Day 3, 5/11/10:
Today was a quiet day at the show in Moorsele. After grabbing croissants for breakfast at a local bakery, we headed to the show to flat the horses. Actually FINDING the show was still a challenge because there are no road names to be found. Actually, there are very few driving laws here in general and four-way stops are hazardous!
Most of our fellow young rider competitors are still absent from the show. The final member of the U.S. team, Karl, arrived in Belgium and the whole team had a great time riding together and sharing a picnic in the barn. After working the horses, everyone felt so tired and jetlagged that we all took afternoon naps!
Day 4, 5/12/10:
Today started with breakfast at the hotel. We were all a little tired because it is impossible to go to sleep at a normal hour due to the time difference! The weather was cold and rainy, but luckily the barn is indoors so it stays relatively warm. All the riders hopped over a few jumps to test the horses' freshness and everyone was jumping great. Tomorrow all the horses will jog for soundness, and luckily they are feeling solid.
As we were dismayed to discover yesterday, all restaurants serving lunch close at 2 p.m. in the town of Moorsele. We made sure to finish riding early enough today to grab sandwiches at a deli about a mile from the show grounds. The food was delicious and, somewhat ironically, the decor of the deli is American theme. The walls are covered in license plates from all 50 American states, and there are miniature models of American cars sitting on shelves around the restaurant. The sandwich options are even named after American cities! Needless to say, the servers were pretty excited to have Americans in their restaurant and we felt like royalty.
After lunch, we made it back to the hotel without getting lost for the very first time! This may seem insignificant, but after spending hours helplessly wandering the streets of a foreign city trying to escape the cold for two days, we felt incredibly accomplished arriving at the hotel with no detours or confusion to speak of.
Tonight, a few team members found the energy to go out to dinner and we ate at an adorable Italian restaurant in the center of town. At least we thought it was adorable until the server yelled at us for not answering him immediately when he asked if we were finished eating. It was a bit shocking to hear, "I have asked you four times!" come screeching out of the mouth of a seemingly jovial old Italian man. Apparently, American riders are not popular in all the restaurants we dine in...
After completing the jog tomorrow, we finally begin showing on Friday. Although having a few days to settle in has been very relaxing and healthy for the horses, I know all the riders are anxious to get the action started! We will keep you updated.
- Jen and Taylor
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