Dear Rita,

“Maximus Retires” seems like a funny title, as if he made the choice to do so when in fact, I am the one who made the choice for him. Maximus would never choose retirement if he was in charge of his own life. He is too much of a warrior for that!

I bought Maximus (who was then named “Junker”) from Daniel Ramseier in Zurich, Switzerland, at the beginning of 2003. He was delivered to my stable on my birthday in March, but our magnificent partnership was not a waltz through the rose garden from the very beginning. We got off to a rocky start.

Dear Rita,

I have a friend and show organizer from the United States visiting me this week. Our horse search has taken us to a few small horse shows to view some of the prospects in action, and through my friend’s many and varied questions, I began to realize that many of the things I take for granted in the German show system are not common in the United States.

Dear Rita,

We are in the midst of World Cup season, which is one of the most exciting times of year for me. World Cup is a winter tour that culminates in a Final held in March or April every year. The location of the Final is not fixed, and different countries vie for the privilege of holding it each year.

This year, the Final will be held in Leipzig, Germany, approximately four hours from my home in Vechta. This is the first time in the history of World Cup that the Final will include the three disciplines of jumping, dressage and driving all under the same roof!

Dear Rita,

It is that time of year again! I love Christmas for the lively cheer of the season, but the pressure of GIFT GIVING got too extreme for me decades ago, so I just did away with it. Yep. I declared a war on ALL GIFTS and demanded that my close friends take the time to meet for a glass of wine, tell stories and jokes and just be together in the holiday cheer without all that wrapping paper and stuff.  Works wonders for me. Christmas! Bring it on!

Dear Rita,

Winyamaro and I have just returned from a fun-filled, successful horse show in London. This is a trip that I really enjoy, and it is becoming an annual pilgrimage for me at Christmastime. The Christmas show at London Olympia is definitely worth the trip!