When a short txt makes your day - and behind every "He's THE MAN" is a great woman

Children here get “Snow and Ice Days”, which means the schools close when there is too much snow for the buses to navigate the roads or when it’s too cold for the kids to stand at the curb waiting for the bus. The horses also had plenty of snow and ice days recently. It seems it’s been eons since they were on a regular ‘school’ schedule.

With a break in the weather today (next snowstorm is predicted for tomorrow!) Judy worked Remy this morning. We were both a bit curious how the kid would take to the ‘back to school’ program. No worries: “Good boy Remy! I just love him!” was the text I got post ride.  That just made my day J. When I thanked Judy she replied back “I’ll thank Remy, he’s The Man!”

It just proves –once again!- that behind every 'THE MAN' (or horse) is a great woman! Keep that in mind, boys - and yes, JP that includes you, too :-) !

Battling cabin fever - with "Finding Pegasus"

Good thing I love to read - otherwise I’d be crawling up the walls by now. Actually, this is a perfect time to slow down, and really take the time to spend with books that require more attention and focus than say a murder mystery. I had read “Finding Pegasus” by Terry Church years ago, but at the time I was too distracted to really do it justice. Being housebound due to ice and snow this weekend I finally had the time and the right frame of mind to truly appreciate it.

“Finding Pegasus” is based on true events. It is the story of Tara Beacon, a very ambitious FEI competitor and trainer, that also struggles to overcome some serious childhood trauma. After spending a year in Germany with a ‘Reitlehrer vom alten Schlag’ (meaning he had the mindset of ‘the horse must obey at all times by means of force if needed’), she came back to the States with her sensitive TB so disturbed from the experience that she contemplated to retire him.

Through a friend Tara meets Tom Dorrance, an octogenarian cowboy. Tom is considered “the true father of horsemanship”, he mentored numerous well-known ‘horsemanship gurus’, most notably Buck Brannaman, Ray Hunt, and many more. First Tara is confused by Tom’s approach, he doesn’t consider himself a teacher, he never explains what he does, and progress seems to come in sometimes invisible steps to the untrained eye. Tom often uses paths that seem to have nothing to do with the task at hand; for example, Tara is asking for help with the canter pirouette, and Tom has her work on what appear to be completely unrelated exercises on the trail. Slowly, though, Tara recognizes Tom’s wisdom in dealing with horses and humans, and by that he eventually helps her healing, too.

The book really makes you pause and think about our relationships with our horses; and Tom’s wisdom is liberally sprinkled throughout the book. I noted with interest that Tom is quoted in saying “I don’t help people with horse problems, I help horses with people problems” – and that’s exactly what Buck states at a clinic in the film ‘Buck’. Another quote I really liked concerned a horse with quite a few ‘people problems’: “You see”, Tom said, “he doesn’t want to buck or run off any more than you want him to. It’s just that he doesn’t know what else to do in a situation where he perceives danger.”  

It is a very gripping, extremely well written, and sometimes disturbing book (abusive situations). It clearly shows that Dressage and Natural Horsemanship are not mutually exclusive. Au contraire, they are complementary and it shows how combining both will lead to the greatest success.

The story will stay a long time with me, I’m sure. And now of course, I’m on to “True Unity” by Tom Dorrance.

I turned into a human horse-walker - and ignorance is not always bliss

We are in the claws of an unrelenting deep freeze, euphemistically called "Polar Vortex". (More appropriate: "The Non-Stop Polar Express to Antarctica"). Sub-zero temps rule out riding, strenuous exercise is not good for the horses. It hurts their lungs if they deeply inhale the frigid air. The horses at Judy's still get several hours of turnout, but on the frozen ground they (thankfully!) don't move around much.

That leaves the riders with basically one option: Hand-walking. Big show barns have automated horse-walkers, equine treadmills, solariums, and even swimming pools for horses.  We have exercise for both horse and human in the form of hand-walking in the arena. One of Judy's clients figured out that walking 10 times around the perimeter of the arena equals 1 1/4 miles. Not bad!

