What's it like to drive at a World Championship? Part 2: A cranky dragon on the autobahn. The moment it sinks in that all 85 drivers are in your division. Then big gets even bigger, Bavarian style. Don't miss the joy!
These days, Loretta and I are training in a dressage field on the edge of Steensel, Netherlands. A few lessons here handed me a humbling reminder: I didn't need to know more—I needed to use what I already knew, and drive it proactively.
Our first European CDE turned out to be equal parts horse show and wine country getaway. We had a dragon-wrapped rental truck, a rented cones carriage, and just enough mud to work on our drifting skills.
It's official — US Equestrian has announced that we will be on the Defender U.S. Driving Team for the 2026 FEI Driving World Championship for Single Horses in Munich, Germany.
The full Go Retta Roo team is back together in the Netherlands, and Loretta is keener than ever. Between fine-tuning with Kelly, a few equipment adventures and the odd bit of paperwork, this was our week to get ready for our first CDE in the EU.
We made it to the Netherlands! The trip was a logistics gauntlet, but Loretta is as keen as ever. Here's why we're prepping for Munich from about 600 km to the west.
