|
American Bashkir Curly Registry
39th Convention
6th-9th August, 2009
Dear Convention Attendees-
The 2009 American Bashkir Curly Convention was a smashing success. Adjectives barely describe the euphoric experience of the first world curly congress. People came from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Canada and the United States of America to advocate for the betterment of the curly horse at the equestrian facility of the Reimann’s in Wessel.
Our gracious hosts, Familie Riemann, Reinhart, Konstanze, Isabeau and Chistabel, treated us like royalty and provided a fantastic agenda of renown guest speakers, equine celebrities, historic sights and their large stable of curly horses. Their Ranch, Riverside Curlies, hosts many horses in various disciplines. One of their mares, Jokers Bit of Copper Dust is making quite a name in reining circles.
This convention had so many wonderful things to do it is hard to remember them all. Germany is very rich in culture and history. Thomas Goers gave an insightful demonstration using the double lunge system in the round pen. It was very applicable to the training and gentling of young horses. We visited the stable of Olympic champion Isabell Werth. She took time from her busy schedule to greet us and introduce her staff and the horses. The tour of the grounds was amazing. I learned a lot about stable management. This world class equestrian facility is home to some of the best dressage horses in the world. We were granted access to the horses and overwhelmed with tons of helpful information. Dr. Frank Jugert , PhD University of Aachen, who did an intensive study on equine curly hair and its hypo-allergenic properties gave a comprehensive lecture on his findings. His summary confirmed scientifically what ABC curly breeders already know. He said you should not cross breed curly horses and that you should register your curly horses only with the ABC. Amazing.
Riverside Curly Horse Ranch has over 50 curly horses and we were shown many riding demonstrations by various horses and their riders. All of the mature horses are well trained and ridden daily by the staff.
The visit to the Cathedral in Koln was very memorable. One could spend days in there and not see all the historic relics and priceless art work. Everywhere you look are carvings and mosaics and painting and stained glass from hundreds of years ago. It is one of the most beautiful churches in the world. We visited a traditional beer hall across the square from the cathedral for a traditional German lunch with the requisite beverages. If that was not enough the same day we visited the archaeological park in Xanten where there are ruins from a two thousand year old Roman village that are being excavated and studied. There is a brand new modern glass and steel museum nearby that houses many of the relics and interprets early civilization on the Rhine Valley. We had dinner in the Gothic House in Xanten, a rare original gothic building circ 1540 in the town square that houses an elite dining facility. We saw a parade for a traditional Schutzenfest.
We were fully emersed in the wonderful culture of northern Germany and I will cherish for ever the time spent on the Rhine and will never forget my visit, all the wonderful things I saw or the people I met. The ABC and the Curly horse are most fortunate to have leaders like the Reimann’s who have promoted the curly horse at such a high standard. I count myself lucky to represent an organization with so many excellent members.
The hospitality of the Reimann’s is second to none. But even more fun was the camaraderie of the curly horse breeders, riders and members. Once again we all got together and shared a lot of humorous anecdotes and good times. We made some more memories and friendships that will last. In between we got a lot of business done too. We heard from a lot of people with good ideas and experiences that will help us market and further spread the genetics of the curly horse.
| 
