Vechta Elite Auction

This past weekend was the Vechta Elite Auction. It was incredible, I have never seen anything so well run as this auction. There is nothing like this in the United States! It is such a great idea if run properly. Here in Germany, and Europe as a whole, horse auctions are thought of as prestigious and respectable, a stark contrast from the "one step from the slaughter house" type auctions held in the States.

The horses that are to be sold in the auction come to the auction hall three weeks prior to the main event. There are several riders employed by the auction hall that school the horses and prepare them for showing. I believe it is either a week or ten days prior to the auction that potential buyers are allowed to come and try the horses. There can be anywhere from 50 to 150 horses. In this specific auction there were 72 horses. Most of them are young horses ranging from 3 to 6 years old. There are several auctions that have foals, but this year's Vechta auction did not.

So the weekend of events started on Friday evening with the Gala Abend. This was a presentation of some of the best horses in the auction as well as some of the featured bloodlines. For this particular auction several Sandro Hit and Sir Donnerhall offspring were featured. So I got to see Sandro Hit and Sir Donnerhall in person, live! They were ridden by Eva Moller and Ulf Moller. They were beautiful! They came out together and did a Pax de Deux. Both stallions stand at stud here in the Vechta area! It was wild to see both of these well known stallions in person.

There were all sorts of interesting entertainment throughout the night. There were dancing lamas, 20+ racing ponies with dolls strapped on their backs that they let loose to race around the arena, and at the end of the evening the entire audience lite sparklers as Sandro Hit and Sir Donnerhall made their final laps of the arena. It was crazy!

Everything was decorated perfectly. There were flags flying from every country. A live orchestra sang the national anthem and provided music before and after the auction. There were dinner tables set up around the arena and a white picket fence that separated the arena from the tables. The auctioneer was at one end of the arena in a decorated podium. There were several men dressed in designer suits standing in the arena throughout the auction looking into the crowd for different bidders. It was live bidding so everything moved very quickly. The riders would come out and do a little walk, trot, canter and then some of the riders if they knew there was a bidding war or a silence of bidding they would ride over to a specific bidder and let the horse nuzzle them a bit. It really was a great show!

The second horse to be auctioned off was by Stedinger, a prestigious young stallion owned by Ann Kitchel of the United States, was sold for 160,000 Euro, which is just under $250,000. It was so intense to see the price board jump with each new bid. Everything went so fast! It was really an exciting event.

Of course all Germans love to drink, so as the auctioned wrapped up around 7pm and the real festivities began. There was a large party for all tickets holders complete with dance floor and DJ, and several different drink options. Lets just say that some people in Vechta can really throw a party because when my roommates and I left at 2am things were really just getting started!

Here are some pictures of the Gala Abend, and the Auction Hall. Enjoy!

Me at the Auction Hall on the day of the Auction

An auction rider smoozing a buyer (It worked!!!)

Orchestra playing before the auction began.

Stall Haddad having a drink after the auction.

Dancing lamas!

Racing Ponies- Video

Sir Donnerhall and Sandro Hit- Video

Den Bosch and The Saunas

Hello Everyone, as some of my readers have told me I have been a bit of a "blogging slacker" the past two weeks. So much has happened so this will be quite the post with a conglomeration of topics.

So remember the show I went to about 3 weekends ago now, in Den Bosch, The Netherlands? Well that was ridiculously amazing. I was stabled right next to Isabell Werth, I am supposed to be professional and all that but it was so cool! I felt like a little kid seeing s superstar. Anky van Grunsven and Kyra Kirkland were stabled just behind me. Isabell was really nice, I gave Satchmo a few carrots and even held her young horse for her to fix a wrap. Silly I know but still really neat.

