Where the Movers and Shakers Gather

If you want to meet our sport's VIPs, head to the 2012 Adequan/USDF Annual Convention in New Orleans.

International coach and clinician Kathy Connelly was on my flight to NOLA. Major dressage supporters and sponsors Chuck and Joann Smith, plus USDF FEI Junior/Young Rider Committee member Roz Kinstler, were on the hotel shuttle bus. And now I'm sitting in a meeting room with the members of the USDF Executive Board, where I was just introduced to incoming United States Equestrian Federation president Chrystine Tauber.

In the fifteen-plus years that I've been attending USDF conventions, the thing that's continued to impress me is the degree to which top dressage riders, trainers, judges, officials, and others give back to the sport. Serving on the USDF Executive Board is an unpaid position. So is serving as a member of USDF's volunteer-driven governance structure -- its councils, its committees, and its Board of Governors. These dedicated individuals give a lot of their time, not to mention footing some travel expenses, to try to make American dressage better for everybody, and most especially our horses.

OK, enough pontificating. Where else can you meet a cross-section of our sport's greats? It's pretty cool.

Hope to see you in NOLA this week!

Tweet from NOLA!

I've added a Twitter timeline to this blog so we can all check out one another's tweets regarding the 2012 Adequan/USDF National Convention in New Orleans.

Going to NOLA? Please tweet your activities, news, convention thoughts and happenings, and fun stuff using the hashtag #USDFNOLA.

I'll do the same. Thanks! See you soon.

Dressage in the Big Easy

You'd want to visit New Orleans, even if the 2012 Adequan/United States Dressage Federation Annual Convention weren't taking place there this week.

Sultry, mysterious, raucous, steeped in jazz history and voodoo lore, the Big Easy is an unforgettable city. It's a French-tinged party town where ghosts walk and music talks.

Spend an evening (or all night, if you wish) savoring Cajun cuisine and the sounds of a jazz bar. Make a pilgrimage to the world-famous Preservation Hall, home of the equally world-famous Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Stroll the French Quarter, with or without liquid libation. Check out a voodoo shop (if you need to curse an enemy or win a new love, this is the place to go). Then in the morning, chase away the previous night's demons with café au lait and beignets (heavenly puffy "doughnuts" liberally dusted with powdered sugar) at the Café du Monde.

Start your exploration of New Orleans at the comprehensive NOLA Convention and Visitors' Bureau website, with event listings, maps, restaurants, clubs, shopping, and more.

Oh, and yes, there's also a USDF convention to attend, beginning this Wednesday. Highlights will include Thursday night's welcome reception at Michaul's Live Cajun Music Restaurant; a Friday-night dinner and ghost tour; and Saturday night's Salute Gala and Annual Awards Banquet, where we'll be honoring the 2012 Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame inductees, Michael Poulin and Ravel.

There's lots to come this week in New Orleans, so follow this blog for convention news, photos, memorable moments, and fun in the Big Easy.