A Day in the World - World Dressage Masters in FL

I have to say that I feel pretty guilty being down here in Wellington when we are supposed to get the ‘snow storm of the century’ back in DC.   At first they were saying 12 inches, and I thought ‘piece of cake’  compared to our snowstorm back in December.  But now I think we are we expecting an accumulation of 24 inches and ‘white out’ conditions.

I have such a wonderful team back home who are ‘holding down the fort’ while I take time for my professional development.  Thank you Lauren, Judi, Brian, Frank, CeCe, Jennifer, Norma Lynn,  Janice, Nancy, Susan and Crispin.

In spite of the feelings of guilt, I can’t deny that sitting in that warm sun watching Steffen Peters ride in the World Dressage Masters was a welcome respite from the winter chill! 

I have never seen this pair in person.  I last saw Steffen ride at the WEGs in 2006.  I was disappointed when he and Florianus were just out of the medals; they were such a joy to watch.  Now, seeing Steffen on Ravel, I am impressed again with Steffen’s harmony and precision in the ring.  The pair were certainly a joy to watch, and what I saw today will certainly be a picture that comes to mind when I think of what ‘dressage’ should be.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see all of the pairs today.  Just a couple of days after I bought my plane ticket, the start time changed from 3 pm to 1 pm, so I missed half of the class.  Ashley Holzer and Pop Art have been a favorite pair of mine, so I was sorry to miss them. But I will look forward to seeing the freestyle on Saturday.   I was also sad to miss Isabell and Satchmo – seeing this pair at the 2006 WEGs in the GPS was the most amazing thing - I still remember grabbing Brian’s arm with my mouth dropped open as Satchmo half passed…..there was an ‘audible’ silence from the crowd as the horse lifted his shoulders and crossed over in the most incredible half pass I have ever seen.

So there will be a lot to look forward to in the next days!

I also have to admit I was feeling a bit of nostalgia – missing being here with Degas last year. 

But it was a beautiful day and I ran into several nice people, from the car rental guy (he says cool beans), to the girl who picked me up in her golf cart right outside my car at the equestrian center and dropped me at the ring - must have been 5 miles ;) , to the dinner delivery guy.  And, of course, it was wonderful to run into some old friends.

I will look forward to what tomorrow brings!

Words to Live By

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”  Henry David Thoreau

Now, there is a quote to live by!  I was very excited to learn over the weekend that I had received the USDF Region 1 award for the 2009 Outstanding Achievement at the FEI Levels!  It is an honor to be singled out for such an award, given all the talented riders in this category whom I admire and respect.  I want to thank the PVDA for their submission, and also thank everyone who has supported me throughout the year - I couldn’t have done it without my team!

But wait; there’s more!  That’s right - just after I heard about the FEI Achievement award, CeCe brought to my attention that Degas and I had placed 3rd in the country at the Intermediare 1 Freestyle (Open Division) level for the 2009 USDF All-Breeds Winners (Hanoverians)!  2009 was quite the musical success for us, having won the GAIGs and BLMs in the I-1 freestyle competition, so this award from the USDF was just a wonderful culmination to the year’s events.  I want to thank CeCe & Frank Maddlone from EquiChord for all the work they have done to help make these musical dreams come true!

We are all very excited about what is ahead for 2010 - stay tuned to Team Strawson as we continue our journey to excellence. To paraphrase Thoreau, our team will be marching “in the direction of our dreams”.