Monday, May 31, 2010
Day 5 the short blog
Alright because it was my day off, there wasn't much going on. I met Steff for lunch since it was her day off too and we went to McDonald's and I had fries that would Rob would be jealous of, they were greasy and salty the very way he like them, unlike those fires we got from the McDonald's near my house. Then we watched POTC trilogy. Then the boys were too lazy to jump the fence and press the button to open the gate since the gates do not open on Sundays, so as we are watching dead man's chest I hear yelling and I look at Steff and go i don't remember this part of the movie. and she goes it's the boys at the gate they are being lazy bums (in her Aussie accent). so I rain out in the rain to let them in. But that was pretty much my day on Sunday, I would like to extend a huge thanks to Welly and Judge My Ride for putting my blog on their facebook. If I could get comments on maybe what you would like to see me write or anything really (P.S. checking my grammar is going to be a hard one for me, but i will make an attempt if people ask, parents asking don't count either, just mine by the way). Thanks for reading!!!!!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Day 4
So Day 4 is veing much better than day 3, I have to be at the barn at nine this morning so I got myself early so that I cold actually make to the barn on time for once and not at noon lol!!!!! I get there and there is a new face at the barn, she seemed a little shy and I am to so we worked around each other for a few minutes while we got our horses ready for our lessons, Alan ask if we have introduce our selves and both of us answer no, and he introduces us, and the girls name is Marina, whom is not a native of the Netherlands but from New Jersey, and that she has been over here for about a year now.
So we go to start the lesson and automatically Alan compared me to a duck sitting on the horse, so after my odd insult to how
I sat on a horse, he has me do all these exercise you create angels on the horse and by the way the horse is not doing any of the angels I am and they are so painful. Alan was explaining to me that American riders are very stiff and that I need to add angels. so what do I do I push my ankle down more and bend my knees and elbows more create more angel. Still not what he wanted, so he has me drop me outside stirrup, and suddenly my angel on teh inside improved, and what Alan really wanted or maybe a better way to express what he wanted was that he wanted dimension in my angels, and what I mean by that is if you were to draw a picture of something it is only 2D meaning it what you see, now take a picture of the same object and you will start to see them in a 3D type of way (hope I explained this well). So now that I understood what Alan was asking, he ask me to do the next thing to change the way I ride and how most people in America ride and that is to carry my hands higher than what I am used to so that is a huge change for me, some who rides in the hunters and everything is suppose to be smooth and sort of none visible. So I am quickly becoming frustrated with myself, it is a lot harder than I expected it to be to ride like the europeans, they use completely different leg muscle or the same one just in a way I am not used to using it. But Alan keeps telling me i am doing well and the lessons end, alan tells me to let Corrada go out for some grass and then to come back in and brush her.
So next is Smabo (THOUGHTS: love Sambo!!!!), now that he is feeling better, the swelling in his leg has gone done a bunch. But Alan puts me in a different saddle for Smabo because he has such high shoulders. And I guess this saddle puts my leg in a better position, I have a much better lesson on Sambo, he was such a good boy.
But as I was riding these two horses, and Alan was explaining that the way a horse should go,is like when you see them on a lunge line and that is their natural gate, and that is what they try to achieve over here and in the states we have a tendency to push them on their front feet instead of using their hind ends, then I had a revelation, as to why we have so many lame horses with no reasons at all, Alan also said that the horses can work being push on their front end for a couple of days but will go lame eventually if they do it for too long!!!!! Whether I actually found something relevant, the jury is still out and I would like your opinion on the matter.
So after riding and ending the day at the barn, i come back to the B&B, only to change and go for a jog, I found myself back at the barn talking with Steff. Her and I ended up talking for awhile, me entertaining her with my stories from the previous day. But somehow I ended p eating dinner with Alan and his family, where little Izzy was not feeling good. At one point she threw up at the dinner table, the Nanja and Alan are apologies profusely, Steff is used to Izzy being sick and with the family I live with, it just doesn't bother me at all. But Dinner was fantastic, this really good chicken, fabulous potatoes, and basil salad. Okay, I have jogged down the hill, and now I am full of food and it is raining out, so I go back to the canteen to talk with Steff some more, and finally gather the courage to jog back up the hill into my littel house and into a warm shower!!!!! And to bed for the night because the next day is my day off, YAY!!!!!
