My passion for horses started young; at the age of three, I was taken on a visit to a farm near our home in Germany and was allowed to sit on one of the horses. At eight, I joined the vaulting team at the local riding school. Under the tutelage of my beloved Ernst Worbs, our Riding Master, we were national champions several times; I learned the feel, rhythm and balance on a horse, the importance of relaxation and team work. Ernst was very generous and I rode his horses, over the years, to Grand Prix.