#112 The hurdles of moving to the USA with a horse with influencer Scarlett Gartmann-Reus

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:00:02-00:00:05]
In this episode, we're talking with influencer Scarlett Gartman-Royce.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:00:06-00:00:54]
It was never an option for me to go without them. I mean, I said if we emigrate, then I would only do it if my horses come with me. Back then, I still said that all the horses would come with me. But now that I'm over here, we can talk about that in a moment because it's absurdly expensive here. Truly absurd. It's completely out of proportion. That's why I decided for now to only bring one horse. I mean, it was never up for debate that I would come without a horse. It was just a matter of time until I found a suitable stable, so to speak. Because I have to be honest, at the beginning of last year, we bought an equestrian facility in Germany. And I had my own horses there because I also wanted to live out the philosophy of how we keep horses a little bit. That means as much roughage as possible, out multiple times a day, somehow for the machine and everything else. And then came the move. And that was, of course, for me personally, the worst time for us to move. And that's why I said, well, if we're doing this anyway and I have to leave everything behind, then definitely not without my horse.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:00:55-00:01:48]
Welcome to the Equestrian Connection podcast from WeHorse. My name is Danielle Kroll, and I'm usually your host. However, this is another one of our translated episodes, originally recorded and hosted by WeHorse CEO, Christian Krober. Scarlett Gartman-Royce has done what many people dream of. She emigrated to California, taking her horse and family along with her. And while it sounds like a dream come true at first, the move entails plenty of challenges, such as importing a horse to the USA is a time-consuming and expensive venture, and the stabling conditions and training methods in many places. differ significantly from those in Germany. All of this requires the dressage rider to adopt a completely new daily routine at the stable. And we discuss all of this and more in this episode of the Equestrian Connection podcast, which was again originally translated from the WeHorse podcast in 2025. Enjoy!

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:01:49-00:01:50]
Hi, Scarlett.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:01:50-00:01:51]
Hi, Christian. How are you?

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:01:51-00:01:54]
Very well. It's nice that you're here. How is it in Cali?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:01:54-00:02:05]
I would say it could be worse. I mean, we have really settled in well, and it's just beautiful here. You really just have to say that. It's just beautiful. And I think we are kind of living the dream of many in America right now.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:02:06-00:02:21]
The perfect dream. So you can't see this now for all of you listening. You are definitely beaming and it is so clear that you have settled in remarkably well. You are now truly living the kind of life that we all used to watch on the OC. It is just so wonderful to see you thriving like this.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:02:21-00:02:27]
100%. Even when you drive through the neighborhoods here, it honestly looks just like the OC. Unbelievable.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:02:27-00:02:35]
You are really living it up. I mean, you are truly living the Newport Beach lifestyle. You can definitely say that the OC and or as most people know it, Orange County.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:02:36-00:03:01]
And it's really, I mean, regardless, I still remember when we arrived, I was driving through the area and thought this can't be real because in general, I find that when you're in the USA, you recognize so many things from all the movies. I mean, we all watch 8 million American movies. And of course, it looks exactly like that here too. That's why it was kind of like you felt a bit at home right away because you thought, hey, wow, I recognize this. I recognize this, you know, like this recognition factor. Factor is just enormous here.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:03:01-00:03:07]
What was it called again back then? I've already blocked all that out. What was it called again in the OC? One of them was named Ryan, I think.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:03:08-00:03:09]
Ryan, Marissa, come here.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:03:09-00:03:13]
Marissa, she became a drug addict later on. Well, in real life.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:03:13-00:03:24]
Yeah, in the series. And I think later on, unfortunately, in real life too. But they were also always, I don't know if you still remember this, but they were always at South Coast Plaza, a shopping center. And all of that actually exists here.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:03:24-00:03:28]
It really exists. And do you go there yourselves, like to the shopping mall?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:03:29-00:03:31]
Yes, we were actually there just last night. It's five minutes away from us here.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:03:32-00:03:35]
So you're really living the American-German-American dream, you could say.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:03:36-00:03:51]
Yes, well, I think the way people imagine it is how we're currently living here, which is, of course, a huge privilege. And we just happen to live in a place where others go on vacation. You shouldn't forget that. So others come here to spend their annual vacation. And we are currently living here. It's just unbelievable when you think about it.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:03:51-00:03:57]
Oh, is it a vacation region too? Do people come here? Are there hotels where people are at the beach and enjoying life there?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:03:57-00:04:08]