So we go to start the lesson and automatically Alan compared me to a duck sitting on the horse, so after my odd insult to how
I sat on a horse, he has me do all these exercise you create angels on the horse and by the way the horse is not doing any of the angels I am and they are so painful. Alan was explaining to me that American riders are very stiff and that I need to add angels. so what do I do I push my ankle down more and bend my knees and elbows more create more angel. Still not what he wanted, so he has me drop me outside stirrup, and suddenly my angel on teh inside improved, and what Alan really wanted or maybe a better way to express what he wanted was that he wanted dimension in my angels, and what I mean by that is if you were to draw a picture of something it is only 2D meaning it what you see, now take a picture of the same object and you will start to see them in a 3D type of way (hope I explained this well). So now that I understood what Alan was asking, he ask me to do the next thing to change the way I ride and how most people in America ride and that is to carry my hands higher than what I am used to so that is a huge change for me, some who rides in the hunters and everything is suppose to be smooth and sort of none visible. So I am quickly becoming frustrated with myself, it is a lot harder than I expected it to be to ride like the europeans, they use completely different leg muscle or the same one just in a way I am not used to using it. But Alan keeps telling me i am doing well and the lessons end, alan tells me to let Corrada go out for some grass and then to come back in and brush her.
So next is Smabo (THOUGHTS: love Sambo!!!!), now that he is feeling better, the swelling in his leg has gone done a bunch. But Alan puts me in a different saddle for Smabo because he has such high shoulders. And I guess this saddle puts my leg in a better position, I have a much better lesson on Sambo, he was such a good boy.
But as I was riding these two horses, and Alan was explaining that the way a horse should go,is like when you see them on a lunge line and that is their natural gate, and that is what they try to achieve over here and in the states we have a tendency to push them on their front feet instead of using their hind ends, then I had a revelation, as to why we have so many lame horses with no reasons at all, Alan also said that the horses can work being push on their front end for a couple of days but will go lame eventually if they do it for too long!!!!! Whether I actually found something relevant, the jury is still out and I would like your opinion on the matter.
So after riding and ending the day at the barn, i come back to the B&B, only to change and go for a jog, I found myself back at the barn talking with Steff. Her and I ended up talking for awhile, me entertaining her with my stories from the previous day. But somehow I ended p eating dinner with Alan and his family, where little Izzy was not feeling good. At one point she threw up at the dinner table, the Nanja and Alan are apologies profusely, Steff is used to Izzy being sick and with the family I live with, it just doesn't bother me at all. But Dinner was fantastic, this really good chicken, fabulous potatoes, and basil salad. Okay, I have jogged down the hill, and now I am full of food and it is raining out, so I go back to the canteen to talk with Steff some more, and finally gather the courage to jog back up the hill into my littel house and into a warm shower!!!!! And to bed for the night because the next day is my day off, YAY!!!!!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Day 3
Okay day 3 didn't start out as great as I wanted it to, I woke up again at noon, the time change is really starting to get to me at this point, a six hour time change is really rough. But let face it when 1/4 of your day is behind you it is difficult. Anyway I go to start my smart car it won't start, so I call Alan and he told me to hang out at the B&B since he and the guys are at a horse show (THOUGHTS:When was I going to be told about the show???), but that he would be there in the hour and will help me with the car, so I wait and write some of the previous blogs, then suddenly I fin Alan and Dennis in my living room, granted I had the door opened for them, so that I could see them coming down the drive way, but anyway Alan didn't know how to work the smart car but Dennis did, so he told what I had to do, to work the smart car properly (DENNIS"S THOUGHTS: Stupid American) (MY THOUGHTS: Why in the world do do Europeans have to make starting a car so difficult?!?!?). So I go over to the barn where Alan has disappeared again (sigh). But I hadn't eaten all day and there is a McDonald's down the road I just don't know where it is at, I know it is close to the barn but it is an exit up from where we were. So what do I do, I ask Dennis, so as Dennis is trying to explain how to get to McDonald's to me, with out knowing it I must have had that "you are not making any sense", and so a few quick comments to end this quickly becoming a socially awkward conversation. So finally I find Alan again and ask him for directions, and he writes them down for me (THOUGHTS: YAY!!! :-) ) So I find my way to the McDonald's, I am ready to crawl in the front door of the McDonald's and worship the international fast food chain, talk about being happy to see something I do no really like to eat back home but will eat if it is my last option. Kelly, I know you hate Mickey D's with a passion, but you have to understand I was dying of hunger, and Dutch food can be a bit strange. But of course Pookie gets lost on her way, so after wondering around for a little bit I finally find my way back to Alan's but of course I called him to ask how to get back, driving in a foreign country is well.....lets just its different especially when you can not read to the signs LOL!!!
