Safe Arrival

WE’VE ARRIVED!!!! Hello everyone. ☺ So, Jive and I made it safe and sound to Germany. We arrived the day before yesterday after two very long days of traveling.
Germany is absolutely amazing!!!! Jive and I are incredibly lucky. Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff is hosting us at her private estate in Kronberg. It is an absolutely stunning estate. She is hosting four young riders. Kassandra Barteau and her horse Ray, as well as Hannah Appleton from New Zealand and Mafalda Galiza Mendes from Portugal. The estate is absolutely stunning. I’ll definitely be posting pictures of it.

So, just a quick update today. I’ll be sure to give everyone more details, as I know I some more time to relax and do some writing. Stay tuned! Pictures to come

Thank you!

Jive says "thank you" with a kiss!

Christmas came early!!!

A HUGE, GIGANTIC, MASSIVELY LARGE THANK YOU to everyone at DMD (David Marcus Dressage) who came together to surprise Jive and I by purchasing us the most amazing gifts for Germany. You guys are incredible!!!! They outfitted us with a gorgeous cooler, along with a matching stable blanket. Both blankets are beautifully embroidered with Young Riders World Cup and Amy Jager and Jive. AMAZING! They also picked out, and embroidered a riding vest for me! :) Thank you SO MUCH. As you can see, I've posted some pictures of Jive showing off his new gear. :D

The support that I am receiving from so many different people going into this competition is amazing. Last night, one of my best friends organized a dinner with a bunch of my friends from school as a sort of going away dinner. It was so wonderful. Seeing everyone before I leave in a few days, and to simply hear so many people so excited for me and wishing me the best of luck... It made me so happy! I am so thankful for everyone's support. Honestly, the simplest "good luck" makes such a difference. So thank you!

So, only 4 days till we start our travels!!!! Unbelievable really. And I still have SO much to pack...

Jive was awesome tonight. We have started putting the parts of the tests together a bit more. As my coach put it, we've got the puzzle pieces, now we just have to assemble the puzzle. :)

And finally, THANK YOU for tuning into my blog. :)

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!