10 reasons I like the drought

1.  No mosquitoes (or at least very few)
2.  Haven't cleaned my horse's feet in three months.
3.  No mowing.
4.  Clean horses.
5.  No muddy paw prints on the kitchen floor.
6.  Fire ants are suffering
7.  I now sit outside at night for dinner
8.  Haven't had sauna in the arena (much)
9.  Have put off replacing gutters to the tune of 5K
10.  And the number one reason I like the drought . . . no rain rot/scratches/dew poisoning on the horses!

travels abroad

This august I traveled to the Netherlands, Germany and Finland for the most wonderful "horsey" vacation .  Well, actually I was teaching in Finland but got in lots of sightseeing as well.
The first event was the world championship of young horses in Verden.  This was my third year to attend and the horses and riding were the best.  In the past, the judges seemed to reward tension and "passagy" trots if they produced brilliance.  That has thankfully changed. In most cases, the warm-ups and the rides presented very good basics with incredible impulsion and confidence.  Of course these were young horses with rowdy crowds, so some tension is inevitable.
In the end, the fabulous mare, Woodlander Farouch from Great Britain won the 5 yr. champs, while Astrix from the Netherlands repeated his win from the previous year and took home the 6 yr old title.
You can watch both on youtube!
More later including pics!