Hi all. I’m on the road for freestyle biz this week – this is just a quick check-in so that those of you who are used to Wednesdays at Straight-Up aren’t left with nothing but getting through last week’s ‘novel’ of a post. Now, I know at least one of you hates it when I […]

These past few weeks it has been very crowded at Anky’s… Two ladies came from Italy and Estonia and another from Sweden. It’s been really interesting watching all the different lessons and it’s even better because Anky has to teach in English so I can understand. I’ve really learned a lot just watching. Everyone is at […]

Here goes – I hope it was worth waiting for.  While the 2010 GDF was going on, I had the impression it was the most open, honest discussion we had ever seen at the GDF. Now that it’s two weeks later and I’ve had a few sleeps on that idea, I can confirm it. Not […]

I was planning to post a carefully prepared wrap up of the GDF and FEI GA tomorrow, and I will still do that. But before I do, I feel a need to respond to a wee rumour circulating among Rebecca’s (my travel pal to Holland) and my friends that the reason you didn’t see more […]

While I mull over my first FEI GA and find comparisons to draw between the FEI Presidential elections and the US mid-term elections (perhaps Obama should book a consultation with HRH on how to appear to be letting everyone down and losing popularity but then reap an enormous majority of 72.5%), I would like to […]

News flash from Taipei – Princess Haya won a majority in the first round of voting. Just like that. Crazy to think how much effort those two European men put into their campaigns and it was all over in just a minute of voting with transponders not unlike those on America’s Funniest Videos. HRH never […]

The horses are in their stalls.  Phew!  We started shipping horses on Sunday and we finished today.  There were so many logistics, not least of which was the laying of the rubber mats which was a huge task.  My those mats weigh a lot!  But today our genius helpers Pamela and Ron finished the stalls, […]

In fewer than 24 hours (Taipei time) there will either be a new FEI President in place, or a second term FEI President who will be watched by those who didn’t vote for her like a hawk watches a mouse hole. I must confess a creeping sense of ‘who cares’ after watching what was very generously called […]

These past few weeks since I have been back have been a big eye opener for me. Vitall and I have had a bit of a break through, something has just clicked between us and we seem more like a team. Over the last little while, we have started working on the Piaff and the Passage and starting the […]

This post comes with a warning: if you are German and you don’t think you can get past the criticism without thinking I am lumping all Germans into the same tarred and feathered box, then maybe you should go have a laugh on hahahorses.com or get up to date at Eurodressage.  Talk about rubbing salt […]