Watching the warm-up was intense. Everyone was really nice to each other but there was this underlying sense of cut throat competition. I did not recognize Anky and Salinero when they came into the warm-up. The horse looked so different in person than in every photo I have ever seen. She definitely warms him up in Roll-Kur fashion but he is extremely slow and not at all expressive. The transformation that horse goes through from early morning warm up to show arena is incredible. He comes home fired up, electric, and forward as can be. I'm not sure how she does it, but I really saw two totally different horses.

The trade fair was amazing. You could buy anything there, and I mean anything! A new hoof pick, a new horse trailer, an entire new kitchen, or designer wardrobe. The path leading back from the main arena (there was only one arena, which was used for both show jumping and Dressage) weaved its way though the trade fair. I don't know one horse that I have ridden that would have made it safely through there. It was insane, but really neat. The whole show was a family affair, people came to this show just as Americans take their families to a baseball or football game. The arena was sold out both Friday and Saturday night.

Ok next wild adventure....

The Scandinavian Saunas

Catherine (my boss), Casey (barn manager and rider) and I went to the sauna a few days after coming back from the show. It was a spa type place with several different saunas. There was a steam sauna, an aromatic sauna, a extra hot sauna, and another outside sauna with a fireplace. We started in the steam sauna, then took a freezing cold shower then moved onto each different sauna, only staying in for 15 minutes each. Everyone had to be naked! It was a little strange at first but Europeans are much more comfortable with nudity then most Americans. So I have been in a few saunas before and these were so much hotter, it felt great. The freezing cold shower was a large wooden cast like bucket that filled with water and you stood underneath it and pulled a rope. Talk about shock!! In the extra hot sauna someone came in and heated the stones and used a towel to blow extra hot air toward each individual in the sauna, and you were meant to breath in. I'm pretty sure I singed everything in my nose. They also had a heated pool that was nice to swim a few laps in but it was pretty short. We were there for several hours. It was such a relaxing experience and my skin still feels amazing!

Western European League Finals, Dem Bosch, The Netherlands

Hey Everyone, I wanted to share with you the article that I wrote for Dressage Daily, and some pictures that I took at the competition this past weekend.

A European Experience
Written by Meaghan Byrne

The atmosphere was concentrated yet electric as each rider and horse combination prepared for the Western European League Finals held in s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands. This was the last of the Indoor Winter Show Series and served as the final qualifying competition for the World Cup that is to be held in Las Vegas on April 15-19, 2009.

This was a spectators’ event like no other. There was an enormous trade fair that weaved through the warm up and competition areas. A fenced in path lead the horses and riders throughout the entire trade fair as they made their way to and from the competition area. Large flat screen TV’s were stationed throughout the trade fair to ensure everyone knew the latest details.

The trade fair offered the widest variety of high end items. Shops ranged from classy tack shops to hand crafted wood furniture and everything in between. Some of the other items you could browse through included: designer hand bags, Swarovski glass nail filers, top of the line horse trailers, full kitchens, exquisite paintings, handmade top hats and Rolex Watches. Scattered throughout the trade fair were several restaurants including a Sushi Bar, fresh fruit market, and two black-tie only restaurants.

I accompanied international rider and competitor Catherine Haddad as her groom to this prestigious competition. We arrived mid-day Wednesday to find several of the world’s top riders settling their horses in and preparing for the afternoon schooling sessions. There was an overwhelming sense of concentration and competitiveness as the weekend progressed. However high the stakes, all the riders and grooms were friendly and extremely helpful to me and to each other. There were smiles all around with an unspoken respect for all.

As a groom I was able to go everywhere on the show grounds. Throughout the weekend I watched the warm-up area as several of the sport’s top riders schooled their horses and prepared for the competition arena. I was amazed to see the variety in training methods and transformation the horses went through from warm-up to show arena.
The competition arena was perfectly manicured with elaborate flower boxes and sponsorship signs. It was a stadium seating styled arena. Saturday night’s freestyle was sold out. The crowd hung onto every music note as the riders entered the arena.

