I absolutely adore Johan and Penny Rockx!! I met them through a friend here in The Netherlands and they are not only world class dressage riders and trainers but they are world class humans that are just so positive and too much fun to be around. They invited me down for a dinner in Essen and I had the great chance to again visit with the Hulsebos’ (yes, of Hulsebos Saddlery) and a wonderful “S” judge from Texas and her partner. The evening was a true delight. The conversation was ever flowing and inventive and I really enjoyed the uniqueness of getting to chat with two other native Texan girls in Belgium! What joy! Outside the restaurant there’s a wagon museum and we were able to walk through and see a few of the wagons used for daily work in Essen. Here’s a few pictures:

Johan and Sue check out a cover placed in what appeared to be a storage moving type wagon.


I thought this was just a beautiful antique wagon wheel.


This was on the side of a fire wagon which simply states it was in service in Essen until 1939!


This was a really long wagon we were assuming was made to maybe transport logs? The one behind it is even more interesting and so long I couldn’t get all of it in the picture.


Here Sue is inspecting a very kewl looking plow we’re guessing was used to turn over fields after harvest.

I went to see Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” (a very nice show and I was sooooo happy to see how positively they depicted him!) and stopped by the potty on the way past the ticket counter. I don’t know what it says but it’s just too cute the image of the mobile phone and the toilet and I must say I know several people who have experience this issue! Quite a cute reminder that you should not try to use the potty when you mobile phone is in your back pocket! LOL!

Picollo’s not a huge athlete but it’s quite fun to watch his, oh so cute, bouncing run as he gets exercise around a tiny apartment.

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Although I have yet to see anyone actually use them and while their presence is not the best idea for the environment, it’s still an interesting concept to offer customers disposable plastic gloves to use while filling up your vehicle!

I thought this sign at an amazingly beautiful and well organized stable in Leende was just too cute! I love it’s little roof!

Here’s a couple videos of the drive to and through Erp arriving at Anky’s stable. Regardless of the weather, it’s definitely a pleasant drive through the trees and on the country roads. Oh and if you think these streets are narrow well then you have another thing coming. These are the WIDE streets! I was driving to a competition at a stable in Uden recently and went down a street about the width (FOR BOTH CARS MIND YOU) of a narrow driveway. What do you do when another car comes head on? Well, you just drive into the grass on the side. Haha!

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