Well, I think it's mostly, well, I think like a real vacation spot. Vacation is really just in the summer and autumn months because in the end we have the same weather here, 365 days a year. But yes, definitely it is a vacation spot.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:04:08-00:04:30]
Well, we could honestly sit here and chat about Newport Beach for an entire hour and still have plenty to say. We also really want to take a moment to chat a bit about the topic of horses. Now, I actually think based on what you've reported and what we also spoke about a little bit beforehand, that it's truly an ideal situation and it honestly sounds quite dreamy when you first consider it. How does the topic of horses actually fit? fit into this?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:04:30-00:05:14]
Well, in Orange County, actually not at all. That was also a bit of the thing, why my horse, he only came over just under two months ago. So almost eight months after we emigrated ourselves. And I had a super hard time finding a stable here because you have to say quite clearly, California is of course not known for lush meadows and endless space. Space is expensive and the stables are here. I think you really can't quite imagine it, but you have to imagine a residential area. And right in the middle of the residential area, there's just a stable facility with 20 stalls and a riding arena. But there are no paddocks, there are no meadows, there is no horse walker, so there is simply no turnout for the horses and that's how they are kept here. I looked at other facilities which are significantly larger. There were 300 or 400 horses at the riding facility without any turnout for the horses.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:05:15-00:05:18]
Which is also huge. 400 horses is already incredibly large in Germany.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:05:18-00:05:47]
Yes, and it wasn't necessarily the case that everything was strictly separated either. You had some kind of jumping arena and then somewhere else a dressage ring with footing that would give you tendon damage just from watching it. So I really had to swallow hard and I honestly hadn't imagined it would be this difficult to find a riding facility here. But I think for the people here, for example, who maybe don't necessarily have huge ambitions, it's perfectly fine for them. They go there to see their horse. The horse gets out for an hour and gets ridden. And otherwise it stands in the stall for 23 hours and that's fine for them.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:05:48-00:05:50]
But what do the people there primarily do with the horses?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:05:50-00:05:54]
I would say mostly hunting. So what is hunter? That's like over small.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:05:54-00:05:55]
Like hunter, jumper.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:05:55-00:06:09]
Yes. So hunter is really big around here, especially with the kids, I would say. Hunter. Is just a huge thing. And jumping, so show jumping is also relatively big. And Western riding is too, I would say. But more than anything, I would mainly say it's really just hunting and jumping.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:06:09-00:06:17]
Is actually the most popular sport in the whole USA. That probably carries through for you there as well. But why did you decide in principle to bring your horse over after all?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:06:18-00:07:14]
Honestly, that wasn't even a, it was never an option for me to go without them. I mean, I said, if we emigrate, then I would only do it if my horses come with me. Back then, I still said that all the horses would come with me. But now that I'm over here, we can talk about that in a moment because it's absurdly expensive here. Truly absurd. It's completely out of proportion. That's why I decided for now to only bring one horse. But it wasn't even a, I mean, it was never up for debate that I would come without a horse. It was just a matter of time until I found a suitable stable, so to speak. Because I have to be honest, at the beginning of last year, we bought an equestrian facility in Germany where I started my own business with my girlfriend. She broke in the young horses there and then we marketed and sold them. And I had my own horses there because I also wanted to live out the philosophy of how we keep horses a little bit. That means as much roughage as possible, out multiple times a day, somehow for the machine and everything else. And then came the move. And that was, of course, for me personally, the worst time for us to move. And that's why I said, well, if we're doing this anyway, and I have to leave everything behind, then definitely not without my horse.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:07:14-00:07:29]
But was that Marco, your husband, who plays soccer for LA Galaxy? Was that really a deciding factor for you? Because it was then the, where are you going next out of Dortmund after the career at BVB came to an end? Was that a real deciding factor?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:07:30-00:07:39]
Yes, because we were sitting, we were in Ibiza last year. I think it was around July. And the CEO came and the, well, the CEO of the club and the CEO, that's always, it always belongs to someone.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:07:40-00:07:41]
Franchise system in the USA.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:07:41-00:07:51]
And both CEOs were there and we were all sitting at one table. And I said, no matter what we're talking about, as long as it works with my horses, if that doesn't work, then we don't need to keep talking at this point.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:07:51-00:07:53]
And then they said, we'll take care of it.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:07:53-00:07:59]
We will explain that, that we will take care of it. We'll clear that up. Otherwise, it would be, you know, that wouldn't be an option.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:07:59-00:08:02]
