After a perfect flight in business class to Amsterdam (thanks to frequent flyer miles), we made the trip to Belgium where we are settling in with Astrid Appels and Raf Derksen on their beautiful farm near Hasselt. Beginning Wednesday we will be making the daily drive through three countries in 45 minutes, from Belgium, Netherlands and then Germany to CHIO Aachen. Wednesday is the Prix St George and CDI Grand Prix. Thursday the United States will have a Team for dressage Nation’s Cup Team consisting of Jan Ebeling and Anne Romney’s Rafalca, Todd Flettrich and Margaret Duprey’s Otto, Steffen peters and Akiko Yamazaki’s Ravel, and Guenter Seidel with Dick and Jane Brown’s UII. Only Peters will be competing in the small tour, the Prix St George with Jen Hlavacek’s Weltino’s Magic. Seidel’s small tour mount Sunday boy sustained a slight injury, which kept the pair out of the running. USEF Dressage technical advisor has been on tour with the Americans in Europe and is cautiously optimistic about the upcoming event. “As of today all four horses are in gear, but it is day to day in this game – as you well know. The London test event for the Olympics was fascinating. We found some nice options for our team to live before moving to the venue next year.”