6/30/11: Pictures from Spruce!

Frances and Merlin after winning the meter 1.40 $15,000 Birchcliff Energy Barrage during the third week of Spruce.

Frances and Merlin in the prize giving ceremony. Every ceremony takes at least 15 minutes! Sometimes armed cavalrymen from the Royal Canadian Guard ride in the victory gallop carrying bayonets... The horses don't usually appreciate that very much!

Frances standing at the in-gate to the Meadows on the Green ring with Peter Leone.

Lucy and I getting our picture taken after winning the meter 1.30 Jayman Masterbuilt Barrage during the Skyliner Tournament.

Lucy getting her red ribbon!

Yogi in the grand stands at the International Ring.

Frances and I standing in our rain pants in the International Ring sizing up the meter 1.60 Grand Prix course!

6/25/11: Spruce Life.

As usual, life at Spruce Meadows is a continual cycle of work hard, party harder! Frances and I had a good first two weeks competing in the National and Continental tournaments. Today I am competing in the Final Four competition of the meter 1.40 division. The third week of Spruce is called the Skyliner Tournament and consists of meter 1.10-1.40 Junior/Amateur team and individual classes modeled after the World Equestrian Games. My meter 1.40 team, which is comprised of me, Frances, Reed Kessler, and Meagan Nusz, was second for the second year running in the team class. We were SO frustrated because we entered the second round in the lead and had some bad luck, including Reed's horse Flight pulling a shoe while on course, that dropped us to second place. Last year Frances had a jump blow down as she was approaching it during the second round and chaos ensued, so we're beginning to think we're doomed to bad luck in this nation's cup every year! Nepal has been jumping great all week and today we are competing alongside Caitlin Ziegler and her horse Touch Down; Lydia Ulrich with Santos Utopia; and Sage Flynn with Hot Pants in the Final Four competition. In this class, the four riders rotate between the four horses and our combined scores on all four horses determine the winning rider. There is also a top horse prize for the horse that has the fewest faults with all four riders. I'm very excited! All the horses are very talented and the riders are comparable, so it should be a very fun day. I'll let you know how it goes!

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.

6/4/11: Pictures From Prepping for Spruce and the Endless Drive!

Yogi enjoying our new house in Calgary, and trying to stay warm in the Canadian "summer".

Frances and Karina Aziz socializing instead of working their horses.

The Pinetree Farms banner outside our barn!

The truck in the shop somewhere in No-Man's-Land, Montana just before crossing the Canadian boarder.

Getting the fuel filter changed in Big Red.

Driving down the highway in Montana. It was our own modern-day Oregon Trail adventure!

The horses sleeping in the trailer outside our hotel in Billings, Montana.

The liverpool in our jump field at home. We practiced lots of natural obstacles to get ready for the derbies at Spruce!

Me walking Nepal down a steep hill at the farm to practice for the long banks at Spruce.

Cliff built us a bicycle jump! It's the most challenging jump at Spruce. Last year I had it down in almost every class!

Frances jumping Merlin over a small fence at the bottom of the makeshift bank by the covered arena.

5/31/11: Next Stop- SPRUCE MEADOWS!

So, the fun in foreign countries continues yet again with an adventure to Spruce Meadows! I've had a great two months back home in Georgia and tonight (at 3:00 am to be exact) we are starting the 2500-mile trek to Calgary, Alberta, Canada to compete at Spruce Meadows. Spruce is one of the most incredible competitions in the world! The show management makes sure that no one calls their six week circuit a "show." Instead, Spruce is known as a "tournament," where many of the best riders in the world, including Eric Lamaze; Beezie Madden; Will Simpson; Ben Maher and other famous Olympians come to try their luck. It is the most fun and exciting show my family goes to all year! The rings and all large grass fields with banks, grobs, ditches, water jumps, and other exciting natural obstacles. The small pub at the horse show, Time Faults (a very appropriate name!) has good food and drinks and creates a sense of community and fun at the tournament facility. There is also a mechanical bull at a western bar nearby that I am dying to try out!

Despite how excited I am about getting to Calgary, I am really dreading the drive. There is a less than seven hour countdown until we leave and I'm still not done packing! It seems that I always find an excuse not to start packing until the very last minute. I always regret procrastinating like this, but it seems I still never learn! It's hard to pack stuff for almost the entire summer (especially when going to a place where the weather changes thirty times a day and ranges from 90 degree heat to frigid snow and sleet). We have a whole caravan of vehicles driving together. My sister, Frances, and I are driving my Chevy Tahoe with a two-horse trailer behind it; my parents are driving the big red truck with the horse trailer; and my brother, Alex, and our two grooms, Ramon and James, are driving a Ford Excursion. It may seem like an excessive amount of people for only three vehicles, but driving 45 hours is no small feat! Hopefully we won't have any tire blowouts or other driving drama along the way!

3/23/11: Pictures of Livin' It Up German Style!

Christoffer is still a 5 year old at heart.

Janna, Christoffer's new groom!

The little boy LOVES taking pictures of himself.

Christoffer devouring a football-sized croissant at our routine tackroom breakfast!

The Pollman-Schweckhorst's brand new horse van! It even came with a built-in coffee machine!

Derren and I sitting in the horse van.

Derren and the love of his life, Sandy.

Christoffer and Lena. After I took this picture, I showed it to them both and Christoffer's first words were, "my hair looks bad!"

Christoffer riding Magic outside and wearing his stylish Prada sunglasses.

Moni tacking up Lillibett.

Christoffer, Derren, and Lena in Pluckers! Yes, Derren is drinking orange juice out of a beer mug... Only in Germany!

Charlotte and her pony, Juros!

Lena!

3/16/11: The Bucking Bronco!

Today I got to jump Lucy outside for the first time! It's amazing to think that I never rode her outdoors a single time for nearly three months. Finally the weather is cooperating (it was about 14 degrees celsius today) and I'm getting to ride in the sunshine again! A few days ago, I ventured outside on the flat with Lucy for the first time and got quite an unpleasant surprise when she immediately turned into a bucking bronco and continuously bucked and leapt into the air until she finally threw me onto the ground. After falling off, I couldn't help but imagine the horrible experiences that lay in store for me at home in the near... In Georgia I ride out in a huge grass field almost every day! Riding indoors isn't an option at Pinetree Farm, so Lucy better get used to the sun quickly or I am going to have a permanently sore body from hitting the ground every day! Of course I had to fall off just as the end of my time in Germany is approaching. I think it's required for a horse to throw me off in every country that I dare to ride in! My next foreign stop is Calgary, Alberta, Canada this summer and I will be prepared with some Arnica gel and Advil just in case.

Luckily, after a few days outdoors (and a little work with the draw reins), my bucking bronco seems to be settling down. Today she jumped wonderfully! There were a few pauses in the corners of the ring to let out some hops, but other than that she jumped the course quite smoothly. It was about meter 1.35 with some tight turns, steady lines, and one oxer-vertical in-and-out. Alois said Lucy looked like a little kid running around in the sun, happy to be free. I don't mind her feeling free, just as long as she doesn't get carried away and decide to throw me off again and run free into the German wilderness! Tomorrow I will jump her again, hopefully over a few bigger jumps. Alois didn't mind Lucy bucking today because it was the first time I've jumped her outdoors. However, if she bucks again tomorrow it will be time for "more domination," as he always says!