But I fonally got back to the farm, and rode the the two horses that Alan wanted me to ride, Corrada and Indoctro again, so I was happy again trying to focus on using their bodies to work and not just perching on the horse. Both of my rides go well and the horses are good.
So after the horses are put away, Alan approaches me and ask if I need to go to the grocery store (THOUGHTS: In fact I could use some food), so I told him yes. What does Alan say "Oh well the boys are going so you can just follow them, okay?". So the boys then tell they will be down from their apartment in 15 min (THOUGHTS: Okay, I can put all my stuff that need to go into the car in the car), so I wait and I wait, finally I go knock on the door, and I hear Brandon scream come on up. So I make my way up the stairs, fearing for my life since I have hard horror stories about the way they keep the apartment from Nanja and Steff, and now that I think about Alan too, because he contemplated me living with them!!!! But back to the story, I get up their excepting the worse and it was actually very clean , then I remember they had a maid come that week to really clean the apartment since Andrew was coming to live with them when he come (THOUGHTS: THANK GOD!!!), so I find the boys in the living room, having a snack and drinking coffee, "boys I thought we were meeting down in the kitchen 10 mins ago (questioning look from the boys),I'm sorry, the canteen??", "Oh well we decided to have a snack while we watch Grey's Anatomy, pull up a chair", so after they are done with their snacks and Grey's Anatomy, they have to change their clothes, apparently according to Steff, people n Europe are not in a hurry to go anywhere.
So finally we are on our way to the food store, and what seemed like a long drive we arrived. So as we are walking in the Dennis and Brandon are telling me that if I need help with anything just to ask, so I am going okay great! Well what a bunch of help they turned out to be they breezed through the store like it was no one's business, and then they ask are you done yet? I am in the second isle of the store, NO I'M NOT DONE YET!!!!!! Okay they ask me this question in a total of three minutes we had been in the store. So then I have Dennis help me with picking out cheese, which became a much bigger ordeal than it needed to be.....sigh. So we go to the check out line and there is no one there to bag the food for you, and even worse they don't have bags, they have boxes. So the cashier lady starts to talk in dutch which I don't speak, and so I have to look at he boys and go translate please :-D (pretend that is my big cheesy smile that I ask them with).
So we get otu of the store and Brandon needs to go to the bank and Dennis is going some place else, and I don;t know how to get back on my own so I just follow them around the town of Putten. So as I walk with Dennis because I do not want to be stuck in a bank with Brandon (F.Y.I. Its not Brandon, I don't want to be around, its being stuck in a bank, just incase some one thought I was being mean), so we walk to a sports store and he says I am getting a football, so he walk up to the wall with the soccer balls, Dennis must have seen the look on my face because by the time that he started the to say "sorry, to you this is a soccer ball but to everyone else in the world it is football", I had remembered that little fact LOL!!!! So finally we head back to the cars where they are heading back to the farm and me the B&B.