Standing ringside to this incredible field of competitors left with me with goose bumps. This was the best our sport has to offer and it far surpassed all expectations I had. Being able to experience this kind of intense competition from behind the scenes was the most amazing feeling. It was a feeling of both intensity and inspiration. I look forward to the day I will be in the saddle and on the other side of the Dressage arena for such a prestigious event.

There is more to come on this amazing weekend. It was unbelievable experience. It has just been a crazy week at the barn. Casey and Christoffer are getting married! So it is just me and Natillie, the rider from Australia, at the barn this week. So I will be sure to right more this weekend.

Thanks for reading...

Meaghan :-)

Cultural Difference

Today was the team's day off from the stable. We all enjoyed a nice sleep in. We usually meet for brunch at an adorable cafe, but instead we met this afternoon for ice cream in celebration of a friend's birthday. The ice cream cafe was call "Gino's Cafe" it was run by an Italian family. They served the most exquisite ice cream sundaes. Each were huge and decorated beautifully. They almost looked too good to eat, but of course we did! Anyhow, at the end of our little celebration the birthday girl was made to pay for everyone. There were also some people that left during the outing and didn't leave anything to cover their bill. I was mortified! However once again, I was reminded of my American ways. Here in Germany the person whose birthday it is, is meant to take all of their friends out for a celebration. It is tradition that they bake their own cake and provide a meal for friends and family. They are also meant to organize and pay for their own party. Such a cultural difference!

Learn something new everyday...

Meaghan :-)

McCafe

Hello Everyone. Sorry it has been a while since my last post, we have had a very busy week!

Today was a light day at the stable and we finished fairly early. So we all decided to go out for lunch. Much to my surprise everyone wanted to go to McDonald's for lunch. I thought this so strange because ever since I got here we have eaten nothing but healthy delicious fresh foods. So McDonald's was a change, but of course I didn't complain. So we drove to the McDonald's and I was informed that it was called "McCafe." I just thought it was another name, but oh no was I wrong. It is call McCafe because it is pretty much an alternate universe compared to a typical American McDonald's. It was extremely clean inside and decorated to the hills. It was a chic, modern theme with carpet and funky lights. There were cozy little booths with beautiful wooden tables. There were also large windows for people watching with stools and taller tables for two. Inside the McCafe was a coffee cafe. They served all sorts of different coffees, teas, lattes, and what not. Apparently several people take "coffee and cake" in the afternoon and McCafe is a popular choice. Of course the food tastes exactly the same, a complete heart attack all in one meal!!

Other happenings this week...

Earlier in the week Catherine informed the team that we were meant to go to dinner with a client on Wednesday night. We were to look nice as it was a fancy smancy restaurant. As we arrived at the restaurant we were shocked as she had planned a surprise bachelorette party for my roommate Casey. She is getting married in a few weeks. Her finance was informed it was a girls night from this point forward and sent home with a steak dinner. Ill leave it to your imagination what the rest of the night entailed. It was a blast and I met several people from local stables, breeding farms, and tack shops. The next day was a little rough...

Earlier this week the first of four foals was born at the breeding farm. She is a beautiful filly by Florenzio. We all went over to the breeding farm Friday afternoon to celebrate a successful birth with cake and champagne. It was quite the celebration complete with delicate china and freshly baked cheesecake. It was really nice to take a little time out of the day to celebrate and enjoy this new baby!

Next Wednesday I will be going to a competition in s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands. The competition is referred to as Den Bosch by the Dutch. I will be grooming for Catherine as she is riding Cadillac in the CDI-W. This competition serves as the Western European Finals. That means that there will be two Grand Prix Tours. The Small tour, or the CDI 4*, and then there will be the World Tour, or the CDI-W. This is also the last competition before the World Cup in Las Vegas in April. The majority of Europeans that rode at the Olympics in Hong Kong will be riding at this show. I'm sure it will be incredible to watch and experience this kind of intense atmosphere. I know there will be a great story come Monday.

A random assortment of topics, I know. Thanks for reading...

