a day, a classroom time, game time, set meal times (very early breakfast), chores to be done, etc. They would be assigned a horse and expected to take complete care of it from cleaning the stalls to feed to grooming. There would be inspections and unexpected calls to the barn at any hour. It was amazing to watch this riding master set the stage right off the bat that there were strict rules and expectations that would be adhered to, welcome to the German style of life!! Then they were walked to the stables and given their horse
before being turned lose for the rest of the day to explore, nothing was off limits except the main residence. Like a wild group of young horses that had been caged for too many hours they took off, all running together at mock speed to find out what the place was. They were surprised to find it so rustic but beautifully efficient and well cared for in every cor- ner. They found the lake out back, climbed the giant hay stack, the game room, the wheat fields to run in, the forest, the big open Grand Prix field that is actually Hans Jurgen’s front yard, massive as it is. We dropped in every couple of days to just check on them and became good friends with the family. (Later Linda Naeva
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would come to ride and stay with us for a few weeks in Orange County, California.) Each time we arrived to visit we would be greeted with the utmost of enthusiasm from the kids and gracious gratitude from the family that had been entrusted with our young people. We joined everyone for some of the most amazing German food cooked by a fabulously fun staff, watched very structured but grueling lessons, and followed the kids around to see what they were doing. The experience was life changing for some of them. They
got to firsthand experience the German lifestyle, their way of living, the strict approach to lessons, the dozens of mares and foals the farm produces each year, the expectations of promptness-respect-horse care and sharing four to six in a room they were not used to (and getting along too!). But probably what they will remember the most is the
new family of friends they made there. A lot of the other riders did not speak English, and ours certainly did not speak German so it was an exercise in new communication skills. They will remember galloping big horses and ponies through the woods bareback, racing them into the lake on the property, sleeping with them at night, watching kids as
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