And did they really do that? So did they support you there?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:08:02-00:08:26]
More or less, because it was also complicated since I wanted to bring a stallion over and with these quarantine regulations, I just thought that they could somehow bypass that. That's obviously not possible. I was a bit naive there because obviously, no matter how high up you are, I think no one can bypass that. So I had to take action myself somehow and figure out how, what and where. But as much as possible, they did support us to some extent, but not the way I had imagined, to be honest.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:08:26-00:08:45]
And what were your expectations beforehand before you went over? Because you always have this image of what it's like. Now, Germany is such a perfect horse country. And somehow we believe at least that we keep horses particularly well in Germany compared to other countries. So what were your expectations beforehand regarding how everything would play out?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:08:45-00:09:36]
Well, I had already picked up a bit because my trainer, among others, had also been here from Germany a few times for clinics and things like that. That's why I had already gathered a lot that things run quite differently here than in Germany. But I had imagined it to be simpler in terms of the facilities because I just thought, Okay, here there are so many wealthy people in one place that they would simply invest significantly more, especially in dressage. And that's where I really fell flat on my face because that's just not the case at all. I mean, especially now in Orange County or even the LA area, there is basically nothing at all related to dressage. You have to be honest. You really have to, well, my horse is currently in San Diego, so I always drive about an hour to an hour and a half to the stable. There are really a lot of dressage riders in that area and actually an incredible number of Germans. I mean, really good ones. For example, Sabine Schutkeri is at our stable. She has also ridden in the Olympic Games for the USA. So there are really good people there, but just not here in our area.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:09:36-00:09:48]
By the way, Sabine Schutkeri, a friend of the house here and has also been on the podcast. And she is there together in the stadium with Stefan Peters. He is also a German. Isn't he also somewhere there in San Diego?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:09:48-00:09:52]
Yes, I think she was at that stable before. She is with us now with Christine Traurig.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:09:53-00:09:55]
Also a German, as the name suggests.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:09:55-00:10:09]
They are all Germans. I mean, really, it's like a German bubble there with so many German trainers, which I personally think is good because I have to say Americans ride completely differently. I mean, completely differently than we Germans do. And that's why I think it's quite good to stay in this German circle a little bit.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:10:10-00:10:23]
And do you have the feeling that the Germans there are sort of the secret star trainers that everyone goes to them? It's often the case that abroad, the German riding style is the standard. Or are they just one or several of many?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:10:23-00:10:49]
No, I think apart from the fact that they are, I believe, extremely successful right now. Sabine is really extremely successful, but for... For example, Christine too, I think she is a national coach, but I don't know for which squad right now. I don't know, maybe the Young Riders Tour or something. I mean, she definitely has all the young rider girls coming to us. They are all with us and training with her. So it's just a different philosophy, a different kind of training, I think, compared to how the Germans learned it. And I think it's being very, very, very well received by the Americans.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:10:49-00:11:16]
And then you had basically it turned out very, very differently than you had imagined it, right? You brought your horse Mochi over here with you. And I recall you just mentioned or reported that the whole quarantine process was quite a significant issue for you. It sounds like that was a really challenging experience to navigate. Let's start right at the beginning. Scarlett, at the very beginning, the idea is that the horse should come over. What do I actually do then? How does the whole thing start?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:11:16-00:12:18]
Well, first of all, it's about the fact that we inquired with the transport company Clatter about how much the whole thing costs and what the process is. And it must be said, for mares, geldings and stallions, the quarantine is quite different. That means for mares, it's two weeks. For geldings, it's up to 72 hours. And for stallions, it can take up to three months. And during that time, they have to live cover two mares. Yeah, so you can also get lucky and get them back after 45 days, but they have to cover two mares via natural service, and then they check again to see if they're passing anything on, and only after the blood tests and everything are checked do you get your stallion back. So that means he's stuck somewhere for at least three months. And for example, it's here, I think, in Sacramento, which means he still has to travel another six hours from there to get to me. So it's a huge hassle. And you can, for example, also do it by splitting it up. If I had done it, I would have done it through Florida. So he would have flown to Wellington, done his quarantine there, looked to see if there was a rider there who could ride him. And after the quarantine, he would have flown again from Florida to Los Angeles. So it's a huge effort and, of course, a huge cost factor as well.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:12:19-00:12:34]