Okay this is where the real fun of my day comes in, Dennis takes off out of the parking lot through the very small streets of Putten, and I get behind an old lady on a bike and there are a bunch of cars coming the other way where I can not pass her to catch up with Dennis and Brandon (F.Y.I. the road everywhere in the Netherlands are really narrow, it not like in the states, where the person in the other lane can move over some and you can squeeze by the person on the bike, even out narrow roads at home are considerably wider than their wide roads!!!) So after I get around the old lady on the bike, I realize that Dennis is in the round about already, and guess what color all the car where in the round about...sliver, just like the car the boys are in (THOUGHTS: great just my luck), so I didn't see Dennis turn right out the RB and some how I kept going straight, so I am offical lost with in two minutes and even worse the smartie is running out of fuel, luck is finally on my side there is a gulf station hat takes visa (THOUGHTS: OH THANK YOU GOD!!!!!) So I park the smartie on the little hill above the station to find out what side to put the fuel in, and the car for reasons beyond my ability to think does not have a P for park, inside you actually use a parking brake, which is normally what would be our emergency brake. So I feel the car start to go forward so I pull the brake up even farther to so that it won't roll down and into the road. I find that you have to put fuel on the passenger side of the car, then I get back in the car and go to release the break and it won't release, I try and I try and I try for about 7 min (THOUGHTS: don't panic, don't panic, don't panic, whatEVER YOU DO DON'T PANIC!!!!) so finally I ended up calling my parents to ask them if they had any advice for getting it to release and sure enough my dad did, even if I panicked just a little. When I hang up the phone with my parents Alna gives me a call asking where in the world I am, the answer I want to give him, Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore, but I told him the landing markings around me and he said that the boys where going to find me. I go to ask him what type of fuel the car takes but he doesn't know, so I look at the gas cap and sure enough it has my answer for me (YAY!!!!!), so after filling up the car, I wiat ont eh boys to find me and they do and they are smiling and laughing at me, all I can do is smile and laugh back, hey if you can't laugh at yourself who can you laugh at?
But fnally i make it back to the B&B, to hope and pray that Alan doesn't think I am trouble and that tomorrow will be a better day. Thanks for reading!!!!!
But I fonally got back to the farm, and rode the the two horses that Alan wanted me to ride, Corrada and Indoctro again, so I was happy again trying to focus on using their bodies to work and not just perching on the horse. Both of my rides go well and the horses are good.
So after the horses are put away, Alan approaches me and ask if I need to go to the grocery store (THOUGHTS: In fact I could use some food), so I told him yes. What does Alan say "Oh well the boys are going so you can just follow them, okay?". So the boys then tell they will be down from their apartment in 15 min (THOUGHTS: Okay, I can put all my stuff that need to go into the car in the car), so I wait and I wait, finally I go knock on the door, and I hear Brandon scream come on up. So I make my way up the stairs, fearing for my life since I have hard horror stories about the way they keep the apartment from Nanja and Steff, and now that I think about Alan too, because he contemplated me living with them!!!! But back to the story, I get up their excepting the worse and it was actually very clean , then I remember they had a maid come that week to really clean the apartment since Andrew was coming to live with them when he come (THOUGHTS: THANK GOD!!!), so I find the boys in the living room, having a snack and drinking coffee, "boys I thought we were meeting down in the kitchen 10 mins ago (questioning look from the boys),I'm sorry, the canteen??", "Oh well we decided to have a snack while we watch Grey's Anatomy, pull up a chair", so after they are done with their snacks and Grey's Anatomy, they have to change their clothes, apparently according to Steff, people n Europe are not in a hurry to go anywhere.
So finally we are on our way to the food store, and what seemed like a long drive we arrived. So as we are walking in the Dennis and Brandon are telling me that if I need help with anything just to ask, so I am going okay great! Well what a bunch of help they turned out to be they breezed through the store like it was no one's business, and then they ask are you done yet? I am in the second isle of the store, NO I'M NOT DONE YET!!!!!! Okay they ask me this question in a total of three minutes we had been in the store. So then I have Dennis help me with picking out cheese, which became a much bigger ordeal than it needed to be.....sigh. So we go to the check out line and there is no one there to bag the food for you, and even worse they don't have bags, they have boxes. So the cashier lady starts to talk in dutch which I don't speak, and so I have to look at he boys and go translate please :-D (pretend that is my big cheesy smile that I ask them with).
So we get otu of the store and Brandon needs to go to the bank and Dennis is going some place else, and I don;t know how to get back on my own so I just follow them around the town of Putten. So as I walk with Dennis because I do not want to be stuck in a bank with Brandon (F.Y.I. Its not Brandon, I don't want to be around, its being stuck in a bank, just incase some one thought I was being mean), so we walk to a sports store and he says I am getting a football, so he walk up to the wall with the soccer balls, Dennis must have seen the look on my face because by the time that he started the to say "sorry, to you this is a soccer ball but to everyone else in the world it is football", I had remembered that little fact LOL!!!! So finally we head back to the cars where they are heading back to the farm and me the B&B.
