The CHIO Aachen happened in the dressage world, that's right. People always said to me that Aachen is the greatest show in the world, and even though I have been there as a visitor before and saw the world's best horses compete, I never actually realised what it really meant: "Aachen, the best horse show in the world".
OK, everybody knows that the Germans and other nations show their best horses over there, but being the best show is something more than that. Aachen functions on different layers and top competition is the surface layer. The others are perfect organisation, perfect treatment of journalists, photographers and visitors despite some strict rules about where one can and can't go, and, furthermore, the priority of the horse's health and safety. If the footing isn't the best for the horses, the organizers, the Aachen Rennverein, will fix it. If the riders aren't happy, some individual will make sure they are. The only thing that can attempt to spoil Aachen is the weather. It tried to do it, but no natural power is stronger than the halo surrounding the show. A competition carried by the 100,000 spectators coming over daily for the event. The clapping, the cheering, the sweating horses, the riders' adrenaline and the overall happiness, even if you don't make a clear course for instance.
Aachen is a great experience and being out there in the middle of the show jumping course, standing next to the best photographers in the world surrounded by at least 60,000 people, is simply thrilling. Aachen was great and I'm still floothing on (rain) Cloud Nine as it didn't stopped raining throughout the show. The only persons with a grumpy mood though were those same photographers. Producing good photos in grayish weather is hard and magazines need photos right away which gives them stress, with the consequence that they take the show and its splendour for granted and stand there like burnt out souls, returned as the living dead. Pithy, but as a young soul I can still enjoy the beauty of it, for as long as I won't get corrupted by the need to make money, by 'the Horror, the horror'.