And I think the Americans do that, or generally speaking, you don't even have to pin it on the Americans. But in general, because people are afraid of these hereditary diseases that are then, so to speak, introduced into the herd as a result. That is, I believe, the idea.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:12:34-00:12:35]
Exactly.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:12:35-00:12:39]
But then after some careful consideration, you finally decided to have the stallion gelded.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:12:39-00:13:18]
Exactly, because for me, I went back and forth and also considered, okay, come on, then I'll do it via Florida. But actually, the risk was too great for me because, I mean, in the end, you don't really know what they're going to do with your horse there. Who was actually on site at that moment? Who was riding him, who was taking care of him, and also how do they handle the live covering. I mean, he last covered when he was three, and I thought, why go through all this huge stress and huge costs when there's an easier way to do it? And in the end, I decided to have him gelded, but I had him collected beforehand. That's also an interesting procedure. It's basically done during the castration. They take the testicle and extract the semen from it. That means we still have frozen semen from him and now he lives his life as a gelding.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:13:18-00:13:21]
And has anything changed about Mochi since then?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:13:21-00:13:31]
Well, I have to say not yet. He has become a bit more relaxed when it comes to other horses, but so far I haven't noticed any major changes, honestly. So far, I've actually only noticed positive benefits. Because he's just much more relaxed.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:13:31-00:13:47]
Yes, that's great to hear. And then the horse basically arrives in the USA and you can, well, there are these specialized animal quarantine stations at all the major international airports where you can go to pick up the horse, right? It is a pretty straightforward process once you know where to go.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:13:47-00:14:04]
Yes, exactly. It's a separate stable wing, I'd say maybe five minutes away from the main airport. And it's actually like a huge equestrian facility with many different units. The horses are there for, as I said, 72 hours where all the blood tests are done again. Everything is checked, temperature is taken and so on. And then you basically pick up your horse there.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:14:05-00:14:17]
Okay. And then that's actually a pretty cool experience. I could imagine on the other side of the world, it is quite fascinating how the horse basically emerges. Looking almost exactly like it is coming right out of the computer terminal.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:14:17-00:14:51]
Yes, especially because you have to imagine it like this. These are these huge cargo planes, which means everything flies along. A dog flies along, I don't know, all kinds of animals or cars or whatever. So there really are one after another, container after container, all sorts of different things being transported. I sent David along. He flew with Mo. He accompanied everything, which means he experienced it live as well. And it's actually all much less spectacular, I think, even for the horses than one imagines as an outsider. So the horses stand there, they eat, they get water, they get feed, and actually relatively unspectacular, one has to say.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:14:51-00:14:53]
So he got through the whole thing well?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:14:53-00:15:00]
Yes, totally. And what one also has to add is that there were, I think, about 20 horses flying over every week. So it's relative.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:15:00-00:15:21]
Yes, that has also, I think, completely developed. It has basically become relatively normal, also between the USA and Europe, for horses to go back and forth. It's all very easy. Now you're basically there on site. You're in a very good stable in the USA. And San Diego, as you say, is also known for dressage. Are you planning to get into tournament sports now? Scarlett?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:15:22-00:15:50]
Yes, actually, yes. I have a tournament in three weeks, if everything works out. You have to do these athletic tests beforehand. It's also completely different from Germany because we really have, it's like a questionnaire. You have to take two or three hours for it. And there are 8 million questions about sexual violence or sexual everything possible. Also psychological ones, a lot of tests to see if you are stable enough to basically ride at the shows here. And only when the tests are done, are you allowed to participate? But yeah, the plan is actually for me to ride in a tournament here for the first time in three weeks.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:15:50-00:15:57]
And are those tests like prescribed by the association where they quiz you on theory or what do they do there?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:15:57-00:16:20]
Yeah, they're really more like hypothetical questions about how you would behave if your trainer gets inappropriate or perhaps how you would behave if you were put in a difficult situation like that. I don't know if there's a difficult situation. How do you behave in that situation? How do you stay fair? How do you stay mentally stable? Also, how to deal with defeats, things like that. It's just, as I said, a sports test that all athletes in the USA have to take before they can participate in any competitions.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:16:20-00:16:28]
And you basically completed that, worked through the questionnaire, then you get a green checkmark, and then you can name everything from A to Z.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:16:28-00:16:34]
Exactly. So theoretically, if I started... Riding yesterday, but my horse has mastered the Grand Prix program. Can I ride my first Grand Prix tomorrow?