Okay this is where the real fun of my day comes in, Dennis takes off out of the parking lot through the very small streets of Putten, and I get behind an old lady on a bike and there are a bunch of cars coming the other way where I can not pass her to catch up with Dennis and Brandon (F.Y.I. the road everywhere in the Netherlands are really narrow, it not like in the states, where the person in the other lane can move over some and you can squeeze by the person on the bike, even out narrow roads at home are considerably wider than their wide roads!!!) So after I get around the old lady on the bike, I realize that Dennis is in the round about already, and guess what color all the car where in the round about...sliver, just like the car the boys are in (THOUGHTS: great just my luck), so I didn't see Dennis turn right out the RB and some how I kept going straight, so I am offical lost with in two minutes and even worse the smartie is running out of fuel, luck is finally on my side there is a gulf station hat takes visa (THOUGHTS: OH THANK YOU GOD!!!!!) So I park the smartie on the little hill above the station to find out what side to put the fuel in, and the car for reasons beyond my ability to think does not have a P for park, inside you actually use a parking brake, which is normally what would be our emergency brake. So I feel the car start to go forward so I pull the brake up even farther to so that it won't roll down and into the road. I find that you have to put fuel on the passenger side of the car, then I get back in the car and go to release the break and it won't release, I try and I try and I try for about 7 min (THOUGHTS: don't panic, don't panic, don't panic, whatEVER YOU DO DON'T PANIC!!!!) so finally I ended up calling my parents to ask them if they had any advice for getting it to release and sure enough my dad did, even if I panicked just a little. When I hang up the phone with my parents Alna gives me a call asking where in the world I am, the answer I want to give him, Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore, but I told him the landing markings around me and he said that the boys where going to find me. I go to ask him what type of fuel the car takes but he doesn't know, so I look at the gas cap and sure enough it has my answer for me (YAY!!!!!), so after filling up the car, I wiat ont eh boys to find me and they do and they are smiling and laughing at me, all I can do is smile and laugh back, hey if you can't laugh at yourself who can you laugh at?
But fnally i make it back to the B&B, to hope and pray that Alan doesn't think I am trouble and that tomorrow will be a better day. Thanks for reading!!!!!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Day 2
Okay on to Day 2 of 77 days in Putten Netherland, well after waking up at noon, realizing it felt like it was six o'clock our time, which it was. That I had to get up even if I wasn't ready to leave my nice warm bed, but forced my self to get despite the fact that I wanted so badly to go back to sleep. After getting up and out of the house, I made way to the barn where I meet the third barn hand Brandon, who told me that Sambo couldn't be ridden his leg was too swollen o they are giveing him so time off, that I was to ride Corrado and Indoctro, one of two Indoctros at Alan's farm. And at this point, i realize that Alan is no where to be found, later finding out that he is out of town for the day. But so I started my list of to horses to ride for the day, Corrada, and Indoctro. So getting in Corrada, I try to focus on what Alan told me having the horse use its hole body, she was a very good girl but still didn't think I got her to use her hole body. So next I rode Indoctro, who is this cute little bay horse, that reminds me a lot of Molly B's Danger, that was her junior jumper. He was so much fun, I really enjoyed riding him!!!
So after riding went back to the horse where all my stuff was, and found Steff, Nanja, and the girls were all at the house. Where Nanja invited me to dinner with her and the girls. We went and pick dinner up and brought it back, where the boys Dennis and Brandon also joined us for dinner. Okay maybe you guys will get a kick out of this, we picked food up from a restaurant that had American Style food, as they were asking me if it tasted anything like the food from home, I just had to nod my head. I didn't have the heart to tell them its nothing like our food, it was hamburger and fires, believe it was nothing close to an American Hamburger.
So after dinner it was time for me to pack my bags and go to the bed and breakfast right down the road but Nanja handed me a pair of keys and said here you have the smart car (THOUGHTS: I am going to be there a smart car, OMG where is my dad to make fun of me and the car both). So driving to the B&B is like half a mile from the barn. So we meet the people tat own the place and the wife does not speak english at all and the husband only a little, so Nanja had to be my translator (THOUGHTS: LOVE NANJA FOR AMAZING ABILITY TO BE MY TRANSLATOR). So after everyone leaves I settle in for the night and go to bed. Hope everyone enjoyed reading!!!
