Second day in Verden,  The day began beautifully with  a great complimentary hotel breakfast and a short walk through perfect weather to the show grounds three blocks away.  We took our reserved seats, two rows back and settled in to watch a constant stream of beautiful five year old horses. A few of the first entries were a bit spooky but the rides settled as the day wore on,  They rode in sections of 8 rides, separated with a break,  Each winner of the group would advance to the finals plus the top scorers throughout the day.  There were many different styles to watch, some more successful that others but in the end, the horse with the three best gaits won, And the best riders were most able
 to bring out those amazing gaits,
Back again after a years abcence was Eva Mollier, riding Sa Coeur (Sir Donnerhal   x Don Davidoff) to win the five year old class with an outstanding score of 9,1,  All gaits scored very well signifying a very balanced, well rounded horse,  The judges very rightly seem to be placing emphasis on harmony and correctness rather than flash,
We were happy to see a smiling Jennifer Hoffman (an american living in Germany) win the three year old more and gelding class under saddle,  This is a "strip class" where after the group performance riders must remove the saddle for a conformation evaluation,  She rode Donna Lisa 3 (Dancier/Wolkentanz1) to a winning score of 8.75
The four year old stallion class was also interesting.  The winning stallion was Franziskus 15 (Farewell 111/Londonderry) but my personal favorite was Decurio3 by Desperados/Rotspon.  Great temperament to go along with the good gaits!
We ended the day watching the 6 yr old warm up and can't wait to see Woodlander Farouch (last year's darling and winner of the 5 nyr old champs) and Sir Donnerhall 11 tomorrow morning,
More later!
Marie

Hello everyone from Verden, Germany where I'll be for the next few days to watch the Young Horse World Championships and lots of other beautiful horses competing in everything from leadline to GP.  Carlan and I arrived at the Niedersachsenhof just this afternoon. It's a great little hotel just 3 blocks from the show grounds.  All the teams stay here and we've been coming back for four years now ourselves.
Today I watched the three year old Hanoverian mare class.  They were presented in hand and to my surprise, Scott Hassler, USA was one of the judges.  The champion mare was by Weltmeyer out of a Londonderry mare by Brentano II,  The judge panel commented on how nice it was to see such a good Weltmeyer mare  They are much desired for the breeding program,
Afterwards we watched the warm up for the five and six year olds.
Fashionista that I am, I noticed several trends.  Most importantly . . .EVERY RIDER WORE A HELMET!I
They came in all colors (one was cream colored with a brown vent) and many with bling,  I saw several pairs of brown boots with buckles at the top and others in patent leather with bling on the cuff.
Last year most horses wore ear nets but today I only saw two.
Most of the riders are young and they warmed up sometimes 20 horses at a time to Lady Gaga blasting over the speakers.  We drank wine and enjoyed watching,
More tomorrow!

Impulsion

We often hear terms like:  "forward"or "in front of the leg".  It is important to discuss the meaning and difference however. 
Impulsion is thrust and includes the idea of "desire to go"  along with a relaxation of the back.  Obviously a race horse has a desire to go forward but doesn't have the added quality of relaxation of the back that is necessary for a dressage horse.
A horse is "in front of the leg" if he is obedient to the driving aids.  We usually include the seat in this comment.
The bottom line is that we want our horses to respond very quickly to any driving aid but to do so with confidence.  This creates energy without tension . . .our ultimate goal.

Follow your dream

I just read a post by Ann Pustil who interviewed people who are dying,  She asked them for their thoughts and by and large most of them regretted not following their dream.
For most of us dressage types, our dream has to do with riding and achieving a certain level.  Are you there yet?
Maybe it is time to take it up a notch.  Ask yourself, "what am I waiting for?"
Go out there and ride today and try something new!
Take advantage of education which is abundandt in our area.  It is spring and time to move forward,

Judgementalism

According to meditation teacher Sally Kempton, "whether you're judging others or yourself, it's impossible to aim negative judgments in any direction without experiencing the sharp edges of judgment within yourself."

I think this quote speaks for itself.  We've all been there.

Cut yourself in half and sit better

When working on your position, think "waist down, waist up".  Below your waist everything goes down:  seat bones, legs, heels, your entire center of gravity.
Above your waist, everything lifts: chest, diaphragm, chin, and most importantly, eyes.

Work you way through the warm up

Warming up for a class at a show can be intimidating and distracting.  Knowing the "arena rules" can help you navigate through the traffic so you can focus on your horse and riding.
First, pass left hand to left hand as if your are driving.  If you are working on a circle and another horse/rider comes along the rail, pull your circle in and allow the other rider to pass on the outside.
If you are traveling in the same direction, the slower rider should be on the inside track.
And please, for the sake of other riders, do not stop on the track to adjust tack or talk with your trainer.
If you need passage (ie. diagonal) always say "please".
Courtesy and consideration are important.  The golden rule always applies!