So, this is how I spend my afternoon: Walking the boys in the indoor. Both seemed to be happy to stretch their legs and were at their best behavior. No flying kites today!

Walking the horses gives the humans a chance to chat, and while I walked Remy I talked with someone I previously had not met. We had a good conversation... until I mentioned that my boys are Morgans, that is. Her reply: "When I can no longer figure out Warmbloods I'll go back to Morgans". Implied of course, that Morgans are of lower quality, not as challenging and competitive as Warmbloods.

My 'Schachtelteufel'* was about to jump to his last spring, when Takako-san came to mind. Takako-san was my Japanese language professor, a tiny slip of a lady, who always reminded me: "Birgit-san, you are a lady, and ladies are not using that language". What she meant was that the Japanese language has gender-specific expressions. Some words are not supposed to be used by women. So, with that in mind I just calmly replied "You know, this is very offensive", and walked away.

Doomo arigatoo gozaimashita, Takako-san. My Japanese language skills are still woefully inadequate (entirely my fault), but your lessons left a lasting impression.

Actually, come to think of, the one who should really thank you is the woman who made the rude remark. Ignorance definitely is not always bliss - it can be just plain stupid!

*'Schachtelteufel = Devil in the Box (picture a little devil instead of a Jack in the Box). My friend Stephanie calls it "your Schachtelteufel is at his last spring" when my temper gets the better of me. Someone opens the box and out jumps the little devil.

A very 'mixed bag weekend' - time to break out the emergency chocolate

Saturday I had an absolutely great ride on Remy; I could really feel the harmony of us moving together. My ride on Saumur was a good one, too. Despite the cold the endorphins were happily cruising through my system, providing a “high without chocolate”.

Unfortunately, the cruising came to a rather abrupt stop on Sunday. Gusty winds were blowing, making for scary noises in the indoor arena. (And no, Jude, it didn’t help you mentioning that once a roof panel flew off!). Saumur, always one to worry about anything, jumped at the first noise. Then he blocked his neck and I was ‘SOL’. VERY frustrating, because it was the first time in weeks that I had a lesson on Saumur, and I had been really looking forward to it. Alas, it was not to be, so I asked Judy to be excused. Yes, as much as I loath to admit it, I was tired – tired of struggling, tired of the spooking, tired of forcing him to focus. I’ve been on the fence for a long time now regarding Saumur, and I guess it’s really time to call it quits – quits with serious work that is.

With the howling winds still going strong I decided to just longe Remy – which proved to be the smart decision as I promptly had another “Oh, sh*t!” experience. Remy was bucking and bolting as I’ve never seen him do before. All I could do was trying to stay on my feet and hang on to him. I saw two of Judy’s clients watching through the windows, motioning that they’d be ready to come to my rescue. Thanks, Ladies! Remy finally settled down. I think he did surprise himself as he was completely subdued afterwards, following me around like the puppy he usually is. But sure enough, the thought crossed my mind “What if he does that under saddle??? – I’d be flying up to the rafters!”

On that cheerful thought: Time to break out the emergency chocolate. Thanks to the care parcels from Stephanie (aka The Chocolate Fairy) I have a choice of meds: Ritter Sport Rum Trauben Nuss (for smaller issues; contains Rum), and Lindt Kirschwasser (for tough days; contains brandy). It definitely was a Kirschwasser Day!

Where did my mojo go? Battling the winter doldrums

OK, so far I’ve been very good not to let the Michigan winter get to me. Sorry to admit, but the ‘winter doldrums’ (Colloquially, the "doldrums" are a state of inactivity, mild depression, listlessness or stagnation) are starting to creep in. Snow, slush and ice almost made me cancel my lesson yesterday; JP volunteered to battle the road conditions and chauffeur us to the barn. After all, the boys were out of carrots!