So after riding went back to the horse where all my stuff was, and found Steff, Nanja, and the girls were all at the house. Where Nanja invited me to dinner with her and the girls. We went and pick dinner up and brought it back, where the boys Dennis and Brandon also joined us for dinner. Okay maybe you guys will get a kick out of this, we picked food up from a restaurant that had American Style food, as they were asking me if it tasted anything like the food from home, I just had to nod my head. I didn't have the heart to tell them its nothing like our food, it was hamburger and fires, believe it was nothing close to an American Hamburger.
So after dinner it was time for me to pack my bags and go to the bed and breakfast right down the road but Nanja handed me a pair of keys and said here you have the smart car (THOUGHTS: I am going to be there a smart car, OMG where is my dad to make fun of me and the car both). So driving to the B&B is like half a mile from the barn. So we meet the people tat own the place and the wife does not speak english at all and the husband only a little, so Nanja had to be my translator (THOUGHTS: LOVE NANJA FOR AMAZING ABILITY TO BE MY TRANSLATOR). So after everyone leaves I settle in for the night and go to bed. Hope everyone enjoyed reading!!!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Day 1
Finally I arrived at Alan's BEAUTIFUL farm, after passing one of the most interesting drives in my life, Netherlands buildings in Amsterdam were so unique and amazing, it was so refreshing from all of our tall buildings in the states. But I get there and greeted by Alan. Then Alan sat me down to have a talk about what I wanted to do while in Putten with him, I thought that answer was obvious, but we talked about what wanted to gain from the trip was the real conversation. Afterward he took me to look at apartments, which wasn't what either of us thought. Mentioning to Alan that i was hungry we stopped to get sandwiches......well it's not what I thought lets just say that, the sandwich shop was in a gas station and you know what else they DIDN'T serve turkey!!!!! I found out that, that is not uncommon, thought = the dutch are just strange, so I got a ham and cheese with no butter. After the quick tour of Putten, Alan and I return to the farm, where I started to ride the little foreign ponies, Sambo and Corrado Marc (tough they are not really ponies).
Sambo (whom I have mentionin previous blog ~night befroe) was great, though Alan said he hadn't been feeling a 100% but that he was okay to ride. He was so much fun. Although I must say I was incredibly nervous with Alan standing there watching me flat (YIKES!!!!). But after learning the lay of the land from one of Alan's three barn hands, Dennis. A very tall, lanky young man, that stands heads above me!!!!! Everyone in Netherlands are mostly like this.....very tall. Then I meet Thomas, who I think they said was actually from Poland.
But back to the poines, I then rode Corrado Marc, a sweet little bay mare, and again Alan watched me, it was a little bit more nerve racking than the last time since there was some one else there looking at horses. But he finally pulled me of the rail and told me I rode like an american (in my mind I am thinking "Alan, there is a reason for that, I am American, and so are you by the way" LOL). He then further explained that american rider focus on distances, and the apperance of the rider much more than focusing on using the horse body to exercise itself. So after trying to understand how I can get the horse to use its body.
So after putting Corrado, and being ask to help Dennis and Thomas, then suddenly pulled away by Alan to come watch this guy ride some horses he brought over to show Alan. Alan then pointed out the differences between american riding and european riding. It was very obvious the difference between ours and theirs.
The guy that we were watching competed in the European Nations Cup, and he rode amazing,my jaw was quit possibly hitting the ground, the way the horse used itself was absolutely mind blowing, while the ride was not perched on top of the horse like we in America do, it was almost like he used he body to direct the horses what to do, i wish I had a video tape so that I could show you guys. Not only was watching him amazing but what the horse was just as amazing as the rider on top of the horse. The way the horse used its body was truly miraculous, every jump he jump he was way above the jump every time efforlessly!!!! It kind of hard to explain over the blog, which is why I wish I had a video!!!!
But after all the barn work was done, Alan order a bunch of pizza, and we even had dinner with the guy that was showing horses, also ther for dinnerwas Dennis, Alan's Nanya, his two adorable littel girls Charlie 4, Izzy 2, their nanny Steff who is from Australia, the mam's wife and their two children.
After dinner I was taken to Alan's house where I helped Steff with the girl and their evening bath, while Nanya got the room I was staying ready!!! So finally I was able to take my own shower and crawled into bed, I was so tired, I didn't even care that there was no TV for me to sleep with (for those that don't know I like to sleep with the TV on). But that is my first day at Alan's, get back to you soon with day 2!!!!
