Saturday, August 15, 2015

From a Rider's Point of View: Speaking with Mikala Gundersen

After the Grand Prix team competition, we met up with Mikala Gundersen to hear about her experience competing in Aachen and the program she uses to prepare her mount, My Lady, for a show of this caliber.

The International Dream Program Participants and Mikala

To prepare for Aachen, she explained her focus on having My Lady in good condition. The last week before the show she uses to ensure the mare is happy, easy going, and ready mentally and feeling fresh physically by training lighter.

"We have a lot of miles behind us now," Mikala told us about her and Lady. "Every step we must balance, but she just keeps getting better!"

Although she had a few unfortunate mistakes, she simply joked about them and was truly proud of her mare. She even jokingly told us how a judge laughed at how Lady likes to throw in her own touch, such as resting her hind leg in a perfectly square halt in the Grand Prix.

"Vegas was our best show yet," but Mikala explained the showing in Aachen is unlike anywhere else in the world because the audience is so involved. As a spectator at the event, I can only imagine was it is like to have thousands of educated eyes watching!


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