December 25, 2006

DressageDaily Dish - How Was Your Holiday?

It was a busy intense year for our shortlisted riders, who sacrificed family, friends and home to be off competing in their quest for the World Equestrian Games. Some are home for the holidays, or visiting with family and friends. Here is what a few of our High Performance riders are doing over the holidays.

Heather Blitz - Shortlisted for the 2006 World Equestrian Games, and now living in Denmark. Heather was recentleny named recipient of the 2006 USET Carl-Heinrich Asmis Grant. ""For Christmas this year, I am skiing with my boyfriend, Rob McKean in Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany.

It's on the border of Austria and you can ski from one country to the other! The snow is great and we've had sunny skies all week. The views from the top of the Zugspitze are unforgettable.

Back to work on Tuesday ... looking to the horses again..." Merry Christmas!

Debbie McDonald - "Just staying home with my family and playing with my horses! I know one thing, I have to go on a diet after this! Too many parties and good food. Happy Holidays to everyone!"

Arlene (Tuni) Page - "Dave, Charlotte and I are in Washington with all the Page cousins and it snowed this morning (great delight for 6 year olds). Tonight I am cooking dinner for 12 of Dave's "foodie" friends and I am scared:) If anyone has advice on cooking the perfe0t prime rib please forward it to me asap!

I can't begin to say how much I needed and will enjoy this time away with family. This has been a crazy wonderful year but there hasn't been one moment of "down time". Everyone at the farm is doing a great job of handling the situation with the rhino outbreak in Wellington and thanks to this I don't have any worries about being gone for a week.

I am so grateful for so many things this year...the opening of Stillpoint Farm... Wild One's successes this season...the health and happiness of my family and so much more. It is nice to be able to reflect on that a bit and imagine what great things are ahead of us this year."

Suzanne Dansby Phelps - The children and I head to Austria to visit my student, and Austrian Junior Rider Champions who will come to train with me this fall. We plan to spend a week with her family skiing in the Alps, until the 5th of Jan.

Catherine Haddad's Christmas Eve menu - For Christmas Eve I am cooking dinner at home for friends. The menu looks like this:
Champagne
Artichoke spread with parmesan and fresh bread
Pinot Noir
Mixed greens with oven-baked, bacon-wrapped chevre
Bordeaux
Traditional Rack of Lamb with rosemary and garlic Roasted Lamb Filets with Merrick's Dijon Mustard Sauce Roasted Carrots Potatoes Au Gratin

Lots of Groaning. Open Presents around Christmas Tree. Give Corgis treats from the Stockings
Sauterne
Apple Crisp with ice cream
Casey's chocolate chip cookies
assorted goat's cheese

Christmas morning we are leaving for the CDI-W at Mechelen in Belgium!

Merry Christmas!!!