So the first day of dressage is over. The singles division is finished, and about a third of the pairs have gone. The rest of the pairs and all of the four-in-hand teams will perform their dressage tests today.
At the moment, Suzy Stafford (48.51) sits in fourth place after a lovely dressage test. In first place is Franz-Josef Lehmkuhl of Germany (44.80), in second place: Peter Koux of Denmark (46.46), and in third place: Johan Verswalm of Belgium (46.98). Sara Schmitt (55.42) is in twelfth place after dressage, and Sherri Dolan (58.50) is in eighteenth place.
Suzy Stafford during her lovely dressage test; she looked very pleased with it at the end
Sara Schmitt executing a one-handed circle during her dressage test
Now that we’re part way through the pairs division, Tracey Morgan currently stands in third place with a score of 53.50 penalty points.
Tracey Morgan and her and Susan Deutermann’s Dartmoor ponies
In the evening, we were all treated to a lovely stallion show presented by the North-Rhine Westphalian state stud farm at Warendorf, which is only about 25 km east of Münster. After the show (endangered cold-blooded breeds, demonstrations of high-school movements, a variety of quadrilles, and a “rodeo clown”-type comedian who was also a very good bareback rider) were the opening ceremony and parade of nations. So the competition is officially on!
one of the cold-blooded (draft) stallions in the opening ceremony show
… and another stallion presentation, with one being ridden and two driven
several of the U.S. team members in the opening ceremony’s parade of nations — each team entered the arena in one, two, or several carriages
The Slower Road 
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