NEWS FROM ATHENS

[Ivia International Sporthorses]

Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2004
5:00 am
Athens, Greece

It's just before dawn on the third day of the Olympics. The first day of show jumping and of dressage went well; it's sure been an exciting event! The stakes are high and the pressure can really be felt around here, but the horses are gorgeous and so is the weather, for the most part. There have been some truly amazing performances. Delphin, a stallion I have a hard time NOT rooting for, put in a pretty impressive performance on Day 1 show jumping. Of course, I'm a bit biased; he's scheduled to service our young broodmare, Diajanta.

Anyhow, Kumonda and World Artiste seem to have settled in well to their temporary stalls. I've only been working them lightly. It's Duke that I'm worried about - Rendezvous has been pretty listless the first couple days since arriving, and was off his feed until yesterday afternoon. He's always been sensitive to tension in the air, though, and it doesn't normally affect his performance. Hopefully this time will be no different!

I'm beginning to feel the pressure myself. We don't compete until Thursday, but already I can feel the butterflies mounting. This is definitely the biggest, most important show I've ever had the pleasure of attending...and competing in! I've scoped out some of the competition, and although I'm familiar with them by now, it's still difficult to find any flaw in any of them. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are promising to be very tough competition! I'm relying on Warner, Mona, & Duke to help carry me through any nervousness I may feel beforehand. While I may doubt myself at times, I have full confidence in those three. They are at the height of fitness, training, and experience; they've worked hard to get here, and they truly deserve it.

Well, I best get out to the stable to tend to our 3 wonder-horses.

Best regards,
~Alyssa~

[Ivia International Sporthorses]

Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2004
5:15 am
Athens, Greece

I sure am glad I booked a breeding last minute to Delphin! I should have booked two or three instead! He brought home yesterday's Show Jumping gold medal. Diajanta's baby ought to be one heck of an athlete with a sire like that! He really stuck to it and put in a nearly flawless performance, while others faltered under the pressure. I'm so impressed!

Just one more day until we compete! Warner and Mona are still completely content in their new surroundings, and Duke has seemingly settled down to normal routine...but his earlier uneasiment makes me worry whether he'll have the stamina to tough it out. We've got a long 3 days ahead of us beginning tomorrow...

Best regards,
~Alyssa~

[Ivia International Sporthorses]

Thursday, Sept. 9, 2004
11:55 pm

My, what an exhausting day!

We competed in the first phase today- dressage. The day broke clear but windy...and it only seemed to increase as we waited our turns to enter the arena.

First up I rode Mona, and we were the first to enter the arena. I was a bunch of nerves though I tried my best not to show it. Apparently I wasn't so good at hiding it as Masfar helped to ease my tension a little with a few uplifting words - she was there to give last minute instructions to her rider William Fife, who was up behind me on From Dusk Til Dawn, a beautifully colored roan Irish Sporthorse. It certainly helped (plus Mona was quite her obedient and level-headed self), as we scored with relatively few faults, 44.4 to be exact. I was so relieved, and Mona seemed to know she'd done well as she jigged the last couple steps out of the arena in unusual high spirits and held her head extra high as we headed towards our awaiting grooms.

I then traded Mona's reins for those of Warner. I made a few last-minute checks, then headed to the warm-up arena to get ready. We were able to hear the scores of the 3 preceding performances over the intercom, and I knew it would be a tough competition. But Mona and I had fared well, and we'd spent so much time preparing for this moment that I wasn't worried any longer. Warner, however, had a different opinion. He seemed to sense that something was different about that day even before we stepped into the arena and viewed the thousands of spectators. His distaste for the heavy atmosphere, the strong wind, and loud response after Daisy's ride on Red River Casino Royale certainly showed in his performance. He was notably tense throughout the better part of the test, with ears flicking back and forth and his mind only half on the performance. He broke into a jog for a step or two during the free walk and even attempted to rear on the rein-back, a feat I've never seen him do before. We finished with 61 faults for the day, putting us in last place. I can only hope he does better in the next couple days, as dressage has always been his poorest phase. He's never truly liked the crowds as they put him on edge, but that excess energy can be channeled more easily in the high-speed cross country and stadium jumping phases. *sigh* Warner will certainly have to work on his dressage. I've made a mental note to take him to any and all of the larger shows I can, even just to have him around the large crowds as much as possible before the 2008 Olympics.

