Flossy is well known to many on the British Dressage Forum as a teller of interesting stories and perhaps the odd joke or two. We have selected a few tales for your pleasure.

Doing with out

Doing with out
During  The World Equestrian  Games   (WEG)   the FEI   invited  representatives of   Dressage  governing bodies  from  all over the world      to  a    “ get together “   to exchange ideas  and learn from  each  other how to improve the   running  of  the sport .
The  leader of the seminar   acknowledged  that with the globalization  of  equestrian  sports  the challenges  and  concerns   are different    for  one country    from  another  and as    a   starting point  he  suggested  that   each representative  will highlight  the one point most detrimental   to the  managing of the   sport  in their country  “WHICH THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO WITH OUT”.
The  first to   rise to this challenge was  the Ecuadorian  delegate  which in one sentence  explained that geography  is    the single most limiting factor  for equestrian  sports  in particularly dressage   in his  country ,   as  in the whole  of   the  Andean  uplands     there is not one flat area   big enough to   lay a 20 by 40 arena.  
Regretfully  it was agreed  by all that it is not within the FEI  powers to up root the  Ecuadorian  nation lock stock  and Lamas  and  relocate them somewhere between  Belgium  and   France.  
The next delegate  was from Holland  for him the most  inhibiting  element for smooth running  of the sport was   the Dutch attitude  towards  “Free speech “.
He explained “ He does  believe  in democratic principles     and  freedom   of speech  but  whenever they run an AGM   every member  exercises   their  right   to be heard  , which causes the meeting to run for 364 days and then they have to start  the next one “.
Achmed   Abdulla     from Iran   shook his head  and  said that  in his country    They have solved this  kind of problem     by limiting the freedom after the speech .
And then it was the German  FN   DRESSAGE   Director    to  elaborate about  what he could do most without   and in his words   it is  DRUCK   what we know as PRESSURE .
Everyone   looked   in surprise  “ pressure  ? what?  Pressure ?  you are German “
“Look guys “ he explained   “ It is not as you think,     Germans  are the best  in the world in football , our cars  THE BEST , we are even the best   in the whole world in   X  COUNTRY  riding ,    zo  at home they expect us to be the same  in dressage . BUT  this young girl  from the island   on the   left   of  Europe  , the one  riding   with the short reins   keeps SPOILING IT  !!!  THIS IS PRESSURE I COULD DO  VIZOUT”.
So   the  question  moved around the hall   and not one answer was the same  until it got to  the British Dressage  official  , That  woke up  from a light snooze as the microphone was pushed   in   her  (yes it was  a   her )  hand   “ Can you repeat the question please “ she  asked ,  to which the  FEI    course leader  obliged  to   “In managing  the sport in the UK   What  WOULD you LIKE TO DO WITH OUT”.
 
The reply came  instantly  “  THE  MEMBERS”