Meaghan :-)

The Auto Bahn

Today was my first driving experience on the auto bahn. I have never been known as a slow driver, but today I was the slowest person on the road!! I drove the lorry (the trailer) for the first time yesterday without any horses and today I drove to a horse show a few hours away! No time like the present to learn to drive in Germany. Drivers in general are insane here. When driving on the auto bahn there are some areas that are posted with speed limits, say 120km/hr, but then the majority of the road has these little while signs with a black line through them which designates a no speed limit area. Go as fast as you possibly can and try not to die! What were these people thinking? Then the whole road is plastered with white billboards that have sad stories of people that have died in terrible multi car accidents on the auto bahn. Completely insane if you ask me. Then to top it all off the country roads are really narrow and you just have to hope that there is enough room between you, the car next to you, and the large ditch on the edge of the road. Oh did I mention that all the stop signs in Germany are identically to the yield signs in America, talk about confusion. But least to say I didn't hit anyone and I stayed on the road and everyone made it safely to and from the horse show.

The lorry that I drove is like nothing I have see before, its awesome. It is very similar to a truck with a camper on the back but completely one unit, if that makes any sense. The horses ride backwards and have a shelf to eat hay from as well as a deep space for water. There is a ton of storage around the rest of the truck. There is a bed above the driver and passenger seat, as well as a large area behind the seats for either extra storage or more passenger seats. The box area where the horses are is great, there is plenty of room to groom and tack up the horse inside. It was also much easier to drive than any truck and trailer combination that I have driven. I don't know why we don't see these more in the states. This specific one was made by "BOJ" a Swedish company. I included a picture of it.
















The show that we went to was part of an indoor winter series of shows at this farm. There were two indoor halls, one for warm-up and one for showing. We had a horse go in the FEI 6 Year Old Test, or "M" Level. There were several talented young horses at the show. The riders really seemed to ride much more forward and in a much bigger trot and canter throughout the test than I have usually seen in the states. After the young horse classes the Prix St. George started and I got to see a minute of Heike Kemmer's warm up. It was pretty neat seeing a well known German rider at a much smaller show with some of her young prospects.

Thanks for reading...

Meaghan :-)

Rough Day...

So today was a rough day! A blanket rack attacked me and I had to meet Kyra Kirkland's husband and trainer Richard, with a fat lip. We started really early this morning because Richard was coming for a clinic. He had flown in from England. But before he arrived I had groomed some of the horses and was gathering clean coolers for them. We have a large blanket rack that hangs blankets vertically. I grabbed the buckle of one of the coolers and the top of the rack flew out and hit me in the lip! Naturally it swelled. So I have a large fat lip, looking like I had just got in some kind of bar fight! Talk about first impressions! Other than that minor incident at 7am this morning, the day went very well. I groom and tack up both Maximus and Cadillac everyday along with a few of Catherine's other horses. They are both incredible horses.

I am starting to realize just how busy the stable really is. Since I have been here, there has been a mixture of clients, clinicians, and visitors from all over the world. Its fast paced but really fun and interesting.

Last night my roommates and I went to a nearby town called Lohne. It was a beautiful drive from our apartment. There were huge fields, not sure what they were farming, but they were perfectly manicured farmlands. The land here is really, really flat. All the houses look like cute little cottages, mostly made of brick. We walked around some of the designer shops, and window shopped. The outdoor shopping plaza was very clean and had little water fountains everywhere. There were no cars allowed on some of the smaller streets, so it made for a nice walk.

This coming weekend I am going to have my first trailering experience here in Germany. Cassie, one of the riders, is taking one of her horses in training to a show on Saturday. I will be grooming for her and learning how everything works at the shows. I will be driving the smaller lorry, which is one large van that can hold two horses. Everyone here swears it is super easy to drive, but we will see. I think I have to drive on the autobond! I'm sure that will make for a great story this weekend!

Thanks for reading...

Meaghan :-)