A gold star for Junior - and 'good boys' all around

With temperatures forecast to hit 92F today we decided to get an early start with the horses. First to go was Saumur, I rode him in the outdoor arena. He was a really good boy, despite the distractions (the neighbor wheeling the trash can to the street, bikes, trucks with boats, etc.). Saumur stayed focused and felt good.

On to Remy, while JP was getting Chambord ready. We both warmed them up (quite the oxymoron in these temps) together in the outdoor arena, and then decided to go on a trail ride. I was VERY impressed watching how JP and Chambord opened the gate of our outdoor arena (our outdoor arena has pasture height fencing all around). The very elegantly maneuvered the huge gate.

Out we went, down the road and into Kensington Park. Remy was like a seasoned trail horse :-). I told him all he had to do was stick behind the big white butt (Chambord's!). He marched along, very happy with himself and the world. He looked at things but wasn't bothered at all. What more could I ask?

Back home it was showers all around for the boys. They are now clean and smell good, not exactly something I can say about JP and me.. we still have to do the room-service (aka shovel manure).

A spa day for real guys -uh- horses... and some big decisions

It was almost like a 'day at the spa' in the barn; starting out with Saumur getting a massage from a certified Equine Massage Therapist, Colleen. After Saumur's fall with Sandy I was worried about him being hurt, and unfortunately our Equine Chiropractor won't be able to visit until the end of June. So massage seemed to be the next best thing. Colleen thoroughly examined Saumur's muscles and found him to be sore on his right side, especially his hip, and very tight in his neck. No surprise, as Saumur fell on his right side. My saddle has dirt literally ground in at the right side.

Saumur enjoyed his massage very much, and hopefully it helped alleviate pain and loosen his tight muscles.

After Saumur's treatment I decided all the boys needed a 'beauty-session', meaning a very thorough grooming (not the usual quick knock-off-the-dirt kind), with manes and tails conditioned and trimmed, fetlocks trimmed, ears cleaned, etc. It took me over three hours to work my way through all that black and white hair. Saumur, Remy and Teddy have very thick manes and tails. Just Chambord is not very well endowed (sorry buddy) in the hair department, his blond mane and tail hairs are very fine. In this case I was relieved: less work to detangle!

All the boys showed great patience with my fussing with them, and were very relaxed. I took it as a good sign for the next step: work. Saumur longed fine, and felt OK when I rode him, a bit stiff but not off. Even though he hadn't been in our outdoor arena for a while, he didn't spook once. I kept the work low key, but at the end I casually asked for a couple of flying changes and he did them in a ho-hum way, neat and clean.

Remy clearly needs to get on a more regular work schedule, but he is making good progress. Keeping Sandy's comments in mind, I try to "ride him like he knows it", meaning expecting him to do well.

Chambord, little bugger, had to pretend to be a rodeo horse. He sure could have been a top notch bucking bronc. Lucky for JP, he got it out of his system before before JP got on.

After much soul searching (and lots of discussions with JP) I decided to scale back Saumur's show schedule for a while. Even though I have already entered him for Dressage at Waterloo next weekend, I feel it is best to scratch. Neither Saumur nor I are too well prepared, and after what happened I don't want to push him too much. He has nothing to prove, Saumur already has come farther than anybody could have ever dreamed of, so we will regroup for a while.

With the stalls already paid for it gives Remy a chance to get his hooves wet at a show venue. Earlier than I had planned but it will be a good opportunity nevertheless. Nothing ventured nothing gained! Hopefully we'll gain POSITIVE experience, and I won't have to relive my early years with Saumur, where for a long time I only had two goals: "Stay on and stay in (the arena)!" I stayed on, but not always in --

The dentist is in -- the barn

I am one of these people that sweat long before actually sitting in the dentist's chair, even for just routine checkups:  Bring on the Novocain and Nitrous Oxide ("laughing gas"), stat, please!

The horses have it easier, they don't see that appointment looming on their calendar way in advance. They know it when Doug van Cleve, our Equine Dentist, shows up with his tool kit. Doug has been working on our horses for many years, he is an 'old-fashioned' guy, which means he does not use power tools. I try to have everybody on a six-month check up schedule. Until last time we never needed the vet to be there for sedation, but Chambord has decided he'd rather be on the safe side and 'ask' to be 'mellowed'. They way he 'asked' was pretty clear: he alternately reared, or kicked the walls with all his force.