It was hard getting my motivation up to ride. The thought crossed my mind that I could have sat on the couch instead with a good book, glass of wine, and Jerry the barn-cat (now that’s an oxymoron) on my lap.  Sure enough, Remy didn’t relish the feeling that I would have rather traded him in for my warm couch that afternoon. He swiftly showed me what he thought of that by being inattentive and argumentative.

Nothing like a horse to get you to focus on the here and now. So we (I) buckled down and got to work. Numerous stern reminders from the intrepid coach: “Uphill! More forward! Over his back!” did the rest. Things started to flow better and I got some of “my mojo workin’” again. Head to the wall leg yields in the trot produced a more balanced Remy, which helped getting him off the inside rein.

The highlight of the afternoon was a lovely canter lengthening. I should have quit then and there. But no, I decided to do some stretchy trot to finish. Not good enough, though, I lost Remy’s back, and we had to continue to work until it was correct. Rightfully so, Judy is not one that lets you quit on a wrong note (“don’t put him back in his stall with the wrong impression in his mind”).

I guess I shouldn’t go to bed “with the wrong impression in my mind” either. Someone better takes the weather app away from me!

"Please take comfort in feeling my bum in the saddle" - and I did get off the pot

Be careful what you wish for - you might get it. In this case, we were wishing for warmer temps. Seems the Universe was listening. The good news: Yes, warmer weather. The bad news: Lots of ice on the ground, and snow and ice coming off the arena roof with loud thuds. Ah, and the timing: I had two lessons today.

Actually, it turned out not being that bad at all. It's always what you make of it. I had to overcome "meinen inneren Schweinehund" (let's just say the polite way to say is I had to overcome some of my apprehensions). All the riders were watching the huge eaves of snow hanging precariously off the roof, clearly visible through the windows.

Sure enough, when it was my turn: Time for the snow to come down. It didn't take long and the loud thuds got Remy to scoot off from under me. Deep breath. Judy gave me the option to quit. Actually, she gave me two options: Either ride with authority or don't ride at all! Makes perfectly sense, of course, Remy needs to know that I believe everything is OK - even though I'd like to jump, too. As Judy put it: "Your seat placed firmly in the saddle is his security blanket". I went down to business, thinking: "OK, Remy, my butt may not be the greatest security blanket, it's perhaps a bit on the bony side; but please take comfort in it anyway".

Andrea came in with Simon, her young horse, also known for 'occasional outbursts of playfulness'. It could have gone either way; Remy and Simon egging each other on, having fun 'hopping' around, or both of them taking comfort in each other. Luckily, it was the latter, much to the relief of their riders. As Andrea mentioned at the end:  "That went well, we both survived". Amen, sister!

Ah, but I still had Saumur, and there was plenty of snow left to come down for him. Why should Remy get all the fun, anyway? Saumur: He of the bolting kind. Again, choices: Riding through it or packing it in for the day. Again, buckle down and get through. Actually, we ended up having a 'Lightbulb-Moment-Day': 10 m circles to the left are often a problem because Saumur throws his haunches in. Today was a good day to work on small circles (easier to control a bolt), so we did just that. And wouldn't you know it, I finally figured out where/how to place my left leg so Saumur's haunches are not coming in: More bend in the knee, with the leg further back, and voila! Done deal.

As the saying goes: "Either sh..t or get off the pot!" (Explanation to people not familiar with the expression: It means "Either get the job done correctly, or leave it alone - don't just sit there and do it halfheartedly").

So, to sum it up: I did my business and then I got off the pot. Very relieved - I may say!

Saumur and JP have the same 'Like' - good to know!

The extreme cold sure did not help Saumur with his stiff joints. While he is not lame, his age is catching up with him. Of course, Saumur is on the highest dose of joint supplements, and he has also had Adequan injections. With Adequan still being limited/back-ordered, Judy and some of her clients recommended we try Polyglycan, which is given IV by the vet. I did some research and thought, well, let's give it a try.