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:16:34-00:16:40]
That is always the accusation that Europeans have against Americans, that exactly that happens. But it is the reality.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:16:40-00:17:05]
It is absolutely the reality. I mean, when you really see what is riding here, you can't even imagine it. So it is entertaining because they are all styled to perfection and everything looks pretty and the horses can all piaf and passage insanely well. Yes, but you can just ride whatever you want. I mean, you're the typical OC mom who probably, I don't know, the kids are grown up and old and say, now I need a horse. I'm kind of bored. They just buy themselves a good horse and get started again.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:17:05-00:17:14]
They actually fly to Germany or Europe, buy an expensive horse, it gets shipped over, and then they just ride from zero to 100 Grand Prix, so to speak.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:17:14-00:17:14]
Yeah.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:17:15-00:17:42]
And is there, we do have a culture of training and you yourself have gained a huge amount of experience in the meantime, also in training young horses. That has a lot to do with basic knowledge and beyond that, knowing how to adapt to different horses, how riding actually really works, that is completely ignored. It's basically like tennis, hockey or soccer there. I just get started, then I see where I end up, regardless of whether it's Grand Prix or beginner level. What is the situation like there?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:17:42-00:18:32]
The thing is, I don't think I can say that much about it right now, at least not yet, because at our stable, since we have all the Germans there with us, I have to say the level is really extremely high and super professional. And I also see Sabine and the others working every day. She trains just as classically as we know it from Germany. But we have an American at the stable, Marie. With whom I also train. I have to say she's very dedicated. But she also trains a lot with international riders. She worked in Germany for a while. For example, we just had Alize Froment there who gave a clinic three weeks ago. Then last week we had a Spaniard from Wellington there who did some groundwork. I have to say they are really extremely committed to getting good people there somehow. That's why I think our stable is probably not the norm because I believe things run quite differently elsewhere. I think they are really like that. They skip the classes. A five-year-old horse starts piaffing before it's even going straight and is properly aligned. So they skip a lot, I think.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:18:32-00:18:39]
By the way, a little anecdote. We are now on podcast episode 213. Episode number one was with whom? Alizé Froment.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:18:39-00:18:46]
I love her. Alizé is special. She is special. Inspiration to the power of 100, you really have to say.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:18:46-00:19:07]
And Alize, many people often just look at her show riding. She was also the squad trainer for the French pony youth team for a long time, exactly, and is now so in demand worldwide. I think she doesn't even get to do show riding anymore because she's just commuting back and forth between San Diego, Shanghai, and I think she lives in Belgium at the moment because she's just so in demand.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:19:08-00:19:21]
Yes, but you also have to say she does it really well. And she was, I think, with us for four days. And she has a really great way of working with the horses. A completely different approach, one has to say. But still, she does it really well. There are good people at our stable.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:19:21-00:19:24]
And what excites you now when you say the first tournament start is coming up?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:19:24-00:19:35]
My goal is to ride my first St. Georg in three weeks. Let's see how it goes. He's only seven after all. I think. He's only competed three times in Germany this year, and he also just won. And yes, now we're going to try that here too.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:19:35-00:19:38]
And what exactly do you call that? And how does that actually work?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:19:38-00:20:17]
Honestly, I have no idea because you have to say that everything really runs differently here. So I don't take care of anything anymore. I mean, they do everything from A to Z. Everything, everything, everything is managed by the stable, how the horse gets to the tournament, how the horse. So when I get to the stable, he's there, he's washed, he's groomed, he's bandaged, he's completely sprayed down with all sorts of things. He has his own groom who takes him out. I don't know how many times a day. And he goes on the walker in the morning. Then I come to ride. Then he goes out to the pasture. Then he goes on the walker again in the evening. So it's a completely different program. I think his stall is mucked out three or four times a day. They get fed I don't know how many times a day. So it's a completely different management style than what we know from a normal stable in Germany.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:20:17-00:20:19]
