When the "threat" comes from above - and those darn half-halts

I had a couple of interesting rides on Saumur these last days. Tuesday’s trailride started well, until several hot air balloons quietly floating up over our heads, their captains choosing just that very moment to ascent – with the unmistaken help of lots of gas. The noise unsettled Saumur quite a bit, he couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. When that happens I feel like sitting on a black powder barrel just waiting for the spark to ignite the whole thing. Over the years I’ve learned to deal with it, and luckily the forest trail loomed ahead. Once in the woods he felt “out of the woods” (how’s that for a word play?) and by then also the balloons had sailed away gracefully.

Yesterday was the first lesson in a while, and I had been really looking forward to it. Ah, but then, “he’s Saumur”, having perfected the “I can lay on your hand” shtick quite well. When I think I have him on my seat and leg he’s still diving down, putting his weight in my hands. I have the Popeye-muscles to proof. Judy focused on having me getting him off my hands and onto my seat. Whew. I tend to give and take constantly, where really the goal is to be quick with the half-halt, even if it has to be strong, and then get light.

To top it off, Remy got send home from school today with the teacher’s note saying “Half-halts in a forward motion.. the better he half-halts from your seat and you use less rein the better he is – just like Saumur”. What, another one that needs my seat and leg?Judy’s job security = my misery J

A beautiful weekend - and planning the cheer for the National Dressage Championships

Michigan in the fall is beautiful. Even though it’s a bit early to see the Indian Summer color changes we decided to extend my business trip and spend part of the weekend “Up North” – horse-less and altogether critter-less! Doesn’t mean we didn’t miss them, though. I couldn’t help but imagining long gallops along the sandy shores of Lake Michigan, or through the sheer endless forests.

If you are traveling to Traverse City, two excellent recommendations: Patisserie Amie and especially Bistro FouFou, where I had the best dinner in a long time. And yes, to those of you that know me and are now snickering: I had more than salad!! (for those of you not familiar with my eating habits: I’m not on a diet, I just absolutely LOVE salad). 

So, back home Sunday we wasted little time and took Chambord and Remy out on our own trails. During the ride we came across a pretty worried horse and rider: Two big bucks (Male Whitetail Deer) were standing right in front of them on the trail. No problem for Chambord, who clearly considers himself the “Trail Blazer”. We invited the lady to come with us, which she gladly did, and Chambord made sure the trail was clear! Remy was curious but relaxed, and seemed to like his new trail friend.

But of course, the big event (not surprisingly J) this weekend was the USDF Region 2 Championships: All Topline clients did really well, but Judy and Benise nailed it by besting a huge group of competitors to take home the win of the PSG Championship! Congrats, Jude!!  We will be traveling to KY to cheer you on at the National Championships. Although, uh, I'm not sure how you feel about JP waving PomPoms, screaming “Give me a T, give me an O, give me a P…”???. On the bright side - Topline Dressage would be instantly famous on YouTube J.

A nifty little gadget - and what's bobbing up in front of us?

Kensington Park requires that all riders and horses be registered with the park office. In exchange for providing emergency information the park issues free bridle tags. It’s a great idea, should a horse become lose the rangers can look up owner/vet etc. But those tags are big enough to be easily spotted and therefore not exactly “Bridle” material. Lightbulb moment: I use a neck rope and put the bridle tag on it: two birds with one stone! It will help the horse balance without use of the bit and it holds the tag. Some more research revealed that “Balance Reins” (fancy name for neck strap, actually a stirrup leather will do the trick) are highly recommended.

What can I say: it works! Climbing up and down rather steep hills I put a hand on the strap instead of grabbing mane. It’s also much easier to hold on to than a “sissy strap” (the little leather strap right in front of the saddle). And in pinch, should a rein or stirrup break, it can become an emergency aid.

I didn’t need it last night, but I was glad that I had it: While going down the trail I noticed something white bobbing up and down. What was that?? Hope Remy doesn’t spook! I looked at JP and saw him already laughing. A closer look revealed that the “white thing” was a naked behind, belonging to the Human species! While Chambord decided to make a wide berth around the couple Remy had all intentions to check them out ”Hey, watcha doing??”. Conclusion: Remy is not only good with tarp, he can handle naked humans having a different kind of fun on the trail, too!

Sorry, Kid - we are on our own now!

Remy is back from his week of school. He actually has about 10 day vacation now, as Judy and a group of her clients are off next week to the USDF Region 2 championships. I almost feel a bit left out, but the emphasis is on ‘almost’… even though Remy made a ton of progress I didn’t want to jinx it with another trip to Lamplight, IL. Better to tackle the championships (at the Kentucky Horse Park) with confidence next year. And also, hmmm, having saved a huge chunk of change by not going to Lamplight I might be able to splurge on the next Jan clinic.

Remy was sent home with a teacher’s note to me: “….Remember to have expectations as you do for your employees! No free rides! He needs to earn his treats!..”

Ah, kid, it’s you and me now. Let’s see how we can figure it out: staying straight between inside and outside aids, pushing through the half-halts, etc. etc.…

If all else fails: I’ve stocked up on Nutella, and I promise there are enough ‘stud muffins’ for you to tie us over until Judy comes back!

A surprising email - Saumur's gaze touched a stranger

I received a very polite email from a complete stranger: A German woman that had seen the photo of Saumur and JP in the German riding magazine “Cavallo”. She wrote that she was so touched by what she saw in Saumur’s gaze she felt compelled to contact the magazine and ask for my email address. Her specialty is management consulting, and she also teaches management and communication skills with the aid of horses. So, she very kindly asked if she could use the photo in her training sessions.  Now I was touched. For this  complete stranger to notice the unspoken communication between Saumur and JP is really remarkable.