With Saumur's history, shots are not an easy thing to do. Well, if you would have been bled (blood letting to make you weaker and thus more manageable) you wouldn't let anybody near your veins either! Especially with our (male) vet at home Saumur is known to throw a fit when it's time for Coggins and vaccinations.

So yesterday at Judy's I reminded the (female) vet of Saumur's peculiarity. I kept the carrots coming while she put the meds in his vein. And wouldn't you know it: Not a problem at all!

Later on I mentioned to Judy and JP that what I thought all along is really true: Saumur clearly prefers women. To which JP dryly commented: "Well, so do I". Thumbs and hooves up for women - Good to know, boys :-)!

DIY - or "My Ikea approach to training my horses"

Someone recently made a comment to me about "always wanting to ride FEI  horses" and "not wanting to bother with the lower level stuff". Hmm --

It made me think about my approach to horse-ownership and riding; and what I call  "my Ikea approach". When I was 20 I got my first apartment; and  I had very little money to spend on furnishing a completely empty place. My choices were limited to hand-me downs and Ikea. Now, at that time getting furniture from Ikea was quite the adventure - everything came in parts to be assembled by the buyer, and notoriously there were items missing from the package. Furthermore, once assembled there was still a good chance that the book case, table, chair, etc. was wobbling or worst case even toppled over. But I still vividly remember the joy I felt when I had managed to assemble and paint my dining room table. So what if there were some screws missing and the table had a funky slant? I had a handy friend that was also into carpentry; and he fixed my imperfect work and made the table whole.

Now, what does that have to do with horse-training? IMO, a lot. I feel the same about my horses - I like to be there early in their education and build the relationship. Yes, there is a very good chance that I'm missing parts (and no, I am NOT missing a screw!) but the process is fun - horsey temper tantrums and all. Of course, that only works because I have Judy to straighten me and my boys out. It's like having a master-carpenter on stand-by, ready to fix that wobbly table.

Note to self: Next Christmas - a carpenter belt for Jude.

"Earth to Remy" - and pass the wormer, please

-39F windchills = No turnout. I seriously bundled up, slipped and inched my truck towards Judy’s. Nothing like black ice to make the drive a bit more interesting!

The boys were eager to get out of their stalls. They reminded me of a bunch of bored kids that are forced to stay home with nothing much to do. I took Remy first into the indoor, and put him on the longe line. He started sedately enough, but at the first noise he heard the rocket launcher kicked in. Yihaa! I couldn’t blame him for it, he clearly needed an outlet for all his pent-up energy. After a while though, it was “Earth to Remy”, and luckily he listened to “Houston” – uh, “Clarkston” that is, and finished on a good note. I took him on a long handwalk afterwards.

Saumur had only one thing in mind: Roll – and then roll some more. He didn’t take off like the kid, but still was happy to get the kinks out. More handwalking for him.

Ah, and the “crème de la crème“ for the day: Worming. We don’t worm often, the necessity is usually determined by fecal counts (evidence of worm eggs in the manure). About twice a year everyone gets a dose of medicine at the same time.

My mission-accomplished note to Judy: “Boys plus my coat were wormed successfully”!

"Chop, chop, Honey" - and "I've got a buyer - what now?"

Saturday was 'warm' enough (in the low 20s F) to ride. Remy has been rather frisky at the longeline lately, the extreme cold is not helping him expend enough energy.

He clearly felt the need to try and flex his five-year old muscles with me. At one point we stopped next to Judy to listen to her instructions. When I asked Remy to move off again the little rascal kicked out with his hind leg, as if to say: "No, thanks, I'm good standing here, don't bug me!" "Excuse me?!" Judy told him "Chop, chop, honey, let's get moving", but it needed to be reinforced by me picking up my jumping bat. As before, just carrying it was enough for Remy to get back to his "yes, ma'am".  Once I had his attention I put the crop down to see if we could keep the good attitude. Uh, not so much, Remy again was compelled to question my authority. Luckily he figured out quickly that he is up against a stubborn German; and we finished on a good note. Remy sure subscribes to the motto "Can't blame a guy for trying".

