Peter about...

...how he started riding and why he started to compete:

"As a child to be able to get in a pony and go tearing through the countryside galloping and jumping was just a thrill. I am an incredibly competitive person and after the first times showing there was no going back - I had been bitten by the horse show bug"

...why he decided to study at Tufts University:

"It opened my eyes to a whole new world I knew was there but that that I hadn`t been exposed to."

...why he stopped competing during his study:

"In high school I was always rushing off after school, got  out and going away every weekend and I missed out on a lot. I wanted to paticipate fully in what tufts had to offer and that meant no just my studies but meeting and spending time with interesting people whom I knew I wouldn`t be as likely to meet after school when I went back to riding full time."

...his engagement in the doping Task Force:

"The work involved changing ideology of controlling vets at the FEI, helping soften the "zero tolerance". (...) This really needed to be pushed to some vets, they were borderline hypocritical - horses shouldn`t receive any medication but human Olympic athletes can? The human rules are exponentially different than those for horses. The human list of prohibited medications contains less than 100, while there are literally more than 1000 on the horse list. It`s OK for a human athlete to take a handfull of Advil and run. Part of FEI`s stance was based on the notion that horses don`t make choices putting them in harm`s way during competition, so we shouldn`t also make medication choices for them. The panel advocated for horses, feeling it was inhumane to not treat them as athletes -  that taking them and jumping in an indoor hall in front of 13000 screaming fans and allowing no meds especially following the competition for fear of them for being detected the following weekend for infinitesimally small levels, was not in the interest of  the equine athlete. This was decidedly not about medicating for shows but for example, ketofen has a maximum effect for 12 hours after administration and after 24 hours is essentially gone, but it can be found for days. So ketofen on Sunday after a performance, will have no performance ehnhancing effect the following week but under the old system would give a positive test. We developed a "medicine box" of 15 meds to use closer to competitions."

...why so many American riders are successful with European horses and about the breeding programs in Europe:

"That`s the million dollar question. The american were buying european horses for a long time, since the 80s. They really started to going cazy buying horses. There is no question that the breeding program if there is and you could call it program in America. The process of raising young horses here in Europe with all the youngster programs really helps to produce good young horses."

...the differences between the riding systems in America and in Europe :

"One thing that I think is very interesting is the following: I use two horses as an example - Fein Cera and Pialotta. Both horses when they were on the American team were not superstars. And then Pialotta was sold back to Europe  and became Nr 1 horse on the world ranking list with an European. Fein Cera came to me when I was in Europe - I am an amrican rider but most people consider me as a part of the european community - and now she was the best horse at the WEG and many people say she is the best horse in the world right now. I would say that that has a lot to do with the mentality, the training and the standard in Europe. That forces you to do a better job and to be more conscious about training and working with horses."

"The programs for juniors and amateurs they could not be anywhere that better (then in the USA). What is lacking is the concentration on the professional sport. In the American system there is all about juniors and amateurs, about their riding and people training them and putting their concentration at these classes. It is not about the professional sports. We have lots of fantastic riders but the consentration has been taken away from the professional sport and put on wealthy people wanting to ride and not on talented athlets working together with talented horses to produce a perfect result. Whereas here it is much more concentrated on. In Europe there is all about getting the best horses to the best riders, producing the best results and getting the best competitions for the pro sports, not on amateur sports."

...the European riders:

"We fell behind Europe in the 90s and we haven`t caught back up. They are fighters there, they are so hungry, it is in their blood to go in and make it happen. I think this is because we are not put in this position enough in the US. Our competitions have a different flavor."

...why he is living and competing in Europe most time of the year:

"The best sport in the world is here and I sort of committed my life to this sport. I have been asked this question a lot and my answer is: in any given sport, if you want to be the best in the world, you have to compete against the best in the world. And competing at this level wek in and week out makes you better, it raises your standard nd pushes you. They all gathered from themselfs, Ludger, Rodrigo, Marcus Ehning, all compete against each other all the time and that pushes them to get better. I love to watch people ride their horses on the flat and exercising in the practice area as well as just ride in the ring. And you learn from them, you learn their sytem and you ask questions and talk to them. That helps you to improve your own horsemanship and your own riding. I know that I am grown as a rider and it has pushed me to be better by basing here."

" I  am benefited living in Europe and competing in Germany in particular. Because the standard , the level of competition is so high and so good that it really forces you to be good at almost every moment. Otherwise you would fall apart here. You have to keep a really high standard in order to be able to survive here. And I think that helps myself!"

...if being here in Europe is a little bit out of sight out of mind for the US:

"It is. I would say that`s been the hardest thing for me as far as sponsorship is concerned. It`s hard to have American owners when they don`t get to see their horses very much. That`s one of the reasons why I have made the decision to compete now in Florida in the winter time because it gives you some exposure. We all need sponsorship, it is an expensive sport and horses cost a lot and the sport costs a lot. We need to have great backers and I am lucky that I have really fantastic backers. We always need support and beiing over here is a little bit out of sight out of mind. I struggled a little bit and I was lucky that I had Fein Cera for such a long time. But she is retired now and you have to move on."