What you call full service or?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:20:19-00:20:48]
Really full service. I mean, in Germany, even if you have full service, it's still not like you can just say, I'm flying away for three weeks without telling my friend. That usually doesn't work anyway. Unless you're in a really professional stable, but that is truly full service. I mean, they have, the funny thing is at the beginning, she said to me, I need a credit card from you. I said, what for? Yeah, for the stable, if anything is needed, like blankets, leg wraps. So every horse has its own credit card with which the stable basically goes shopping for your horse. That's absurd, but it works.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:20:48-00:21:02]
For us in Germany, where there are really many people who don't even have a credit card, That is completely unimaginable. And then you basically say, hey, I want to ride at St. Georg in three weeks, take care of it. Or they say, hey, Scarlett, we have... An idea? Why don't you ride at St. Georg? How does it work?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:21:02-00:21:43]
Well, I specifically said at the beginning that I wanted to ride in a tournament soon. And she told me which shows, like a show schedule basically, were coming up next. And then told me, for example, there's one in Del Mar now, which is a relatively big international tournament, because I think there's a real difference between riding in the national tournaments here. I think those are significantly lower in level because, well, literally anyone can ride there. I believe that if you want to ride in these CDI tours, you actually have to have scored at least 65 or perhaps 68% at a recognized national show just to be eligible to compete in them. That really means you have at least successfully filtered out the complete beginners, which is important so that you don't end up having them all mixed in with the professionals in the CDI competition.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:21:44-00:21:58]
And you also mentioned earlier when we were chatting a bit before we started the podcast that the national championships are coming up soon. They are actually being held in Chicago this year, and it is quite a logistical feat because all of the horses will be flown out there directly from California.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:21:58-00:22:19]
Yes, from all over, from the entire USA. But it's really crazy because the national shows are, in principle, I think, for three or four-year-olds and up. And my trainer, for example, was there last year with a client's horse. It was a four-year-old gelding or stallion. And she qualified for the finals and then flew with the horse to Chicago for this one show in the same country, one has to add.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:22:19-00:22:28]
How much more does everything you're doing over there actually cost when you compare it to Germany? Can you sort of multiply the total by three? I'm really curious to know the difference.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:22:28-00:22:37]
Per horse times three. But I also say, for example, let's take the tournament example. If you ride in a tournament here, I mean, what do you pay for a St. Georg in Germany? St. Georg in Germany? 50.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:22:37-00:22:38]
Is what I would have said.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:22:38-00:22:43]
Around 50, I would guess. And here you pay around 1,000 if you ride in a competition.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:22:43-00:22:51]
Which is also, unfortunately, a massive and significant barrier to entry for those individuals who are simply less well-off and struggle to keep up.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:22:51-00:23:13]
Yes, but then you don't ride here. You just have to say it clearly. If you're not in a position to afford it, you don't ride here because the costs here are so immensely high that you wouldn't do it unless it doesn't hurt your wallet. That's just nonsense. You really have to say that because regardless of whether it's vet costs or stable fees, you can multiply everything by three in Germany. So I really pay the same here in principle as in Germany for three horses, for one horse.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:23:13-00:23:23]
And would you do the whole thing exactly the same way again? So if you were facing the decision again today to leave Germany for another country, would you do it all the same way again?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:23:23-00:23:46]
Yes, well, I do miss it a bit, especially when it comes to the horse topic. I do miss Germany simply because I'll be honest with you, I now drive an hour or an hour and a half to the stable and you don't just drive there to pamper your horse a little bit. I drive there, I ride, I'm in a rush, I get on the horse, I ride my hour, then I pet him for two minutes, give him three little carrots and drive home. So it's just not, it has nothing to do with the stable routine I had in Germany anymore, simply because there's no time for it.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:23:46-00:24:10]