Sambo (whom I have mentionin previous blog ~night befroe) was great, though Alan said he hadn't been feeling a 100% but that he was okay to ride. He was so much fun. Although I must say I was incredibly nervous with Alan standing there watching me flat (YIKES!!!!). But after learning the lay of the land from one of Alan's three barn hands, Dennis. A very tall, lanky young man, that stands heads above me!!!!! Everyone in Netherlands are mostly like this.....very tall. Then I meet Thomas, who I think they said was actually from Poland.
But back to the poines, I then rode Corrado Marc, a sweet little bay mare, and again Alan watched me, it was a little bit more nerve racking than the last time since there was some one else there looking at horses. But he finally pulled me of the rail and told me I rode like an american (in my mind I am thinking "Alan, there is a reason for that, I am American, and so are you by the way" LOL). He then further explained that american rider focus on distances, and the apperance of the rider much more than focusing on using the horse body to exercise itself. So after trying to understand how I can get the horse to use its body.
So after putting Corrado, and being ask to help Dennis and Thomas, then suddenly pulled away by Alan to come watch this guy ride some horses he brought over to show Alan. Alan then pointed out the differences between american riding and european riding. It was very obvious the difference between ours and theirs.
The guy that we were watching competed in the European Nations Cup, and he rode amazing,my jaw was quit possibly hitting the ground, the way the horse used itself was absolutely mind blowing, while the ride was not perched on top of the horse like we in America do, it was almost like he used he body to direct the horses what to do, i wish I had a video tape so that I could show you guys. Not only was watching him amazing but what the horse was just as amazing as the rider on top of the horse. The way the horse used its body was truly miraculous, every jump he jump he was way above the jump every time efforlessly!!!! It kind of hard to explain over the blog, which is why I wish I had a video!!!!
But after all the barn work was done, Alan order a bunch of pizza, and we even had dinner with the guy that was showing horses, also ther for dinnerwas Dennis, Alan's Nanya, his two adorable littel girls Charlie 4, Izzy 2, their nanny Steff who is from Australia, the mam's wife and their two children.
After dinner I was taken to Alan's house where I helped Steff with the girl and their evening bath, while Nanya got the room I was staying ready!!! So finally I was able to take my own shower and crawled into bed, I was so tired, I didn't even care that there was no TV for me to sleep with (for those that don't know I like to sleep with the TV on). But that is my first day at Alan's, get back to you soon with day 2!!!!
Airport and plane ride
Sorry, I have lost track of days but here we go.....
So on the ride to the airport, I took a nap since I went to bed at 2 in the morning...... bad idea. So after dropping off my suitcases and picking up my tickets, we went to exchange my dollars for euros, which took for ever since we couldn't hear the lady from behind the bullet proof glass!!!! After finally exchanging my dollars for euros, I said far well to my parents for the summer, not knowing how in the world I was going to survive 11 weeks (77 days without them)!!!! but after clearing TSA Lines and riding the train to the E concourse, deciding I was hungry after not having lunch, I saw the food court. Seeing that McDonald's, the international fast food restaurant lines was incredibly long, I went to Arby's whose line had two people in it. After ordering and walking down to my gate and taking a seat a man sat down next to me, as I notice he was dressed as a priest, I asked him if he was one, an in fact he was he was a Catholic Priest from Zimbabwe. And no we did not talk about religion, but the fact that he loves America hamburgers and fries LOL. So finally my plane broads and I am sitting in seat 36J out of 45 rows :-/. But luckily I was the only one in my two person row out of a full plane, how in the world does that happen, oh well. At seven they served us dinner (which by the way was not the best, if you couldn't guest), that consisted of chicken and potatoes, a salad, a bread roll and a brownie as I watch Sherlock Holmes on my tv thing in front of me. So I eventually went to sleep for 3 hours and it was dark outside,only to wake up to find that it was really bright outside. Finally landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands leaving the gate and heading down to the baggage claim area all the while looking for my car driver because I was told he would be outside my gate, so heading to baggage claim I came to a line that you had to show your passport, the man at the window ask me where I was going, and I said Putten and he said "what?", again I said "Putten". and all the sudden he and his buddy start to laugh, okay now I am starting to really feel out of place apparently it is pronounced Putt-en and not Pu-tten. Okay so after finding my bags and talking with my mom and Alan because I can not find my driver, who was suppose to be outside the gate, I find out that, that its not the gate i think it is, it is the customs gate that he is at. So finally going through customs after they asking me what was in my box, my saddle was in my box. So they let me go and I come through the customs gate to find a man with a sign that says Lindsey XXXXX. Martin then helps me with my bags and helps me into the car and off Putten we go!!!