...horses having a break between shows:

"They are going in the woods and enjoying their life. Physically still exercising but mentally having a vacation. Two weeks prior to the show we start doing the dressage and gymnastics and get them limbered so that they really are in form."

...his and the horses weekly schedule at the show and at home:

(show) "The top horses do two international shows a month. (...) I occasionally can take a young horse to international shows during the week. Generally, we are home Monday to Thursday and compete Friday to Sunday. The horses are home by Sunday pm. This is a major benefit to the horses and a major difference between the US and Europe. In the US horses stay on the road too long and are at mercy of the environment, footing, stabling and paddocks ore lack thereof. Here in Europe also the travel is not as long. (...) I fly in Wednesday, ride Thursday pm, show on the weekend and leave Monday. (...)

(home) "The horses get out 2-3 times a day: a walking trail ride, in the walker, and groomed 20-30 minutes. My program is a bit rare. I have a greater number of grooms for the number of horses I have than most riders. I am disappointed I am not working more in the stables, no mucking or feeding, sometimes I bridle a horse before I get on. I spend 3-5 hours a day at my desk and I miss the horsemanship. The demands of managing the stable require me to give up. I do still braid my horses for international classes."

...dressage for show jumping horses:

"Of course we do that. Dressage means just work on the flat. It`s a jumper version of dressage, it`s like yielding, it`s half pass, even in a crude way a pirouette to get them to collect and be able to turn short turns and stay in balance. It`s mostly gymnastics on the flat. It`s to get the horses body supple, to get the collection, to be able to have the horse engaged and light on the hand and really get them limber so that you can do anything. The courses ask so much of the horse, both, the ability to bend left bend right, collect, move forward move backward, turn, everything. So you really have to have that complete communication with the horse. And that does not come from just galloping straight lines. You have to work on a lot of collection. That`s one of the things that I love about watching riders like Ludger and his horses on the flat, because Ludger could perform an upper level dressage test with his horses. I can do three tempi-changes, half pass, shoulder in and pirouettes with my horse. We are not piaffing and passageing, but Fein Cera can so passage quite nicely. They are athlets and we need to have a lot of upper level collection like dressage horses do."

...what he is asking of his horses in the training:

"It depends on the experience of the horse and it also specifically depends on the horses problems. What I want of the horses is to have control and suppleness from side to side. We ride our horses in a little bit lower frame than a dressage horse. It`s not quite so up in front, it`s a little bit lower. We are jumping and turning and want them to be able to jump from both leads evenly. We always like to practise a long line to a short line so that you have the ability to jump a fence, land and then collect. Because in a course horses usually get longer and longer and you need to have that ability to ride forward but then to be able to get together again in a nice way without hollowing the horses frame. It`s one thing to collect the canter on the flat and stay collected for half an our. It`s another thing to go forward, go backward and so on, so to do transitions. For young horses it`s a simpler version but you want so get them to understand the seat, leg, hand aids. You want to work together with them in harmony."

...riding another horse in the prize giving ceremony than in the competition:

"I think some people really feel like they want to see the horse getting the ribbon also. But prize givings can be vey dangerous and can be very hard for a hot or a difficult horse. Especially after the horse has just jumped in a hard jump off their blood is up and they need to be able to have a quiet time. Not even the victory gallop is stressful. Sometimes horses take off and then when we all are leaving the arena there is this big sort of bottleneck and then a horse that is in front goes too slow and the other horse crushes in and they can get kickt. I think it`s understandable if the rider feels it`s in the best interest of the horse not to participate in the prize giving. They should have that right. So  I am a strong supporter of being able to ride a different horse."

...the press:

"Unfortunately the press sometimes gets its own idea about our sport and then they start to preach when we the horses are not really in form. So it`s important to discuss some issues so that the press can be educated. It`s important for them to learn."

...his two silver medals at the Pan Am-Games in Winnipeg 1999:

"This is fantastic. To come home here and represent my country and come home with two silver medals is a dream come true. I am very happy for me, my horse and the Team."

...his individual 3rd place at the WEG in Jerez 2002:

" I have worked all of my life to get here. I never thought I would make it. It`a great feeling to be here. I am absolutely thrilled and my horse was wonderful. This is a hugh deal!"

... the disappointing result of the US team at the WEG in Jerez 2002:

" I really thought that we are going to get a medal as a team. I thought that we could get bronze or even when we were lucky get silver. And in fact after the 2nd round we were in 3rd place, in bronze medal postition. And I really was thinking that we could pull off the bronze medal. But the last, 3rd round of the team competition was a little bit disappointing for all of us because we might get a medal and then we dropped on 6th which was disappointing."

...the reason for the bad team result at the WEG 2002:

"It`s easy to say bad luck, that`s for sure. I think that was the best team that we could choose. I think that we chose the right riders and horses went to the competition. But you never really know what happens at a championship. A lot can happen, things change. It`s never over antil it`s over!"