Yes. And because of that, even if it's not just around the corner, you have to think very carefully, do I really want to go there today or not? How does that fit into my daily routine? And sure, before, I mean, you already said that you bought a facility where you You also ran the whole thing professionally. So it's definitely something different now, what you're doing at the moment. Do you miss it? Or rather, what is happening at the facility in Germany now?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:24:10-00:24:28]
We actually sold it again. I had tried to find a trainer, but that turned out to be super difficult because you also have to say that the facility didn't have a residential house, which of course was difficult for many people. And that's why we actually fortunately found a buyer right away and simply sold the facility on one-to-one. It was just a bad time, I think, to tackle the riding facility project.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:24:28-00:24:30]
So are more horses coming over now?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:24:30-00:24:58]
Yes, as I said, I'm undecided. Well, I would like to, because I still have a few really good ones in Germany, a few young ones too, that I would actually quite like to bring over. But I know I'm still struggling with that at the moment because with the two kids and as I said, I'm currently driving there maybe four times a week and it's always really super tightly scheduled. And I don't know yet if the costs give me the added value, you know, because it's really just riding and no longer this whole surrounding thing. And that's why I'm still so torn at the moment.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:24:58-00:25:04]
And you currently have the horses stabled elsewhere with trainers and they are being trained further there.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:25:05-00:25:33]
Exactly. I still have two young ones that have just been started under saddle, but they are out in the pasture for the summer. They'll come back in in the autumn and will then be trained further. Then I have an older one, but luckily they are all at the same stable now. And then I sold a few. And now we'll see about expanding that a bit because we do want to continue with sales, especially now between the USA and Germany, which is, of course, really cool for me because I'm getting to know the Americans personally here, which builds a bit of trust and we. We would really like to expand on that, marketing the horses here further.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:25:33-00:25:41]
So you will be coming back to Germany more often, but not to visit family. Rather, we are planning to visit the horses in the field and bring a few of them over here to us.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:25:41-00:25:50]
Yes. Well, that would be my ideal scenario, that we keep bringing one over every now and then, then basically sell it here. And then, yes, that we continue to build that up a bit.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:25:50-00:26:00]
Yes. Awesome, Scarlett. Thank you so much for such a little insight into how everything is going for you over there in California. And it's rare that I can say it's warmer in Germany than in California.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:26:00-00:26:01]
That's true.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:26:01-00:26:02]
What's it like for you right now?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:26:02-00:26:16]
22, that's what I mean. So climate-wise for the horses too. Maybe just to wrap up, that's also quite interesting because the climate is super pleasant. There's always a bit of a breeze, so it's not at all like the horses are sweating here or anything like that. The temperatures are super pleasant.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:26:16-00:26:40]
Yeah, that's really cool. And here in Germany, we are right here. We're recording this at the beginning of July in the middle of a heat wave. It was 37.5 degrees today. That's why it's rare that you can say it's warmer in Germany than in California. But anyway, I really hope you have a fantastic time while you are over there. And honestly, I am quite curious to see just how long you end up staying. In the meantime, please send my very best regards to everyone over at OC.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:26:40-00:26:41]
Thanks. You too. Bye.

[SPEAKER 3]
[00:26:42-00:26:42]
Bye.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:26:44-00:27:18]
Thank you for listening to this episode of the Equestrian Connection podcast by WeHorse. If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean the world to us if you could leave us a rating and review, as well as share us on social media. You can find us on Instagram at WeHorse. Underscore USA. And check out our free seven-day trial on wehorse.com, where you can access over 175 courses with top trainers from around the world in a variety of topics and disciplines. Until next time, be kind to yourself, your horses, and others.