Watching the best of the best compete, in any sport, is an education. Whether it is World Cup soccer, tennis at Wimbledon, Olympic swimming or 3-day eventing at Badminton, the sklls, technique and determination are worthy of observation and study.
It is not often that an upper level competition takes place down the road, even in Middleburg, where we have many top 3-day event and show-jumping riders based here.  This weekend, at Great Meadow, in The Plains, VA, the short list of US and Canadian riders selected to compete at the World Equestrian Games, in Normandy, France this September, will compete. I have my $50 parking pass, and my friends and I are going to go soak it all in and cheer them on!
There will be fit Thoroughbreds being finessed through difficult dressage tests, talented riders making the multiple element water complex look easy, and show jumping rounds under the lights on Saturday evening in the polo arena. I know I will learn something from watching these riders, I just don't know what it will be yet!
I am so thrilled that it is only 20 minutes away!

This spring and summer have been great for hacking in my neighborhood, just south of Middleburg, because, Spring lasted forever, so summer started late! We have had plenty of rain to keep things green, and although the ground is getting a bit hard, and the bugs can be brutal for Thoroughbreds, especially, we only get a couple super hot days per week. 
My friends have trailered in to ride out with me and my clients in small groups, weekly. The rides have been really good for foxhunters in training and green horses to settle in a small group(5-8), going slow. I have found that many small to medium-sized slow group rides, really takes the stress out of hacking for inexperienced horses AND riders. Then, when the opportunity for a hunt-sponsored ride comes up, hacking at the trot and getting left behind in a group of 40 is not such a big deal.