A little more than a week till departure

And the whirlwind continues. T- minus 8 days and counting. Incredible!

I am very happy to report that I have most of my travel plans organized. There are just a few details about layovers and crossing the US border that I need to confirm, but overall Jive and I are pretty set. Also, I am very excited because this trip it is going to be a whole different kind of flying. I am the designated “groom” for the flight, which means I will be flying in the back of the plane with Jive! It’s going to be crazy, but so cool! Tight quarters for those few hours for sure, but Jive and I, we’re in this adventure together.

Jive has been great the last few rides. He definitely knows that he is in training camp. I can tell that he is super determined. The more we prepare, the more focused he gets. I am sure he feels how determined David (Marcus, my coach) and I are, and he feeds off of it. He is the only horse that I know, that when I take him over a jump a few times it is fun at first. But then he starts knocking the poles down on purpose because I think he gets annoyed that there is an “obstacle” in his “dancing pathway”. He is so funny that way. I love it. I love how much he loves his work. I am sure that we can all agree what a wonderful feeling it is to be “one with your animal”. Whether it be your horse, or any pet really. Animals are incredible.

The beginning

When I first got the news that I would be representing Canada at FEI Young Rider World Cup in Germany this December, I am pretty sure that I stopped breathing for a few seconds. And then I started jumping up and down like a little kid! I couldn't believe it! It was really happening.

My first thing to do, start planning. And it has been an ongoing process since then. There is a TON of stuff that needs to be organized in a fairly short amount of time. This added along with training and school work has made it a hectic couple of weeks.

Jive and I have started our training regime for this competition, and it's a tough one. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we're going to compete to the best of our abilities. My main focus is getting him to listen to everything I ask with a quick response. He can do everything, but he likes to dance to his own tune sometimes. And if we're going to do our best, we need to be 100% together.

Wow. I truly cannot express how excited I am to be going to Germany. It's unbelievable really. Everyday that Jive and I's date of departure draws nearer, I can feel the butterflies of excitement in my stomach start fluttering. It's going to be quite an adventure. :)

Selected for the Young Riders' World Cup!!!

This summer was an incredible season for Jive and I.

Here's a video of our Freestyle from Blainville, kindly recorded by Patricia Da Silva from Ecogold-Equestrian Textile Engineering. THANK YOU! This freestyle helped us to be selected to be Canada's sole representative at the 2009 FEI Young Rider World Cup in Frankfurt, Germany. Enjoy!