I finally found my way to a usable computer with the help of my daughter. It is early Saturday morning here on the tournament grounds and I can look out over the jumping field as I write this. I just took a walk around it to take a closer look at the jump cups and to get a real feel for the size of the obstacles (huge). They have developed a special kind of cup made out of plastic with a spring mechanism that keeps the cup tight to the standard and the poles are relatively light and roll off easily straight down. Everything is well thought out for the well being of the horses. When I was walking toward the water jump, I almost got an unexpected shower as the automatic sprinkling system started just out of range. Although the young grass is showing wear in places, by next year it should be ideal. There is something almost eerie about an empty stadium when one realizes that in a few hours 50,000 spectators will be here to watch some of the most exciting equestrian competition that the world has to offer. I have to add that I am in awe of my daughter. This whole production is organized through and through, and she is the one who puts out most of the minor fires that arise when trying to fulfill the needs and wants of so many.

For those who are still interested in „Peron," he was supposed to have been retired to stud, but he was here at Aachen and competing for Switzerland under Francoise Cantamessa (after having competed under German rider, Ann Katrin Ehlen in 1998. Hofgut Albführen's Peron was 10th in the 1998 Grand Prix with a 68%.). He was the best placed horse for the Swiss team achieving a score of 1705 points or 68.20%. I hope that I have a good picture of him to put on line. He appeared to be heavier than last year and more of a stallion presence.

The American team composed of Guenter Seidel on Foltaire, Sue Blinks on Flim Flam, Steffen Peters on Grandeur, and Robert Dover on Everest put up a good fight with scores ranging from 1683 for Foltaire to 1729 for Grandeur. At first I thought that the team was in third place, but when I picked up the final results Denmark pushed them into fourth just in front of the Spaniards. The German team of Gracioso with Nadine Capellmann, Gigolo with Isabell Werth, Chacomo with Alexandra Simons-de Ridder, and Rusty with Ulla Salzgeber were the four highest placed pairs in the competition with scores ranging from 75.2% to 72.2%. The Dutch were second and the Danes were third.

Guenther’s test was mostly correct but tense, giving him many scores in the 6 to 7 range with only a few 8’s on his tempi changes. His first walk pirouette was very nice. The judges did award him for his super seat with one judge giving him a 9.

Sue Blinks test with Flim Flam was consistent and would have put her among the top at most shows in North America, but the competition is just too strong here in Aachen. She did receive a 9 from one of the judges on her first passage and 8’s on her one tempi’s and her extension, but she made a slight mistake in the two tempi’s, giving her an overall score of 1718 or 68.72%.

Steffen did a super job with Grandeur with most of the scores in the 7-8 range. The first extended canter across the diagonal with the change at X cost him because of a late change behind, and his walk pirouette to the right also slipped away loosing him points there. The judges didn’t like the collected walk but gave him 8’s across the board for his seat. Without the couple of errors his score would have broken the 70% mark. The public appreciated his presentation and there must have been an American contingent here which cheered when he passed.

Robert Dover’s entrance with Everest was a bit unsteady and it was interesting to note the scores from different view points. They ranged from 5 to 8 depending on the view from the side or from the front. He got one 9 for his first extension across the diagonal and the transition to canter also brought a 9 from one of the judges. His half pass to the right also earned a 9 from a different judge. The passage and piaffe earned mostly 7’s with the occaisonal 6. His extended canter across the diagonal without the change was bent a bit too much and although powerful only earned 6-7. He made a mistake in the one tempi’s which gave him 4’s across the board. His seat was also rewarded with an 8 from all of the judges.

The team as a whole was competitive and all of them were in the top 25 for the Grand Prix Special.

Helen just brought me a special Belgian waffel cookie - mmmmmm.

The driver yesterday was telling us about the precautions in Cologne for the G-8 conference and president „Billy Boy’s" (that is what they call him here - a bit tongue in cheek) arrival. He said that there was a policeman about every 20 meters, and traffic was tied up for hours.

Blue skies, cool temperatures (nice for the horses), exceptional organization, and good food all provide a super setting for a super show. I am off to the dressage stadium now and hope to get back on line tomorrow. I had some of my films developed and acutally have some pretty good shots. My eye for the right moment to shoot is getting better, although I don’t always have the horse in the middle of the shot. Oh well, I will have a chance to play around with trimming and cleaning up extraneous stuff in them when I get home. Great fun - I love it.