A Dream Come True

     Being selected for The Dressage Foundation's International Dream Program was just that, a dream come true. I wasn't sure what to expect in the weeks leading up to Aachen but I knew it would be amazing. Sadie, Jennifer, Rosie, and I became great friends, very quickly. It helped ease the nerves as we embarked on a week of complete Dressage immersion together. Not only would we receive an incredible education in Aachen but we made friendships that will last a lifetime and spread across the United States. 

     In Aachen we met with Finnish Olympian Kyra Kyrklund, British Olympic gold medalist Carl Hester, German FEI 5* judge Katrina Wuest, Swedish chef d'equipe Bo Jena, Australian FEI 5* judge and member of the JSP Mary Seefried, German young rider and young horse coach Oliver Oelrich, FEI judge and German trainer Christoph Hess, Dutch trainer Henk van Bergen, German trainer and French chef d'equipe Jan Bemelmans, American FEI 5* judge Anne Gribbons, Danish rider Mikala Gundersen, and German junior and young rider coach Hans-Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen. Everyone was so kind and willing to answer any questions that we had for them. Here are some of my favorite pieces of information that we received:

1) The warm-up is just that, a warm-up, it is not a time for training. The warm-up should be designed so that the horse is at it's peak when it enters the ring. 

2) As young riders, it is key that we work to develop a top quality seat and have body control. 

3) A happy horse will perform in the ring for you. You must always make the arena a fun and happy place for each individual horse so that they want to work for you. Remember to say "Thank You" to your horse. 

4) Freestyle choreographey should mask a horses weak point and show a horses strengths multiple times. It is the riders responsibility to know their horse and know what will work. 

5) It is important for riders, trainers, and coaches to have a team at home that they can trust so that they can be 100% focused on competing. 

6) Judges are under a lot of pressure to produce scores quickly and accurately, however they are human and can make mistakes. The Judges Supervisorey Panel has been implemented to support the judges and act as a safety net. 

7) Many top horses are difficult starts, you win with personality and mental strength in a horse. 

8) Ride accurately. Start at a young age riding accurate tests and learn to ride for every point possible in the test. It will also leave a good impression with the judge. 

9)As a young rider, do not wait for a sponsor to come a long. Go after what you want, nothing can make up for hard work, determination, and dedication. You must work a bit harder and a bit longer and be a bit better than everyone else. 

10) "Work to be tomorrow, a little better than I am today" in every aspect of life.

I want to say a huge thanks to everyone that made this trip possible: the donors that funded the trip; everyone at the Dressage Foundation that organized the trip; our amazing chaperones, Charlotte Bredahl and Annie Morris; Nancy Arend, Victoria Fredenhagen, Erin Downey, and Judy Thocher for writing letters of recommendation; and my parents for being such a strong support system for me. I am more motivated than ever before and cannot wait to start applying what I learned in Aachen.