Since then, no more riding, we are in the midst of a snow storm with extreme cold temps. JP spend about 5 hours on the tractor today, trying to get us plowed out. At temps the weather channel calls "Feel like -22F". And after all that - nowhere to go! Our roads still have not seen a snow plow.

I have used the 'indoor-time' to place an ad for JPs trail-saddle. Admittedly, selling on the internet is a first for me, and I'm a bit weary of the pitfalls. Luckily some of my friends have been helping out with tips, and recommending PayPal. Still, I'm not too comfortable with the potential buyer and the transaction. Better figure it out soon, though, as it seems it's the only way to go.

I'd rather do it the old-fashioned way: "Meet you at McD's - I bring the goods, you bring the cash!" - with JP as my bodyguard near by. Although, JPs (protection) services would certainly cost me more than a Happy Meal :-)

The day of a thousand transitions - and the limits of 'brotherly love'

Single digit temps (F - not C) translate into "No riding". I made my way to the barn through snow and slush, thanks to our 4-wheel drive truck. (I now forgive you for being a gas-guzzler!)

The boys had turnout this morning, but they still needed exercise. So I longed them both. Remy was very "up", clearly the kid needed to blow of some steam. While I understand completely his need to get rid of some of the pent up energy, the same rules apply: "No bucking, no bolting" when on the longe line (and of course, especially NOT when under saddle). After the initial excitement Remy settled into it, and we were able to do a ton (OK, not quite a thousand) of good transitions just by voice commands. There are people that don't believe in using the voice at all when training horses, I'm obviously not one of them. Actually, our boys understand multiple languages, how about that? OK, realistically, it's probably the tone more than anything else, but still it's impressive (proud mother speaking).

Saumur, as usual, had to throw himself on the ground as soon as we hit the arena, grunting happily while rolling. He took great exception to the snow coming through the outside door, but then got with the program.

I was handwalking Saumur after longing when I heard Remy calling - so I got him, too, and turned into a 'human horse-walker'. However, the 'brotherly love' clearly did not extend to sharing: Saumur, who usually gets bossed around by Remy, felt very strong having me in between them. He tried with all the ugly faces and flattened ears he could muster to get Remy away from me. No such luck, the kid stood his ground.

Ah, it sure feels good to have two guys vying for my attention!

HAPPY NEW YEAR - Trying to save a chicken instead of riding

It's a winter wonderland - with freezing temps and constant snow fall.

So, the boys had a day off yesterday. I took the Max and Jaas (our Viszlas) out for a run in the park. As they are very good at staying with me (um, most of the time..) I let them run off leash - yes, against the rules, I know. But they have so much fun, and besides, these are very athletic and strong dogs. Combined, they outweigh me, and it has happened that when I leashed them they pulled me right off my feet right and face first in the snow, much to the delight of the people we encountered.

On the way back the dogs were quite a way in front of me. I heard some squawking and barking, and thought "oh, sh.t, hope they didn't get a pheasant". These are bird dogs, after all. I immediately called them off and went to check. It was a chicken! A beautiful, well fed, domestic chicken. It was no worse for the wear, just a couple of feathers missing. Now what? Picking the chicken up didn't seem to be such a hot idea, it might decide I'm worse than the dogs and defend itself with its beak.

So I ran the dogs home, got JP out from the shower and into the truck in our quest (OK, more precisely, MY quest) to "save the chicken". Alas, it had gone. I even went back with the dogs later in the afternoon, hoping they would find it again, but no luck. Hopefully, it went home on its own. I was a bit disappointed, by no means a fan of chicken I still thought:  We have a barn, we could have housed the chicken! And perhaps changed the farm name to "Our Ark" --