spend Christmas with my family and catch up with some very special people in my life. CAT skiing was just amazing, we had fabulous weather and the snow conditions were unreal. The nine days that I spent in Canada flew by so fast I was strapped into an airplane seat again before I knew it. And I have to admit, although it was sad to say by to everyone once again... I was also pretty excited to get back to my four boys :-)

I've been back in Germany for over a week now and it was so refreshing to pick up in my training right where I had left off. Before I go into details about how my four boys are doing, I need to make one mention of the crazy weather we have been experiencing here. Its snowing here at an incredible rate and its cold!! Every morning when I'm getting ready for work, I feel like I am preparing for war. A war against the cold that is. I have developed very creative ways to get the most layers possible on my body so that I stay warm but can move and breath enough to work and ride, its a science ;-)  And yes I know... I'm from Canada... I should be used to this crazy weather... but buildings in Canada are built for cold weather- not here! We have to hand water the horses with buckets because the automatic waters are all frozen and the arena is like a freezer because the stone walls hold the cold in and chill it just a little extra so that your nose hairs are bound to stick together. But don't worry, I'm not complaining, despite the frigid temperatures the team spirt at the barn is at 110% and the horses are all very content.

Ok, now to the interesting updates... The horses! Zeph and Anited have both matured a great deal in this last half year. Not only have they put on great muscle, they both are demonstrating a new level of concentration and focus in their daily work. I am pretty excited to see how they will shine in the up coming show season.

Leonie has helped me immensely with Blitz. Below is a picture of Leonie riding him and helping me work through some tricky areas. In order for Blitz (and I) to make the transition into the Grand Prix ring we both need to solidify our understanding, application as well as execution of a true three dimensional contact, without this Blitz will never be able to shine to his full potential. I have used bold in the last sentence because this is exactly where the focus is at in my training pyramid. With Leonies guidance I am working towards a true and thorough understanding of this concept.  

           And of course, last but most certianly not least, Orion! Leonie and I have both decided that Orion looks and acts like he is getting younger rather than older. He is muscling up and expressing engergy like a six year old. I have had many questions and congratulations sent my way regarding Orion, and overall, I honestly could not think of a more perfect and exciting career opportunity. The fact that Leslie trained Orion is the glue that sealed the deal for me. Over the five years that I worked with Leslie, I learned so much, and although I have moved to Germany Leslie has remained a guiding support for me. Through e-mails and telephone calls, Leslie has continued to share her wisdom and incredible 'horse sense' with me, and it is for this reason that Leslie is, and will always, remain a pivotal role model in my riding career. During my time at Top Fox I was also able to watch Orion develop into the fabulous horse that he has become. Last year I flew to Hong Kong to cheer Leslie and Orion on, and now I have the oppurtunity to be directly involved in the horses furture, I could not be more thankful as well as excited! And I want to thank both Patty and George Hatch once again for making this opportunity possible. 
My show plans for this year are: Grand Prix. At the moment Leonie is helping me bridge the transition to being able to ride Orion successfully. He is a horse with international caliber and captivating movement and potential... so basically I want to do him justice. In order to do so Leonie has continued to be directly involved in his training program and I am so very thankful for all of her guidance and help. Leonie will be showing Orion next weekend in the Grand Prix class in Verden, we decided that it would be wise for Leonie to show him once more so that Orion continues to build up his confidence in the big indoor atmosphere. 

Yes, I have declared for WEG, but.... lets all be realistic- I am still very "green", and I have made the decision that I do not simply want it to be my goal to be a participate at a world championships, but rather, if I go, I want to be competitive. Time and show results we'll be the determining factor whether or not Orion and I would be competitive as a team, but the truth of the matter is that 2012 is much more realistic goal for us. At the moment my main focus is to ride a successful Grand Prix with Orion here in Germany, once we have achieve this we will continue to work ahead towards international goals.

Well, that's all I've got for now, but stay tuned because I will make sure to post and update next week letting you all know how Leonie and Orion due this weekend. Go Canada Go!!