Good Bye Adequan Global - Hello Europe!!!!

We enjoyed truly beautiful weather from March 13-16, during the Adequan Global Dressage Festival. We competed in a huge covered arena, sheltered from the sun but quite breezy at times.
Twenty- eight horses jogged for the veterinarians on Thursday.  Serious competition began on Friday with each grade riding their Team Tests, followed by the Individual Tests on Saturday and the Freestyle on Sunday.

Missy drove Rio down from Ocala on Tuesday so she would have time to feel comfortable with the chaos at the show, including the cracking flags and the loudspeaker.  We need not to have worried, as all that atmosphere just made her brilliant on Wednesday, and by Sunday she needed very loud Freestyle music to wake her up again!

Photo Credit Lindsayt McCall

She easily earned the scores necessary to be eligible to compete internationally, with 66.5% on the first day and 65.3 on the second!  Rio was lovely, and I have my work cut out for me in terms of working on accuracy and straight, square halts!

Thanks to a rush job by Marlene Whitaker of Custom Freestyles, we have a beautiful routine set to the music of "The King and I" for our Freestyle competition!  Rio really perked up to do a beautiful test, falling right in with the "March of the Siamese Children".  The judges liked it as well, rewarding us with a 69.66% average from two 70% scores and one 68%.  We were thrilled!

Missy Ransehousen has done a wonderful job with Rio and me over the past few weeks.  In Wellington, she not only coached us but also made sure that Rio was turned out beautifully!  Once again, Brian's video and moral support was invaluable!  Lauren Sara, Laura Spilhaus and Stacey Kent were also very helpful as well.   The most humorous contribution came from Babsi Neidhart-Clark and Mimi Lufkin who were determined to keep my hair hidden under my hat with a lot of "Ez Braid", hairspray, and giggles!

Rachel Gross flew down on Tuesday to care for Rio in Wellington, and today they fly to Amsterdam with Becca Hart's Schroeder's Romani.  For the first week, we will be in Emmem, NL at Paulien Alberts' stable.  Missy catches up to us on March 28, when we will travel to the first show in Deauville, FR on the following Monday.  I am very excited to be traveling and showing in Europe with good friends and such a lovely horse. This is truly "living the dream".

Thank you all so much for your good wishes and continuing support!