6/4/11: Winter in June... Welcome to Calgary!

After three full days of driving, we finally arrived in Calgary around 6:00 pm on Friday. The horses: Nepal; Lucy; Merlin; and Houston, and the people: Me; my parents; Frances; my brother, Alex; and the two grooms, Ramon and James all survived the journey. We looked a little rough getting out of the trucks because driving long distances has a weird way of making people look like they desperately need showers, but other than that we were no worse for wear. True to form, the weather was freezing and rainy while we unloaded the horses. Calgary has a nasty habit of having horrible weather issues, such as snow and sleet, in the middle of the summer. It's a big change for my family and I (as well as the horses, who are now feeling VERY fresh) after the 95 degree days we've had in Atlanta for the past month!

I also stayed true to Spruce Meadows style by going to Darby Arms, the small Irish pub near the horse show, the very first night we arrived. I got to see a few familiar Canadian faces, as well as some new ones. There are two Germans working for Spruce Meadows this year and I had a great time talking to them about Germany and the Pollmann-Schweckhorst family! The horse show world is surprisingly small.

Frances and I have been flatting the horses for the past few days and, although they're very wild, they seem to like it here. Lucy still finds the grounds a little intimidating. Spruce is famous for its elaborate awards ceremonies and the demonstrations it provides for the spectators' enjoyment. Yesterday, Lucy had her first run-in with a demonstration group when a giant carriage pulled by six draft horses drove by the schooling area several times while I was riding her. Although her eyes bugged out of her head a bit, she kept her cool and didn't take off or do anything crazy. I was very impressed by her relaxed attitude! I think she will feel at home here in no time.

Frances and I start showing on Wednesday! Houston and Lucy will start out in the meter 1.25 opens Wednesday morning, and Merlin and Nepal will have their first excursion into the International Ring on Thursday in the meter 1.45 open class. Hopefully all the horses will be ready to go! I am so excited to be back in Calgary and I can't wait to get started.