Flo-rida life

As promised I am going to get a load of posts organised. I will try to keep them short and sweet and readable ;)

Well now! Lads, if you are complete dressage and show-jumping fanatics you NEED to visit Wellington, FL. over the winter season. Not only will the brilliant weather tickle your fancy but also the huge concentration of horses, top riders and competition will too.

Every saturday night there is Grand Prix show-jumping held in the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Every weekend there are CDIs in numerous locations, in particular the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center. Here the Palm Beach leg of the Exquis World Dressage Masters was held in conjunction with two other competitions including a CPEDI. (this will be a separate post as lads...that weekend was the highlight of my 2011/2012 Florida season)

Wellington is also HUGE for polo playing, polo loving and polo poshness. Every where you drive in Wellington you see polo fields, polo clubs and polo ponies. I also have a quick video of polo ponies getting fit in our neighbouring field in the 6am fog. Beautiful. Needless to say, money and status makes Wellington. I must figure out how to upload it... :/

But all this delightment comes with a price.

In the center where the show-jumping is held each weekend, there is a Hermes shop. A pure white leather saddle was being advertised for sale on a maniquin horse. It was worth $30,000. Horses are worth their weight in gold here.

                                            A really bad picture of the show-jumping arena at PBIEC

My Petrie Anky boots cost me about 600e in Ireland (which for me was crazy dosh at the time but figured that I need to look the part), with currency conversion they are approx. $800. The same boots sell here through a normal seller for over $1200. I don't regret getting the boots now as I am in LOVE with them and are gorgeous to ride in (AND I didn't have to pay $1200 for them!) 

It can cost over $300 dollars to shoe your horse. Thats up to every four weeks as the heat in FL makes the hoof grow at an excellerated rate.

Bags of good hard feed (or grain as the 'mericans say) can cost over $25 PER BAG!! Imagine having to pay these prices at home?! I for sure would not be in this game.

But hey, horses are a pure luxury here and are treated like kings. So each to their own I say. I just got to make sure that all clients horses are kept well and happy and safe and sound. After all they cost a fortune.

After a rush to get on a plane to the US, get a vehicle, get a bank account and get down to Florida to see all this ,was mind blowing. But for only a short time, I soon learned to embrace it and get myself acting and looking like I belonged there ;)