I’ve been so busy with events out there in the big bad world that I have been completely remiss in sharing all the many goings on right here in the Great White North (today that is a literal name for Canada – it’s even White outside my window here in Vancouver right now, yuck!). So, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Yes there is more on the GDF, much more! Sorry to be a heel dragger, but the week got kind of wild with looking at horses, shopping til dropping at Dutch and Belgian tack stores, and a little matter of no internet access once the GDF ended on Tuesday. I’ll be back to you in […]

Here we are, bright eyed and bushy tailed, on the morning of day two of the 2010 GDF. It’s the tenth anniversary of the event, which is good to see. I wondered in 2009 if that would be the last one, but not only did the show go on, Joep Bartels says the number of […]