Today was a day to remember for the rest of my life. It started out like many other days at many other tournaments around the world, but it finished with a show the likes of which has never been seen before and will probably never be seen again.

The big class for the afternoon was a qualifier for the European Grand Prix tomorrow. The best 40 horses out of 68 qualified. Unfortunately, one of the favorite Germans, Franke Sloothak with San Patrignano Cassini, had a fall, which put him out of the running, as did the Italian, Guiseppe Rolli with Lord Arico. The star of the class was Hugo Simon and E.T. with a clean round and a time that no one else even approached, except for Margie Goldstein-Engle with Hidden Creek’s Alvaretto, who unfortunately toppled the last rail on course. Now on with the show.

In another corner  were four sets of four-in-hands of Haflingers. The Rhineland has 800 Haflinger breeding mares. In addition there were superb examples of Miniatures hitched to carts, Shetlands, Welsh, Arabians, Fjords, Friesians, Andalusians, etc. etc. And finally there was a group of 16 Rhineland Riding Ponies - 4 bays, 4 chestnuts, 4 palominos, and 4 duns who were hard to distinguish from upper level dressage horses in their carriage and gaits and ridden mostly by teenagers.

But – as a breeder, one time rider, teacher, and trainer, the big spectacle which had me clapping madly with bleary eyes (and my son-in-law at my side whistling as loud as he could) was the quadrille performed by 40 (that is right - forty) breeding stallions from 10 different warmblood breed associations from all over Germany. Each breed organization wore their signature type of traditional riding apparel and hats. No one in the appreciative audience could have guessed that this 40 stallion quadrille had only practiced together twice before the presentation. Forty of the world’s best sport horse sires working head to tail and stirrup on stirrup at a trot and canter, crossing through and forming wheels; half passes and shoulder-ins is something that organizationally may never again be repeated.

It was only possible because this Aachen CHIO tournament is two months later than usual and the stallions have all returned to the main stud farms from their stations.

This was a day that I will never forget.

Ky's note: Can you tell Bonnie is having fun on her return to Aachen?