So on the ride to the airport, I took a nap since I went to bed at 2 in the morning...... bad idea. So after dropping off my suitcases and picking up my tickets, we went to exchange my dollars for euros, which took for ever since we couldn't hear the lady from behind the bullet proof glass!!!! After finally exchanging my dollars for euros, I said far well to my parents for the summer, not knowing how in the world I was going to survive 11 weeks (77 days without them)!!!! but after clearing TSA Lines and riding the train to the E concourse, deciding I was hungry after not having lunch, I saw the food court. Seeing that McDonald's, the international fast food restaurant lines was incredibly long, I went to Arby's whose line had two people in it. After ordering and walking down to my gate and taking a seat a man sat down next to me, as I notice he was dressed as a priest, I asked him if he was one, an in fact he was he was a Catholic Priest from Zimbabwe. And no we did not talk about religion, but the fact that he loves America hamburgers and fries LOL. So finally my plane broads and I am sitting in seat 36J out of 45 rows :-/. But luckily I was the only one in my two person row out of a full plane, how in the world does that happen, oh well. At seven they served us dinner (which by the way was not the best, if you couldn't guest), that consisted of chicken and potatoes, a salad, a bread roll and a brownie as I watch Sherlock Holmes on my tv thing in front of me. So I eventually went to sleep for 3 hours and it was dark outside,only to wake up to find that it was really bright outside. Finally landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands leaving the gate and heading down to the baggage claim area all the while looking for my car driver because I was told he would be outside my gate, so heading to baggage claim I came to a line that you had to show your passport, the man at the window ask me where I was going, and I said Putten and he said "what?", again I said "Putten". and all the sudden he and his buddy start to laugh, okay now I am starting to really feel out of place apparently it is pronounced Putt-en and not Pu-tten. Okay so after finding my bags and talking with my mom and Alan because I can not find my driver, who was suppose to be outside the gate, I find out that, that its not the gate i think it is, it is the customs gate that he is at. So finally going through customs after they asking me what was in my box, my saddle was in my box. So they let me go and I come through the customs gate to find a man with a sign that says Lindsey XXXXX. Martin then helps me with my bags and helps me into the car and off Putten we go!!!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Night Before
Okay night before I leave for the airport, bags are packed and ready to go!!! Stupid airport regulations on how much your bag can weigh (50 pounds per bag) can drive a person mad. I think I made packing your suitcase a sport, I actually sweated trying to make these bags under fifty pounds. I can't believe how hard it is to actually achieve this desired weight for a stupid suitcase, after much packing, unpacking and re-packing, I finally reached my goal of being packed to go to the airport to start my adventure in the Netherlands.
My goal for this blog is to compare how we in America in the horse world function to how they function in Europe (mostly in the Netherlands), but also to add a personal touch to the blog by telling my experiences their with the people and how they function on a daily biases. While at the moment I am not quit sure where I will be living either in a Bed and Breakfast and later staying in a flat or an apartment the whole time but I do know for the first night or so I will be staying with Allan, the guy that has been so kind to let me come over to his farm and ride his horses and to show them!!!
But here is what I do know about my adventure coming up, the horse that I am leasing is named Sambo, he is a horse that Allan sold a couple of years ago as a Grand Prix horse, after being injured, he returned to Allan's amazing farm in Putten, Netherlands. After asking permission from USEF to show in the Netherlands and the Okay from the Dutch Federation, I am allowed to show in Holland but can only do a 1.30 meter classes, but still higher than anything I have done in the states! I do know that at some point there will be a boy from the west coast named Andrew joining me at Allan's farm, I have not meet Andrew or ever talked to him, so this should be interesting!!!!!!
So that is all for now, hope that people read this and will want to continue to read my blog!!!! Thanks Pookie <3
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