The horses and I had a great trip to Germany on KLM airlines out of New York. How could it have been any other way when the name of the animal flight attendant for our flight was "Gabriel"? The horses seemed to know where they were going and made the trip much easier than last year. I have to say, it was easier for me too because I knew the drill and what to expect as well as being familiar with our destination.

We arrived in the light of day this time and the horses settled into their stalls, glad to be somewhere that wasn't in motion. We are in the main barn this time which makes it nice and many of our friends from last year are here again as well as some other Americans, including Todd Flettrich and sponsor, Margaret, and Michelle Gibson is coming next week. Hubertus is on vacation and will return on the 22nd, so the horses and I have some time to catch our breath and get up to speed.

I have an apartment in a different home this time, although it is only one house down from where I stayed last year. Josef and Hildegarde Beine are the owners and have been very gracious, including feeding me when I first arrived and taking me to the airport to get my trusty Ford Fiesta rental car. I suppose by the time I get back my German will be greatly improved since the Beine Family doesn't speak English. What better way to learn than total immersion, right?

Some exciting news from Stephanie Chandler that came here last fall and bought Lacord, the chestnut horse that was on the blog last year. She just competed in the US Championships for 5 year old Dressage horses and was 3rd in the final standings! That is an amazing accomplishment for a horse that she only bought 8 months ago!

The weather has been perfect, 50's at night and 70's during the day. We are getting into a new rhythm and looking forward to Hubertus' return. We are ready for the challenge of bringing two Grand Prix horses back to the States!