WEC Reports

After the riding and barn work we have been exploring.

Monday we all went to the village on Monschau, an ancient village, complete with castle, under the guidance of one of our new friends at the barn, Daniella.

Yesterday evening we went to the center of town and to Charlemagne's golden resting in the 9th century cathedral and a superb meal in the town's original post station, with Renata more new Aachen friends. Beer and homemade sausage for all of our growing contingent was on the house!

I didn't realize Aachen was the center of the Holy Roman Empire during that time, and I have a lot of history to learn when I get home. Today ome of us went to another stable to see Dressage horses with Ulla, our neighbor in the barn.

There is this cool gadget here. It is a hydraulic heat lamp, so on cold days you can dry a horse under lights. It not only goes up and down, but it can close around the horse to warm him all over. For half a Euro for 7 minutes, we tried in with Steve's horse, Finch. At first he thought it was a bad idea, especially the up and down part, then he relaxed and almost went into a meditative state.

The team is very relaxed and having a great time riding the loops, orange was yesterday, three times around at a measured pace. The staff recorded recoveries and trotted out the horses immediately and when they returned to the stable. Today was a rest day for horses, and tonight was a party with the New Zealand team. A group of post party rabble rousers, discovered a bowling alley on the third floor and were clearly heard on the fifth floor, causing the numbers to multiply and become a tournament with team vet Ann Stuart and cohorts against farrier Jeff Pauly and family. Betting occurred, you get the picture.

Trot outs are at nine every morning, and crews buzz around cleaning and preparing while the riders do their thing on the trails or in the ring. The horses are taken to their paddocks after the ride and spend the rest of the day grazing. We often gather for lunch in the bar that looks over the riding hall and admire the quality of German riding.

Sometimes there is a short organizational meeting first thing in the morning or after lunch. Then the day is open for exploration, horse care and errands.

Dinah