Dear Rita,

I don’t think anyone can argue with this universal truth: The basics are everything in dressage. In fact in life in general, learning the basics is what everyone must do in order to achieve any performance goal we set for ourselves. Last week, I had to learn the basics of accounting in order to prepare my tax return. It was painful, and I am not yet good at it.

Dear Rita,

New Jersey’s heat wave has finally broken, and we are blessed with breezy days in the mid 70s. While the horses find their energy again and my riders feel like they can breathe and think, our daily work continues at our base, the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation headquarters in Gladstone. Winyamaro and I won a Grand Prix last week. Hotmail (extraordinaire!) continues his onward storm toward his Grand Prix debut with me in August. All is good in New Joisie.

Dear Rita,

Have you been wondering where I’ve been? Much time has passed since I last wrote. Where were we, Rita?

Florida, February, back injury, out of competition for the entire CDI season. What a bummer! I had just gotten Hotmail ready to go Grand Prix, Winyamaro was back in action, and I’d hoped I could qualify both of my horses during the winter shows for a short tour in Germany this summer.

Dear Rita,

Now that I’ve moved to Florida after living in Germany for 20 years, everyone wants to know what I find different here. Fair question! It’s taken me a few months to articulate this, but put your tongue in your cheek. Here we go!

You know you are in Florida when…

The orange juice tastes better than the water.

You stop checking for bicycles at street crossings.

You start checking for polo ponies at street crossings.

Dear Rita,

In a blog last fall I touched briefly on the fact that we need to provide better management for the horses we expect to compete in top sport. I would like to delve into some things I have learned about nutrition in recent years.