2005 Dressage at Devon

A European's Impressions from Devon

Thomas Bach Jensen is a European equestrian journalist working for the Danish magazine Ridehesten and freelancing for www.eurodressage.com. Jensen made his first trip to the U.S.A. as a guest of Danish former Olympian Bent Jensen, who presented his new Danish warmblood stallion Cassidy (by Blue Hors Cavan) for inspection to the ISR/Oldenburg judges (and got accepted for life time). Here are a few of Bach Jensen’s impressions from Devon.

"I was amazed when I first arrived at Devon. This is nothing like the big CDI’s I know from Europe. Actually, this is my first visit to the US ever and I can hardly believe how different everything is. A horse trailer over here is just as oversized as everything else and the ribbons have opposite colors compared to ours, so you first think the winner came second and get all confused about the rest of the placings.

In Europe you get used to people not always being very friendly. At horse shows there is a strict ticket control and you always get told off by the officials for whatever reason; just as well as you have to pay to use the rest rooms. As a matter of fact you pay for everything. No such thing as coffee, drinks or food offered by sponsors. Over here the hospitality that people are showing is overwhelming.

I have been so flattered by the fact that the people I have been introduced to during the week all seem to remember my first name. No matter how important and famous they are, and they probably meet tons of new people everyday, they still make the effort to greet you by your first name the next morning. I’m impressed.

The first thing that struck me at Devon was the variety of horses entered in dressage tests. Any color, size or breed will go and that gives a rather colorful picture in the warm up ring that we don’t often see in Europe, at least at CDI shows!

I cannot help noticing how the tack stores offer a range of things that we don’t really have; women wear horsy items all over. Jewelry with stirrups, whips, horse shoes, and hand bags and jackets with horse prints and sweaters with horses knit in them. Riders tend to wear t-shirts and caps from all the shows they have attended.

Devon is a colorful, friendly horse show and attending it is an amazing experience."

By Thomas Bach Jensen

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