It's nice to be a 'Sonntagsreiter' - and a cool quote

No leisurely breakfast at the local diner this morning. Another scorcher meant hitting the trails early. Good thing we did! It was beautiful, the boys behaved, and Remy is now completely comfortable taking the lead. It's nice to be a 'Sonntagsreiter'! (In Germany 'Sonntagsreiter' - people that go on trail rides on Sundays - are sometimes made fun of because they are seen as 'leisurely strollers' and not serious competitors).

Speaking of competitors and thinking about the past "no-show" season (meaning we didn't hit the show circuit) I don't have regrets but I do sometimes have pangs of feeling a bit left out. I guess that's what happens when you train at a high-performance barn, and your lovely equine partner is not a traditional dressage horse. It's even more difficult if your 'non-traditional' horse suffers from claustrophobia at horse shows. Those feelings never last long, though, because I am very lucky to have a trainer/coach that believes in us (thanks, Jude!), a husband that gets me out of the -usually short-lived- funk by kicking my behind (merci, JP!),  all the other 'non-traditional' experiences we are lucky enough to have (thanks, Brandt!).

This quote from George Morris sums it up:

"People, this is a horse sport. What's interesting is the horse. Not the ribbons, not the accessories, not the socializing. What's important are the horses and how best to manage them."