There is a good training field just up the hill from the barn with a grass arena, dirt arena, a permanent hazard and several portable elements. There is plenty of room for cones, too.
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| Michael and Fred's Training Field |
When we got back from Minden, I gave Cooper a few days off, then it was time for some hazard practice. I asked Michael that morning if he would like me to learn some hazards (there are some marked at the training field) and he smiled and told me no, that I would follow him. Not sure what that meant but I soon found out!
When we were ready to begin, he ran through the hazards, making all sorts of turns and had me chase him! It actually worked really well as it made me (and Cooper) think quick, focus ahead, and it was fun! We did that a number of times with different twists and turns in both the portable and permanent hazards, then he gave me a pattern to drive, turning right, then left, then right and so on. I got braver about getting closer to the elements (sometimes too close but these were the portable elements, fortunately forgiving). We got a good workout and we got to work on our timing.
Since the footing at the Championship for dressage and cones will be on sand, Michael made arrangements for us to ship to a local place with sand to practice cones. It was a big production to get all the ponies and equipment loaded and moved, as well as the cones.
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| Getting everything there |
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| Michael puts Laurie's ponies through their paces for a double clear |
Michael was not happy with the footing as he thought it was too deep. He has found another practice field to use and we will drive the ponies over on Thursday for more cones practice.
Between lessons we have been driving out in the forest nearby, and I have also been riding Cooper.
After working Cooper each day, we have been trying to do some local sightseeing. Fran has done a wonderful job finding interesting places to see. One day we went to a nearby city called Mainz and Fran somehow found the town square and there was a wonderful outdoor farmer's market surrounding a beautiful cathedral. There were many lovely buildings in the square. 
The next day we went to see a castle, Burg Eltz, which has been in the same family for thirty three generations. It was located in a picturesque valley near the Mosel River. We took a tour through many rooms of the castle. The original tapestries, furniture and artwork is still there and very impressive.
That area is famous for wine making and it was amazing to see how the grapevines were growing on nearly vertical slopes. How they care for the vines and harvest the grapes I do not know as it looks impossible to stand up on those hills.
Monday after I worked Cooper, we went to nearby Bad Holmburg. Fran used his festival radar and we came across a Lantern Festival, which spanned about a mile of city streets blocked off from traffic. There was every conceivable type of food available and we had a great lunch sampling German fare.
This is a very small park next to Michael's training field with this unusual sculpture.
We are very curious about what this sign says, can one of our German reading friends enlighten us?
2 comments:
Shelly, here's the best my students, faculty, and I could figure on the translation:
Strange Pyramid
It creates at this place in the south Frankfurt and in the east of Dreieich Sprendlingen, a landmark. This highest collection is graphically stressed by flattening approaching generally on the point. The way divides the Bauswek into ??, same parts and marks the view axle on Frankfurt fair tower. The Konstrucktion consists of 456 ?? round timber bars, which ?? themselves for the Bertrachter with increasing ?? a compact body: Turned around this body draws itself, the more one approaches, into individual upwards elements. .
Now my students are getting into this and arguing over the translation. Here's the best one w/ the greatest minds of VCU Radiation Sciences bickering:
Strand Pyramid:
it creates this high-altitude location in south east frankfurt in un-calibrated three Sprendlingen a landmark. As a basic form of the pyramid was chosen: by the sides tapering to the tip is flat this highest stresses pictorial? surveys. shares off the ?? in two equal parts, the ?? marked on the frankfurter Munster. The construction consists of approximately 456 wooden rods glued to the compact for the viewer with increasing distance to ?? body. This substance dissolves, the more you approch, into individual elements. j to the viewing angle of the beholder changes the appearance. the cord-pyramid plays with combinations of ideas as "geometric forest 'and aerial forest and art in the country and by way of artificial...........
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