After Warner I had a tremendous wait until Duke and I would compete - we were the last to enter the ring. However, the wait did us good- we had a chance for both of us to gather ourselves and to focus on the ride ahead of us. That's what I love about Duke - I've been training him since he was a 2 y/o, so we have quite the connection. Anyhow, he behaved like an angel and we were quite in tune- he didn't fuss or show high spirits as he is sometimes prone as well, and he and I scored better than with Mona with only 44.0 faults.

However, 44 faults was not enough to place Duke any higher than 6th, placing Mona 7th and Warner last in 13th place.

Still, tomorrow is another day, and we're only 1/3 of the way through the competition. I best get to bed so that I can do my best to help our competitors rise to the top!

With hope and determination,
~Alyssa~

[Ivia International Sporthorses]

Friday, Sept. 10, 2004
10:30 pm

Today was yet another long and tiring day!

We're now officially two-thirds of the way through the Olympic event, and although we're not placed as high as I'd like, we've done our best thus far and I've decided that no matter what comes of tomorrow, I'll be satisfied with our performance. After all, not everyone has the opportunity to perform at such a momentous event!

Today's rounds were ridden in the same order as yesterday. I was first up on Mona (once again!), but we began this day with a newfound determination. I'd gone over the course a gazillion times in my head, plotting all potential trouble zones and times when we'd need to be incredibly prepared. Our persistance paid off, and we finished with 0 faults and only .8 time faults. I was so proud! In the end, our score bumped Mona up to 6th place overall.

Warner didn't fare quite as well. His high anxiety had worn him down a bit more by the end of the ride, and though we finished with 0 faults, we lagged behind with 2.8 time faults. Still, this was better than many others, and he placed 11th overall by the end, which was an improvement on yesterday's placings.

However, it was Duke again who impressed me most, whether because we're so in tune after 9 years of training together, because I had 2 rounds worth of experience on the course prior to our ride, or simply because Duke is such an incredible, versatile athlete. He stayed strong and attentive throughout the entire course, and we finished with 0 faults and 0 time faults, bumping us up to 4th place overall by the end of the day. If we do well enough tomorrow (although I hate to jinx us), we might even have a shot at medaling!

After today's tough run, I've been quite the mother hen fussing about Mona, Duke, & Warner. I've been constantly checking their legs for any heat or swelling, watching them for any uneasy movements, checking and triple-checking to make sure they have plenty of clean water, and made certain to include electrolytes to help replenish lost energy from today's strain. The grooms had to practically order me to leave tonight, and it was only after they reminded me that my own rest was just as important and at the realization of just how tired I was and just how comfortable my bed would be that I agreed to return to my hotel room.

And now it's time to take advantage of my comfortable bed...
Goodnight,
~Alyssa~

[Ivia International Sporthorses]

Sunday, Sept. 12, 2004
2:20 am

The Equestrian portion of the Olympics is officially over. We head back to ICF tomorrow...or today, rather...in the afternoon.

It seems as though this whole time here in Athens has been a dream, especially today. There has been so much to do, so much excitement, such beautiful scenery and talented competitors... Plus we got to get in to view the non-equestrian events and meet some of our heroes and every-day Americans. It's been so incredible.

And now it's over.

Oh, but I shouldn't keep you waiting, I'm sure you're wondering how we fared.

Rendezvous did his best, but the tough work yesterday and the high excitement today was too much for a perfect score, and as Sacha reported over the loudspeakers, "a tall plank fence came at the end of a line of combinations and related distances, and Duke was just getting a little long and flat, and the planks fell. The 4 penalities put them below Valour." Still, we finished with an impressive 5th place, just 2 places shy of a medal. And to think he was the one I was most worried about a few days before the competition began!

Both Kumonda & World Artiste held their positions with solid rounds, with Mona taking 6th place and Warner holding 11th place. I was really quite proud of their performances, as both are a relatively new team to me. To do so well at the Olympic event, the greatest of the great competitions, is astounding. They've really outdone theirselves, and I'm going to make certain they get the rest and relaxation they need after such a tough campaign and tough competition to conclude it.

After assuring their health and comfort again many times over, I again left them in the grooms care to celebrate our final night in Athens and the end of such a wondrous event. We had a celebratory banquet with the other eventing competitors as well as the dressage and show jumping teams, followed by a long night of fun and friends. There was quite a bit of merry-making as we were out far too late for our weary bodies. It was hard to say goodnight, but we knew we must. I slipped in to check on Warner, Duke, & Mona on my way home, though, and seeing them so peacefully sleeping made me long for sleep myself.

However, I just couldn't wait to let you know the results. I'll see you tomorrow evening when we return!

Until then,
a very exhausted
~Alyssa~