So this time we had our vet here, too. It worked well, as Teddy needed his spring vaccinations anyway. To make it easier for the boys (and the dentist and me) everybody except Teddy got a bit of a 'mellow-shot'. It's amazing to watch Doug work. Saumur needed work on his right molars, Chambord's teeth had 'waves', Remy and Teddy just needed some basic floating (Doug noted that Remy's five-year old incisors are coming in). The boys were all great.

So maybe I should just ask my vet for a 'mellow-shot' before going to my next dental appointment?

A bit more information - but "what happened?" remains

Last night when I went to the barn to pick up Saumur I spoke with Sandy's working student Cay-Lyn. Turns out Saumur fell down with Sandy. Cay-Lyn didn't see the fall but saw Saumur on the ground and then getting up.

The "why" is still a mystery. Saumur never fell down with me before. Does he have some lingering issues from his fall in the aisle on Thursday? He seems fine, though, but of course I'll watch him closely.

It was so good to bring him home last night, and it's almost like the others sensed that something happened. They all were much more polite, not the usual roughhousing at all. From the moment Saumur joined the group Teddy stuck to him like glue, and 'Macho-man' Chambord proceeded to groom Saumur.

Francis has kept us updated on Sandy's condition several times during the day. It seems that as of last night Sandy is feeling a bit better and there is a good chance that she might be released from the hospital today. I shudder to think what might have happened if she hadn't worn her helmet.

Ever since Courtney King-Dye's accident (also with a horse falling down, which put her in a coma and took her from being an Olympian to now preparing for the Para-Olympics) wearing helmets has become a lot of publicity, and more people than ever make a point not to ride a horse without a helmet. And right here, at home, we have another example how helmets can protect lives. The helmet did not prevent Sandy's concussion, but it certainly prevented something much more serious from happening.

When things go wrong - speculating on what happened

Last Thursday Saumur got scared on his way to the turnout, ran back to the barn, slipped and fell in the aisle. Luckily nothing broken, no obvious injuries, but he seemed pretty sore so I opted not to ride and give him some Banamine. With the upcoming weekend trip to Montreal (JP and I had planned for a long time) I was not happy leaving Saumur, but I knew he would be closely watched and well taken care of.

As Sandy's hand is healing well and with the OK from her doctor she started riding again, and offered to work Saumur. On Saturday I got an excited email from her that she had had a great ride on Saumur.

Sunday night, coming back from Montreal, Francis called to tell me that Sandy was in the hospital with a broken collarbone and concussion - having fallen off Saumur! I was mortified: Sandy getting hurt again, and this time with Saumur. All Sandy can remember is that she was walking him on a long rein. Nobody saw it happen. Saumur does not buck, but his spooks can be powerful. Perhaps whatever set him off on Thursday happened again yesterday. I am just so sorry for Sandy, first the broken hand from her fall off Facet and now this!

With Saumur's spooks seemingly coming back after a 'no-spook' winter I am wondering what is triggering this? Is the work getting too much? He seems proud and happy doing the upper level work, but is it really the case? Or was it just a freak accident?

I am picking up Saumur tonight as all the boys have dental appointments tomorrow. We'll see how he does at home. The most important thing though is that Sandy is getting better soon!

If only our animals could talk - we might not always like what we hear but it sure would shed some light on some of the mysteries we are speculating about.

Growling in a different language does the trick - and "No what if's"

Remy still has the habit of sometimes 'rooting' with his head, trying to snatch the reins. Every time he does it I make a downward transition. However, yesterday I got a bit annoyed with Remy's rudeness and I growled at him "ca suffit!" (which means "that's enough"). Wow, instant gratification on this one. It was like Remy snapped his heels and said "Yes, ma'am!". I grinned and said to Sandy "so much for your advice of sticking to one language when talking to him". (Well knowing, that in this case it had nothing to do with language, it was the tone of the voice).

It is also sometimes difficult for me to keep Remy from 'wiggling' all over the place. Sandy's assessment: "You both have the same lanky body types, more like two willows..." which is a creative way of saying that my core strength is not up to snuff. So how do I keep both of us from swaying int he wind?? Strong core (no brainer), elbows stable at the sides, legs supportive, thigh bones pointing forward: No big deal ;-).

Saumur has been feeling awesome lately. Very powerful and muscular. But all that power needs to be channeled in the right direction. He is my other 'million transitions horse'. Yesterday we focused on clean and on the spot transitions, in between and in and out of the gaits. We finished with precise transitions of walk - four canter strides - trot - in sequence. This will help us with the flying changes in sequence.We also had clean single flying changes. Yeah!

