Tuesday, September 6, 2005

Memories of Aachen 2005

It was a dream week at Aachen CHIO, for those who joined us on our first HorsesDaily Aachen tour. During our farewell dinner Sunday evening, at our fairy tale accommodations at the Kasteel Ter Worm in the neighboring town of Heerlen, Netherlands, Astrid Appels toasted us with a very special tribute. “The first horse show I did for Mary (Phelps) and JJ. (Hathaway) in 1998 was at Young Riders in Colorado. I stayed in a camper. Now we are here in 2005, because of them, in a castle!” It was a perfect ending to a perfect week, where we could finally relax, as all went well and everyone was happy and so grateful we were able to arrange for such a special place at a special event.

Everyone got the chance to sign the banners we made for each member of our US Dressage Team. The banners were held high while waving American flags, in the dressage arena for each member of our team before and after they rode.

No matter how many times our elite competitors ride in Europe, they are always very appreciative knowing they have a strong American contingent to root them on. We are going to send the banners to each team member as a gift, with the special messages from all in our group.