It's been four years since I last photographed on the Iberian peninsula and I had forgotten about the dominance of the grey colour of the PRE and Lusitano horses. Greys are the best horses to photograph as they contrast so nicely with the background and at the 2015 CDI Vilamoura it was one grey horse after the other.
Friday 10 April 2015 started out out gloomy; grey, as a matter of fact. The surface of the gorgeous pool at the Vilamoura Hilton was broken by rain drops and it drizzled when I made my way to the shuttle. I had brought my winter coat and camera rain coat so I was well prepared. It began to pour while we drove to the show grounds and I kept humming to myself, "this can't be happening, this can't be happening."
Fortunately, the rain stopped as soon as I got there. The Vilamoura show grounds are on a huge piece of land in between holiday homes and resort plots. It has big tent stalls and numerous outdoor and covered arenas with top professional footing. The venue does not exude expensiveness and it is not brand new, but everything is there for the demanding dressage rider: lots of space to ride, high quality footing, good stalls, quiet arenas and a lovely tent with catering, lounge area, a good coffee and champagne bar and great food!
The morning started out with chilly, windy weather but at least it was dry. The wind, however, made the plastic bags around the speakers flap and a lot of horses got upset and tense. It's a pity that the young horse classes as well as the young riders had to compete that morning because they all struggled to get their horses to relax in the arena.
In the afternoon the weather cleared and it was blue skies and sunshine for the Prix St Georges, Medium Tour and Grand Prix. I got totally sunburnt in my face as I didn't notice how strong the sun was, wearing my big winter eskimo coat. Didn't put that sunscreen on! It was a long work day, standing on my feet from 9 AM till 7 PM but I got super photos and was very pleased with the fun filled atmosphere at the event.
I went back to the hotel, hitching a ride with the judges, and just worked on the computer. I ordered room service again; it feels so American to do that, even nowadays. I indulged in a big salad and some more grilled chicken. My flight back home was scheduled at 6.30 AM so I had to get up at the ungodly hour of 4 AM for my cab ride to Faro airport.
Vilamoura was a lovely experience and I can recommend anyone, who wants to combine a Portuguese holiday with a lovely, pleasant low key CDI 3* show, to visit the event next year!
Photos © Astrid Appels - NO REPRODUCTION ALLOWED
For more information about the 2015 CDI Vilamoura, visit the official website, or its Facebook page
Related Link
Eurodressage "On the Scene" at the 2015 CDI Vilamoura