So, with all this you would think I am ready and eager to sign up for the first show of the season. Oh no, think again. Nerves and "I am so not prepared" thoughts are chiming in. Too many "what ifs" (i.e. what if I can't ride enough due to my travel schedule, what if we don't get the changes, etc.)

George Williams is coming to Southview Farm May 26 and 27, and I entered with both boys. I am curious how Remy will handle the clinic setting and spectators. My guess is that he thinks he's hot stuff "look, all these people are here to see ME -- let's go and say HI". I will have my work cut out to keep his focus (and mine!). So no "what ifs" either at the show or at the clinic. To quote my French boss' favorite saying "It is forbidden"! (Never thought this expression would become useful).

One show-off - one perfect hiking partner

Our outdoor arena is close to a busy dirt road. Aside from cars you have hikers, motorcycles, bicycles, joggers, golf carts, tractors and heavy construction equipment buzzing by. It's a good way to get the horses used to a lot of commotion, but it is also quite distracting. Sometimes when I am riding people will stop to watch.

Yesterday I longed Remy over ground poles, and he was really good. All of a sudden though, his head went up, ears pricked, and he proceeded to go into a beautiful passage. What happened? Two riders on mares coming by which Remy seemed to think was very cool. He clearly had the "hey girls, look at me!" expression while strutting his stuff. Sadly for him, the 'girls' where only mildly impressed. Guess he has to work on puffing his chest out some more!

Our pony got a new name. Chip didn't really fit the bill, especially when pronounced with a French accent it sounds more like 'cheap'. So, we found 'Teddy' to be much more fitting. Named after my beloved teddy bear (who must be in his 40s now), he just looks like a cuddly white Teddy.

With Kensington Park right behind our property we are so fortunate having access to thousands of acres of forest, meadows, lakes, and the Huron River. The park has beautiful riding and hiking trails and I find great relaxation and peace being out there. It's fun having a companion, and I found the perfect one: he does not chase rabbits or deer, doesn't stop to lift his leg on every tree, walks or jogs perfectly next to me, listens to me talking without running off - and his name is Teddy!

Crouching Tiger, uh, Rider - and where is his bikini line?

It was a weekend chock full of great rides and challenging instruction to process.

My long torso makes it difficult for me to lower my center of gravity. Having grown up in the school of "Stand up/sit up straight and tall" no doubt helped my posture, but can make me stiff in my riding; even sometimes causing me to 'pop out' of the saddle. So Sandy comes up with all kinds of images in order to get me to bear down. One of my favorites, heard this weekend: "You need to put your center of gravity down to your bikini line, so Saumur can lower his center to his bikini line". Huh? Where the heck is his bikini line?? Actually, picturing Saumur in a two piece bathing suit did not help my focus at all, but the message is clear and sure makes huge difference when working on collection.

In order to make Saumur more responsive to my leg aids and to move his hind end more under him we practised a new exercise called 'The Wheel'. Basically these are turns on the forehand around a small circle. Saumur is the spoke of the wheel and has to be in the right position to the center, while moving around in a circle. If he loses his position we do a couple of steps rein back and move on.

The trot half-passes: quarterline - straight - change direction, quarterline - and so on were a lot of fun. I also loved the following: collected trot, 10 m circle, then up the centerline, flying change. After all these exercises my mind was pretty much on the fizz from all the concentration, and I still had Remy to ride.

JP came next, and he and Chambord had an awesome lesson. Those boys can move! JP made so much progress, and his position has improved greatly. Seeing these two cantering along, round and on the bit (!), happy as could be sure was a great sight, culminating in Chambord stopping on a dime for a cookie.

When I started with Remy Sandy pointed out that he needs the same ride as Saumur. In my efforts to 'make it easy for the kid' I've become too wobbly. This idea of 'going with him and being lose' really doesn't help him. Another good one from Sandy: "Imagine carrying a five year old in a back pack" (why in the world would I do that?) - "you would have a much easier time if your load were quiet and not wiggling all over the place, getting you out of balance. It's the same for Remy, the quieter you are the easier it is for him to carry you." (Am I now the five year old in a backpack??).

Another important reminder: I can't be his best buddy when we are training, I have to show him the way. He (and I) will have a much easier time working together within defined parameters and set boundaries. (Sounds like supervising the people at work). Case in point with Remy: Rooting the reins out of my hands is NOK - not acceptable.

