The tour started in Kokkola, Finland where we had two clinics in Kokkola One filled with riders new to our program and another clinic covering Advanced Riding Skills with members of the Kvikant Western Riders
who have participated in several of our clinics on our previous visits to Finland. Many thanks to our good friend Kenneth Puskala for his tireless work organizing these clinics and to Kenneth's parents for providing comfortable lodging and delicious meals for us in their lovely home.
At the end of these clinics, our friend Maria Bucht drove us to her farm in Kalix Sweden for a clinic there. Maria is a teacher and practitioner of the Alexander Technique, a simple and practical method for improving ease and freedom of movement, balance, support and coordination. t Ed participated in one of Maria's clinic several years ago in Sweden and found it very enlightening and beneficial in improving posture, balance and body awareness for riding as well as everyday life.
From Maria's we took the night train hundreds of kilometers south to Udevalla Sweden for a clinic organized by our good friend and former Mounted Palace Guard, Kenny Pettersson. Kenny did an excellent job organizing his first clinic for us with a full slate of riders and many spectators in a beautiful facility. Kenny spent three months with us in Georgia learning all our training methods and now teaches riding and trains horses in Sweden along with conducting his very popular roping clinics.
After this clinic we were off to Stockholm for our second clinic with the Swedish Army's First Cavalry Regiment, Mounted Palace Guards. This clinic, specifically designed for the unique riding requirements of the mounted band, included 35 band members and their horses in the regiment's large outdoor arena. The clinic featured classroom, ground and mounted instruction which improved their communication with their horses and lighter responses to cues. The skills  learned in this clinic helped the riders have better control and more confidence as they rode in formation while playing their beautiful marching music.
With the size of this clinic Ed and Elizabeth needed some additional help and wish to thank our assistants Deenie McKeever, our good friend from Georgia, Kenny Pettersson and Lena Darius. Lena is a very accomplished, upper level rider and trainer who has participated in several of our clinics in the past. It was a pleasure working with all these excellent horse people during this clinic. We certainly wish to thank Lt. Roger Johansen for hosting and organizing our clinic at the Cavalry Regiment. It is always such an honor for us to work with the fine soldiers of this historic and esteemed regiment.
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After military transport to the airport and a late night flight from Stockholm we arrived in Sicily the next day where we conducted clinics in five different locations.
Definitely a major highlight of our most recent European trip was our visit to the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria. "To see these master classical riders mounted on the magnificent white Lipizzaner stallions riding in their opulent 16th century Baroque riding hall was a fulfillment of one of my life long dreams." We spent three days at the Spanish Riding School touring the facility and watching the daily training sessions. It was truly an education in perfection of the seat and lightness of the aids. 
Since we returned from Europe in early October we have been pleased to host a young Sicilian horseman as an intern here at
