At The Back Gate

I am sorry about the late post. I have been traveling a lot, and have had trouble with the internet. The trip was fun. Some things just do not go your way, but you have to try and ride through it. That happened to me, but I still kept a smile on my face the whole time. I would like to thank the USEF for helping me out with the equipment that had the USA flag. I would also like to thank them for paying for my trip to Abu Dhabi. I would like to thank all my trainers for helping me get to Abu Dhabi, and especially to Maja and Guy. Maja helped train me all the way when I was jumping small fences and helped me work up to this. Guy helped me while I was in Abu Dhabi and came along for the ride. He was a very important part of this trip. I would like to thank Butch and Lu for also helping me through this and pushing me forward. My last trainer I would like to thank is Jeni. Jeni taught me some important tips to help me out with my riding. I would like to thank the FEI for putting on this competition. I would like to thank the host country for supplying the horses we rode. The last person I would like to thank is my mom. My mom is the one who let me go on this trip and have a great time. The trip was a blast and a great experience. 

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The past few days have been very interesting. My rounds have not been very good. My horse is difficult to ride, but I am going to try and dig deep and make it work. My goal is to at least make it through one course. We went to some cool places. We went and had lunch on a boat. That was very relaxing. Also we went to a soccer game. In the game they gave out three red cards. It was a lot of fun. I have made even more friends from everywhere. On the bus rides we like to play games and fun hand games. One of my friends is from Germany. She tried to teach me some German, but I was not very good at it. We went to the vegetable market and they had a lot of food. One of the stands gave me a free corn and I ate it raw. It is a little different tasting, but I liked it. It has been fun and I hope the days get better as they go on.

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Today was an interesting day. We woke to see that it was pouring down rain. We ate breakfast, got on the buses, and went to watch the vet check. The horse I had was the first one out to get tested and didn’t pass the jog. We were going to see how it was when I rode it. We went up to the arena and had some drinks and some snacks. The parking lot near the arena was flooded with water that was about six to twelve inches. After we finished our snacks we headed off to go ride. When I got in the bus I looked a my helmet that had fallen into pieces. I told my mom and we ran to the venders up by the ring. Luckily they had speed airs and found one my size. After this problem we went to the barn to see how the horse trotted with me on it. It did not pass with me on it so we took it back to the barn and got a new horse. The next horse was not the best horse either. This one was sound but a little bit of a brat. I was cantering along and then I heard the horse grunt and it grabbed the bit, took off, and bucked me off right on a hill. I got up and got back on, My trainer had me work in a circle and I went to pick up the canter again the horse did the same thing, and got me off again. My trainer said there was no way I am riding a horse that bucked me off twice. At least I broke in my new helmet. The third horse we tried looked very nice. My trainer got on it first, but did not have much time to ride it because it started to pour down rain once again. We went back to the hotel and had an easy night.

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Today was not the best. We were supposed to have the vet check and ride our horses today. But we could not because of the rain. The rings were too wet and we had to sit in a room while we waited to have a meeting. During the meeting we picked our horses. I go fourth in the order and I am riding a horse named Rakado. After the meeting we went and looked at the ring we were going to be riding in. It is a huge grass field and has two warm up areas. The ring was very nice. Once we were done looking at the ring we went back to the hotel and relaxed for a little bit. At 8:30 we had a welcome dinner that was very nice. I met some new people and made some new friends. So far this trip has been amazing!

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Today was very fun! We started are day with having breakfast at the Burj Al Arab. The buffet was unbelievable. They had everything. After that we went back to the hotel and packed our bags to get ready to go to Abu Dhabi. We had a little bit of free time so we went and walked down the beach. On the beach there was a man giving camel rides. We went over and I got to ride a camel. They are  a lot of fun! After that we went back to the hotel, grabbed some lunch, and  got in the taxi to go to Abu Dhabi. We arrived at are hotel and relaxed in our room. Then we went downstairs and had dinner with some other riders and families. I met new friends from South Africa, Canada, Britain, and New Zealand. After dinner we went to the Gold Souk and then went home and went to bed.

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The plane ride was very long. We left from San Francisco and had a direct flight to Dubai. The flight was fifteen hours. I sat with my trainer, Guy, and my mom, Sara. I have a hard time sleeping on airplanes so I stayed up most of the flight. I watched a bunch a movies and played some games. When we arrived in Dubai there were lots and lots of lights. In the airplane you could see some of the tall hotels that lit up. When we landed we went to the baggage claim and got our stuff. The airport was amazing. They had waterfalls and lights everywhere. We took a taxi to our hotel. On the ride to the hotel we saw lots and lots of cool things. There were a lot of cranes everywhere. All the hotels had cool and unique shapes. One hotel had a big white sphere at the top that blinked red at night. We saw the Burj Al Arab. At night they light it up purple. It looks stunning. When we got to the hotel we settle in, had some dinner, and went to bed.

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Hi, I am representing the United States in the FEI Children’s international jumping final. The event will be held in Abu Dhabi. To prepare for this event I have been riding various horses to be ready for whatever kind of horse I will get. My trainer and friends I ride with have been very generous to let me ride their horses. Every day I would ride a different horse and on some occasions I rode two horses. Each horse was different, but a lot of fun to ride. Since the competition is not in the United States, I have to ride a barrowed horse. There are sixteen people from the host country and sixteen people from around the world. The sixteen people from the host country have to supply two horses. That rider will pick out of a hat for which horse she or he will ride and the horse she or he did not choose will go in the hat for the sixteen people from all over the world. It will be challenging for me to have to adjust to a new horse, but I am very excited. It will be a once in a lifetime opportunity and I will learn so much. I can’t wait for the competition to start.

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I am excited to represent the United States in Abu Dhabi.

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By Amy Train, Managing Editor of Modern Arabian Horse

Just as the late 90s country song says, Romeo has some "magic feet." Springwater Farms in Stockton, N.J. is home to a gray gelding that has been catching the eye of National judges with his magic feet for several years. Romeo Afire (Afire Bey V x Flames Lullaby) took home the Arabian Country English Pleasure AAOTR 36-54 Championship for the third year in a row earlier this week in what has seemed to become an effortless routine for the gelding.

"Romeo truly loves to show. He's very balanced, very mobile, easy to show. You can put him on the rail, off the rail, you don't have to do much," says John Ryan, Romeo's trainer. "He's very in-tune with the rider and he's very bright. Outside the ring, Ryan says Romeo isn't as easy. "He's a bit of brat. Someone in the barn has spoiled him rotten. And he's kind of become my pet, which is my fault," smiles Ryan.

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By Amy Train, Managing Editor of Modern Arabian Horse

About 10 years ago, Bob and Becky Nash were in transition and looking for a new way to spend their retired time together. The two had just moved to the Austin area from Huston and sold their Bed & Breakfast. The fairy-tale thought of retiring and owning a quaint B&B had lost its luster and the two were looking for a new adventure. The Nashes did some traveling. They played some tennis; they played some golf, but could not find an activity they truly enjoyed.

Just down the street from their new home, the Nashes watched big trucks pull into the drive of their new neighbor, Bob Battaglia, and one day Bob and Becky realized that they had always shared the same desire-they both wanted to own a horse. The only horse experience the Nashes had consisted of the occasional dude-ranch trail ride through the mountains, but they went ahead and bought their first Quarter Horse. Shortly after purchase Bob knew the horse was not all the sellers had bragged about and a friend suggested he talk to Russ Vento.

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