After all this we hightailed home to meet Luanne, the saddle fitter from Schleese. I am using Saumur's saddle on Remy, but of course the boys are built and muscled differently. While at Rolex I stopped at the Schleese booth to look at saddles, but quite frankly, almost $7K for a saddle? Obviously, used is the way to go. I was relieved when Luanne said after a thorough check of Remy's back that I could make do for a while with Saumur's saddle if I put shims in the front of my Thinline pad. Yes! Thank you, Luanne. If a used Wave becomes available Remy still will get his own, but for now the boys just have to share.

Remy had his own ideas about the whole saddle thing. He picked up Luanne's forms, and waved them around like a flag. Maybe his input on the price?

Some things are just meant to be - welcome to the family, Chip!

It didn't take long for our newly adopted pony Chip to conquer the equine and human hearts in our household. He is the cutest little guy, white, with a very thick and long mane and tail. He is supposedly a 11 year old Welsh/POA cross, that changed hands various times. At one point he belonged to riding camp, but they didn't have enough small children for him to earn his keep.

Chip walked onto our trailer without a second thought, traveled fine, went into the barn and greeted Remy and Chambord. I was amazed how easy the introductions went, Remy right away nuzzled Chip, both he and Chambord immediately took to him. When we let them out together there was no squealing, posturing, running or kicking. Just some "hi, how are you's", and they then immediately stuck together like a three-leaf clover. Even Chambord, who is known to bully other horses, was on his best behaviour. This morning they made me late for work because I just couldn't get enough of watching the three of them: Chip leading the charge, galloping to the juicier pasture, followed by Remy and Chambord. What a sight!

I strongly believe that things happen for a reason. To me it seems that Chip knows that he was meant to live with us, and Chambord and Remy share the feeling. I could almost hear Remy saying: "Wow, you got me a pony! Awesome birthday present, thank you!"

A great lesson followed by a birthday celebration

One of the many things I greatly appreciate about Sandy as a teacher is that she is on a constant quest for more knowledge; be it by riding in clinics, auditing, reading, or watching online training sessions. Last weekend she audited a Heather Blitz clinic in Ohio, and came back full of new ideas and suggestions. Heather follows Mary Wanless' principles quite closely, which include a lot of visualization. For example, in order to keep my seat bones in the right position Sandy used one of Heather's tips: Imagine there are flashlights in your seat bones, and the light has to shine straight down, not forward or backward.

Also, Sandy observed an exercise that really improved the horse's throughness. So when it was time for my lesson she said "I'm dying to try it out on you": Trot two steps, walk two steps, trot two steps, etc. The key is to keep the horse honestly trotting (no shuffling), and to do crisp transitions from the core. This led to trot two steps, halt, trot two steps, etc. If he runs through the aids, then rein back.

Another thing that Heather mentioned is that the horse's tone and the rider's tone should match. Now, Saumur is one tightly toned sucker... me?? Some room for improvement, especially on the core. The exercise worked really well (I have sore abs to show for today) and Saumur felt awesome. Very light and flowing, everything seemed easy, the 10m canter circles could have easily led into pirouettes, and we also had some nice half-steps. Definitely one of the days where everything just clicked. Being a Type A personality I am hardly ever satisfied with myself. However, yesterday, I have to say, I was happy with myself. I even managed to keep my hands low and quiet, keeping with the mantra "strong shoulders, soft hands".

The evening finished well with Remy's 4th birthday celebration. Luckily we didn't have to hire a clown - he gets a pony tonight. So it was apples and carrots for Remy and his buddy Chambord - and excellent red wine for the grownups.

Two home, two more to go - and what's with the early wake up call?

Last night we picked up Remy and Chambord. For people not having had our experience with a 'non-loader' it will be hard to understand how we still marvel at how easy it is to get the boys into the trailer. With Chambord we basically just have to open the door, point him in the direction, and in he goes. Remy follows behind. Quite a change from our ordeal over the years with Saumur.

Remy and Chambord walked into their stalls at home, looking a bit puzzled by the change of scenery but settled right into their plush bedding.

5 a.m. this morning: wake up call! They both were laying stretched out in their stalls, blinking sleepily at me when I switched on the lights. I could almost hear them say: "Lady, you are way too early!". Well, boys, if I could have a choice I would snooze a bit longer, too!