No matter how many times I move across the Atlantic, I just can’t seem to learn not to do the whole “wait until there are 24 hours to go before attempting to pack two months of life into two bags” thing.
Thankfully, I made the flight to Germany (with all necessary luggage in tow!) and will spend the next two months at the Hannoveraner Verband in Verden, Germany.
Selected as one of four Hannoveraner Rider-Exchange Program participants, I will not only be riding for the Verband, but will also have the opportunity to learn about everything from the selection for the Hanoverian Elite Auction to how the Stallion Licensing process works. In the coming series of blogs, I will focus on relaying the knowledge and experiences I acquire during my time here.
As for a bit of background regarding how and why Verden was the ideal opportunity:
To date, my riding career has been based primarily in the United States, riding and developing young horses as hunters, jumpers and equitation horses for Rivers Edge—Scott Stewart and Ken Berkley.
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While I spent the majority of the last decade working for Rivers Edge, I also went to live and ride in Holland, an experience that led me to recognize and capture an opportunity to identify hunter prospects in Europe to sell back to clients in the United States. In my younger years, I grew up riding ponies at Brownland Farm, and galloped racehorses for Vintage Farm—Michael Matz.
The aforementioned experiences have provided me with invaluable opportunities to learn from some of the top horsemen and women in the industry, as well as the chance to learn from an incredible number of talented horses—each of whom were different, all of whom taught me how to ride.
As I embark on this new adventure, I have no doubt that my experience at the Verband will greatly contribute to my knowledge and experience base, and I look forward to sharing what I learn in my upcoming blogs!
Jessica Nemzoff also blogged for the Chronicle in 2010, when she traveled to the Netherlands to work for a sales barn for three months. You can read those blogs here.