Photo courtesy of Mathieu Boimare

The more I thought about how horses teach us non-verbal communication skills the more I realized how much the boys (aided by some excellent cowboy advice) have taught me. One of the first lessons I learned was “make yourself as tall as possible” – when Saumur was trying to run me over. You have to command presence, and really it’s the same with people. If you shy away and make yourself small you will not command respect. There are plenty more examples like that, and I completely believe that what I learned by dealing with horses has helped me in the ‘non-horsey’ aspect of my life. Instantly, leadership and also mentoring come to mind. OTOH, some things I try to refrain from transferring:  Being emotional for one (well, I said TRYING!)

Animated movies, trailrides and tarp

OK, who ever designed “Maximus” in Disney’s animated movie “Tangled” must have met Chambord! We happened to come across it the other night on TV, and OMG – in all of "Max’s" expressions we recognized Chambord. Hello Disney, if you want hire the real deal: Give us a call!

Speaking of movies, this one has nothing to do with horses, but we were both deeply impressed: “Blue Jasmine”, the latest Woody Allen movie, starring Cate Blanchett. Wow, she deserves an Oscar for her role as Jasmine!

Back to the horses – it was a weekend for lovely trailrides… and some heated discussions. It’s hard for me choosing who to take, Saumur or Remy? Saumur is “The Man” and he carefully watches who gets my attention and how much. As soon as he sees me in the pasture he comes right up to me, and if I get Remy he tries to push him away. Yesterday I took Saumur on a trailride, much to JP’s chagrin. He feels I should spend more time with Remy. But I have to admit that after all these years of runs, bolts and spooks having Saumur now marching along happy and relaxed is just the icing on the cake for me. It makes me happy to feel him FINALLY relaxed. Actually, relaxed enough to put Chambord in his place by baring his teeth.

So, for Remy I came up with another kind of ‘entertainment’: Groundwork. I like to go back to groundwork from time to time, things like yielding the hindquarters, backing up, etc. Remy remembered everything, and thought that was a snooze. To spice things up I put a large tarp in arena to walk over it. Well, after Remy wasn’t successful in picking it up he was quickly bored with the whole thing. So JP and I decided to drape him in it. NP!! (No problem). The ‘crowning achievement’ was flicking an automatic umbrella at him, again: NP. Conclusion: We have reached tarp and umbrella proficiency, now we can go back to the dressage work! 

Labor Day - Is everyone happier with a job to do?

Judy, JP and I worked out a schedule for the fall that takes the boys' individual needs into account:

- Remy goes to school at Judy's Monday through Wednesday, comes home Thursday through Sunday for "track and field" sessions with me. That gives him a good balance between work and play.
- Saumur works in our ring and on the trails, and we do some "graduate work" with Judy
- Chambord and JP are mainly hitting the trails, interspersed with "alternate high school" classes

That way we balance work and play for everybody and take advantage of the Michigan fall riding weather. Remy is young and needs to get exposed to a lot of different things, besides continuing with his dressage training. Saumur is at a stage where he has reached his zenith, and the focus now is more on keeping him sound and healthy than moving him up. Chambord's goals are pretty straightforward: Be a good boy for JP!

I think everyone is happier if they have a job to do. Our two Viszlas, Max and Jaas, think their job is running through the woods, chasing squirrels; and defending our place with the most threatening barks possible. JP needs to have something to build (fences), tear down (fences, walls), fix (tractor) or cut (lawn, trees). I have to be physical active, preferably riding, otherwise I get crabby (yes, OK, I admit it).

Ah, but there is always an exception to the rule  - in our case Julius and Halle (our rescued house cats): No work! Snuggling, eating and sleeping is perfectly fine, thank you very much!!

"Born to ride .. forced to work" - Professional or Amateur

I saw that bumper sticker for the first time last weekend, and it got me to think about the meaning. Initially I found it funny, but honestly I view it a bit differently. Yes, I have to work to pay the bills, but I also have the privilege to work. I consider myself a "Die-hard Professional", and I have worked hard to get to where I am in my career. It gives me pleasure to create a good work environment, alleviating some of the day-to-day stress, and of course leading a successful team.

But then, when it comes to riding, I am an amateur at heart. I don't want to be a Professional in the horse business. Dealing with a multitude of customers and their egos, green, spoiled and unruly horses that are expected to be 'fixed' in a month, the hard physical labor and dangers that come with training the above mentioned horses, staffing issues (try to find and keep good barn help!), all the while striving to be on top of the competitive game... wow, this is not for the faint of heart! ( I'm not a sissy, but I know my limits, mainly the lack of patience to deal with said customer egos).  Not to mention the 24/7 on-call hours. This truly is "Survival of the fittest". I wouldn't want to fall into the category of professional that loses the love of the horses and the sport due to the daily grind.

Lucky for us, we found a professional that very successfully handles the pressures of her job with grace and good humor, while preserving her love for the horses and the sport.  Chapeau, Judy!

Yesterday Saumur and I had a good lesson, and after a particularly well executed exercise Judy exclaimed "Pretty good for an amateur!" Now, coming from her, that really is a compliment!

Wikipedia: An amateur (French amateur "lover of", from Old French and ultimately from Latin amatorem nom. amator, "lover") is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science in a non-professional or unpaid manner. 

Yes: I am a true amateur in the sense of the word - And not just pertaining to horses! I wonder if there is such a thing as an "Amateur-Wife" :-)?