We have all heard that it takes a village to get an athlete, any athlete, in any sport, into the competition arena. Well it applies even to me, an older amateur dressage rider! Here are some fun photos of my “village”.Thank you Lisa Landis for snapping these. In this first photo the caption could be “Oh No! I lost my contact lens!” But it is Coach Lou Denizard about to reach for Biasini’s boot to remove it before I go in the ring. I am reaching down to take a small bottle of water from my husband David.
But at the end of it all here is the result. This photo, was taken last weekend by Joanna Jodko, the official photographer at White Fences shows. Jackets were excused due to the heat. Here is my “village”; on the right in the background is my coach, Lou Denizard, in a white T-Shirt, in pink next to him Nancy Kleiner friend and my groom for the day, and Kara Riley-King friend and supporter. On the left in the photo, in the hat with my phone in front of his face, taking video of my ride, my husband David.
I could not do it without them. Thank you all!
HorseAddict 
I’m the support team, from gopher to horse technician. The horse tech job is easy … I visually make sure nothing is loose. My daughters handle their own saddle and tack. 🙂
About the buttons, I think it’s meant to aggravate girls only, lol.
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Well David, i would challenge you to deal with the buttons on a tailcoat: the internal buttons, the points buttons and then the exterior buttons. It is a task! thanks for your comment however!
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What an awesome photo of you and Biasini!
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Thank you Amy. Horse show photographers have to stand around for hours in the heat or the cold to take photos of all the riders who have requested photos. But I really appreciate their work as it is wonderful to have these memories.
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It’s a labor of love…
Horses are intelligent creature.
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You two look majestic together Anne! Lucky you to have such a marvelous team!
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That’s just wonderful.❤️
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Thank you for reading and leaving a nice comment Laleh!
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My pleasure.<3
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BEAUTIFUL photos! And how lucky to get that great photo with your village in the background! It truly takes many helpers, (grooms) supporters, coaches and/or trainer’s to get to the show ring. ❤️ You and Biasini look awesome! 💙❤️🧡💚
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Thank you Diana! It is a wonderful photo!
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Love the last picture, Ann! Both you and Biasini and particularly like seeing your husband backing you up, supporting you and then snapping away to catch it all!!! Love it!
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He is a tireless supporter. Horse show days can be long and he and our little dog take the occasional nap in the car and come back refreshed! Thank you for reading and commenting.
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I think he, and Biasini, are both keepers!!
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I could not agree more!
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Thank you for telling about your supporters, nothing in life is possible without them. Beautiful pictures love those clouds.
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Thank you for commenting Subbashini
We were lucky that the clouds did not produce the thunderstorms that had been forecast.😀
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So great to have all this support and help. Who knew that horses wore boots – to keep his hooves clean?
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The boots are to protect his lower legs in case he brushes one leg against the other when doing the lateral movements. The boots in front boots on his hooves are in case he overreaches and catches the shoe with one of his back feet and pulls the shoe off. No boots are permitted for wearing during competition in dressage. They are allowed for the jumpers and in the jumping and cross country phases of eventing. Thanks for another good question Emma!
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Oh, that was sso much more complicated than I imagined!
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It’s not as bad as it sounds. The boots all have velcro fastenings so they are easy to take off at the end of the warm up.
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Beautiful and immaculate pair! Cute photos of your village 🙂
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Thank you! The photo with everyone in the background was a bit of luck
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And the people who watch, especially the younger ones, learn they can’t do it on their own, there’s people who can help in so many ways, there’s community in all things.
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Very true. Thank you for this comment
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Very true
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You have a fantastic village, Anne!
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Thanks Sandy!
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That is great! When I run long races I love to see my family along the course handing me my food replenishments – it makes me feel so good. They are so supportive – just like your village is there for you! Awesome!
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That is great that you have supporters on your runs. It really makes a difference I think. Thanks for commenting Robyn.
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