After four long years of waiting, an anxious equestrian world watched the clock roll down to the moment everyone had their eyes turned to – the Opening Ceremonies of the 2006 Aachen FEI World Equestrian Games. And while gray skies and wet and windy weather welcomed the crème of the equine world to the picturesque town located in the westernmost corner of one of Europe’s most powerful horse countries, not even a downright deluge could have dampened the excitement and energy that was waiting to be unleashed over the next two weeks. And if ticket sales are any indication, the city of a quarter-of-a-million residents will forever be remembered by visitors long after the innumerable horse trailers and equestrian vacationers have made their way home.

Athletes, horses, owners, media and everyone in between began making their presence especially known over the last few days as the show grounds began to swell. As the Opening Ceremonies neared, the crowds gathered and the celebrations were at hand.

But, before the Opening Ceremonies, the HRH Princess Haya bin Al-Hussein of Jordan and Dubai, along with a handful of WEG dignitaries, was on-hand for the first press conference held at the Games. The HRH Princess Haya welcomed the press to Aachen and said, “As the President of the FEI [International Equestrian Federation], I am happy to be here at the start of the World Equestrian Games. It is an honor.” It was announced that 153 countries were broadcasting the Games to every corner of the world – an all-time record.

Asked about her time spent in competition, she said, “I really miss it…but I enjoy being the president of the FEI.” She acknowledged her excitement about Monday’s endurance championship, adding, “I will be attending all seven disciplines, but I would be very unpopular in my own family if I didn’t attend endurance tomorrow.” Teams from the Middle East have very good chances at taking home a medal at the end of the first day of competition.

The HRH Princess Haya has a longstanding equestrian show jumping career begun at the age of 13. She has represented her homeland in the Pan Arab Games, as well as the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Opening Ceremonies
Marching into the Main Stadium for the ceremonies, smartly dressed in the Team USA apparel proudly sponsored by Ariat, the American contingent was not only large in number, but ready to take on all challengers in the seven disciplines’ World Championships that were being contested. The Stars and Stripes was carried into the jam-packed stadium by the youngest and most senior members of the American squad – 10-year-old vaulter Elizabeth Ioannou from California and 63-year-old endurance rider Kathryn Downs from Maine.

Dignitaries, royalty, celebrities and equestrian stars – not to forget the all-important horses – were present for the beautiful presentation. The ceremony left no stone unturned in its exploration of the horse in German history during the two-hour-long event. From the amazing 64-stallion German quadrille that thrilled the crowd to the Parade of Nations that saw members of each of the various teams enter the stadium, there were no disappointments and memories made to last a lifetime. Even the rain stopped to make way for moments of sunshine, setting a perfect stage for the call to all riders to come and compete at the fifth installment of the combined world championships.

An Early Kick-Off: Endurance
The lead event at the 2006 WEG, beginning before sunrise on Monday morning is the endurance ride. Five horse-and-rider combinations are ready to hit the 100-mile test of stamina and skill for Team USA.

Maine’s Kathryn Downs and Pygmalion (10-year-old Arabian gelding); Illinois’ Joseph Mattingley and SA Laribou (11-year-old Arabian gelding); Utah’s Christoph Schork and Taj Rai Hasan (eight-year-old Arabian gelding); and New Je