2008 Paralympic Silver Medalist Angelika Trabert (GER)

First of all I want to excuse myself - sorry my second blog entry has taken so long. A lot has kept me from my desk. See for yourself:
(Pictured: Angelika Trabert on Ariva-Avanti)

LONDRIA, went with me on a training weekend with Manolo Oliva and did really well BUT the following week she was not a 100% sound. What a shock! She was diagnosed by 2 different vets with something very similar to a carpal tunnel syndrome in humans. So what does that mean?

First and foremost, LONDRIA will fully recover! But it will take time (not something we have a great deal of this year). However, to keep her fit without too much muscle loss while not being ridden, she is receiving suitable wellness training on my account...including aquatraining (water training). We will have to skip the first qualification competition in Mannheim in May. But we hope to be ready to "Rock and Roll" again for the Germans in July. In between we will have to attend training weekends and regular horse shows to prove that we are fit and ready. Quite a challenge ...

WALMOREL had her first foal on the 26th of March - a very nice little colt by Fuerst Romancier. His name is "Finaud Coquin" (pictured right). I think (hope) he has a bright future. But talking of the future, competitions in 2010 to be precise, as both of my horses (L & W) were one way or the other not up to joining me on training weekends I have been in a bit of a bind. However, again I was lucky. Heinrich, a good friend and the owner of the establishment where I stable my horses, found another horse which I am able to ride.

So let me introduce:
ARIVA-AVANTI (pictured above), a 7 year old mare by Alabaster, dam sir Florestan I. She is fairly young and has had no proper training in the last two years (she had 2 foals instead). I have been riding her for the last three weeks and she impresses me with her intelligence, fairness and her attitude. We have travelled to three different training weekends throughout Germany. Each time she was very excited, but after being shown around, she adapted quickly to the new situation. So in two weeks we will have our first regular horse show. I would be very happy if I could just manoeuvre her through the test without a major error. If this is the case we will go straight to our first international horse show in Mannheim. It will be very exciting (for both of us) I suspect we could probably both do with some extra nerve. So everything is in progress and I sure hope I can prove the quality of my horses which as you know I admire greatly!