Dear Rita,

I was both excited and intrigued to see the CDI*** at Tryon, N.C., appear on the FEI calendar this spring. Our country needs more international venues, and North Carolina lies conspicuously in the middle of our bi-annual migration between Florida and New Jersey. 

Dear Rita,

The holiday season is upon us, and as I make my way through November and December, I am always reminded to be grateful for my life. I am not only grateful for the wonderful life I enjoy with my horses, but also for my success as it allows me to give to others.

Dear Rita,

October found me flying back to Germany to watch my 3-year-old stallion, Romanesque (Blue Hors Romanov—Elfentanz, Fidertanz), finish the final days of testing in the 70 Day Test at Neustadt (Dosse) near Berlin.

Dear Rita,

I think my last few blogs caught you up on the important things that happened over the summer in Europe. I put my horses on a plane back to New York at the beginning of August and settled in at home in New Jersey for a few blissful months of training, showing and spending time with my dogs and my husband.

Dear Rita, 

Life with horses is a never-ending learning process, and training a successful international Grand Prix horse is no exception. You can teach a horse to perform the test at home relatively quickly, but experience will teach you that you don’t really have a competitive Grand Prix horse until you master the art of riding him at a show the way you ride him at home. This takes time. Many factors come into play, and you might be surprised how intricate the polishing of a Grand Prix horse can become.