"He is wearing his thinking cap today" - and Make versus Buy

Chambord joined Remy in his lesson today. Both Judy and I are always amazed how Chambord can hang out at home for a week, travel like a champ to Judy's, and then strut his stuff for JP. No muss, no fuss, no special prep like groundwork or longing required, just off they go. Judy: "Your husband's horse is worth his weight in gold, he really takes care of him", which hits the nail on the head. Best $2K we've ever spent. Thank you, RJ!

Remy had yesterday off but went right to work today. We are now truly working on 2nd level, with more collection, counter canter, and yes - our nemesis, the walk-canter departs. Remy was focused and concentrated, which got him the approval from Judy: "he is wearing his thinking cap today". I had to correct her, though, with the gentle reminder that I, too, am wearing my thinking cap - it's just hidden under my helmet. 

After the lesson I realized how I now enjoy seeing the progress, instead of repeating the same basics over and over. Don't get me wrong, we are still working on the basics, of course, but now we can build on them also. 

Bringing a young horse along is not for the faint of heart. I have to admit that I had moments (OK, more than I care to admit) of doubts if this is what I wanted to do. There are quite a few people in my immediate vicinity riding trained schoolmasters; they can go out and do their advanced stuff without having to worry about their 'kid' (hmm, in some cases, senior citizen) blowing up. And while they worry about getting the perfect tempi changes I worry about getting a good canter depart. 

Even though it took me a while to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I can honestly say that "Make versus buy" was the right choice. It takes about two years for a true partnership between horse and rider to develop. I am thinking we are getting through the growing pains now, so hopefully we will have a very solid partnership later on. 

Of course, I wouldn't say this if it weren't for the incredible support I am getting from Judy and JP. They both always had more faith in this partnership than I had; and with two (very different)  'relationship counselors' on our side I think Remy and I are well covered!

"He is in touch with his female side" - speaking of which...

Ah, Remy always has to make sure that his feelings are clearly understood, hence Judy’s comment yesterday after our ride “he is in touch with his female side”. We’ll take it as a compliment, as Judy prefers mares!

Speaking of the ‘female side’ – I just finished a wonderful booked called the ‘Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls’ by Anton DiSclafani (despite the name Anton, the writer is female).  The title is a bit misleading, I find. At first glance one might think it is a  children’s or young adult book about summer camp – far from it, though.  Actually some of the scenes are more NC17 than PG13.

The novel is set in the 1930s, right during the depression. The heroine Thea reminds me of Scarlett O’Hara. She is headstrong, passionate, and selfish. Being homeschooled, with very little contact to the world outside her family, Thea spends the majority of her days with Sasi, her horse.

Thea enters into an illicit relationship with her cousin, resulting in dire consequences for the entire family. Subsequently Thea is sent from her home in Florida to a girl’s camp and year-round school in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. An absolutely fearless equestrian, Thea tries to adapt to the lifestyle at the camp, where social skills are deemed vastly more important than academics. And, of course, another man enters the plot – this time the married headmaster.

It’s part historical novel, part romance novel (which I usually don’t like at all), and the author keeps the reader’s attention throughout. The descriptions are very vivid, and the suspense is palpable – all this make for a very good read (in my case in the bathtub).

Monday, Monday... some nudging required

After four days of fun at home it was time for Remy to get back to school. He had the typical ‘Monday-Morning Attitude’ even though (or because) it was already Tuesday afternoon.

Whine, whine… “Do I have to?, really?, are you sure?!” I played it safe and put Remy on the longe-line first. Sure enough, Mr. Personality ignored my half-halts, voice commands, dragged his feet only to get startled and speed off. Ah, yes, almost like people at work ;-) Nevertheless, I nudged him along, and Remy overcame his little snit rather quickly, (OK, there were also bribes in the form of horse cookies involved).

Well, surprise: We actually got good (!) walk-canter transitions both leads, and a beautiful rein-back. How about that?

I can absolute relate to Remy’s “Do I have to?” attitude. For months now I had all good intentions of taking up Yoga again, but it stayed at good intentions. There were always perfectly good reasons not to go (too tired, too late, too icy,…). However, between Maryal (“your hips are too tight”) and JP (“you need to relax”) I finally - after some minor whining - went to class again.

So Remy got horse cookies with his ‘whine’ – and while I didn’t get cheese with my ‘whine’ (OK, alright, I also had wine) I’m on the path to increased flexibility and relaxation. Namaste!

While the cat is away... the mice work

While Judy is training with Jan in CA Maryal filled in with a lesson day. Remy woke up on the right hoof and was a very eager student. It is really cool to work with two professionals that complement each other. Maryal: “OK, this is what Judy means when she wants you to have him on the outside rein”. I tend to take things very literal, and sometimes a key part gets ‘lost in translation’.

So, back to the outside rein: Getting Remy on the outside rein does not mean holding it with a death grip (duh!), rather that he honestly has to move off my inside leg onto an elastic outside rein. I knew that, of course, but knowing unfortunately doesn’t always translate into doing…

Other points to keep in mind:

-   Think of leg yielding into the corners

-   Keep a steadier connection, Remy needs to seek the contact, especially with the increasing collection the connection has to be established

-   Walk - Canter transitions (uh!): Slow the walk, get a collected walk, ‘ride’ Remy’s stifles (bring him more underneath himself), use the seat aids “more seat, less leg”

-   Once in the canter follow it with a more swinging seat

-   Shoulder-in: Think of going on the diagonal, that way the correct bend is established. Note: Resulted in best feeling shoulder-in I’ve got so far

Our trot work was so nice that Maryal jokingly asked “Are you sure he is a Morgan?” (and not an imported warmblood).

So, the cat is away, but the mice worked. Not like at our barn, where Jerry has decided that life as a house cat definitely has it’s perks, and therefore the mice truly play while the cat is away. Case in point: Two mice where happily scurrying around while JP cleaned stalls. Just supervising, of course, there are barn standards to uphold!

"He is willing to listen - if you have something to say"

Does growling count as having something to say?

I could already tell by Remy’s bossiness during the grooming session how the ride would be. Usually this happens when is able to boss his friends around during his playtime outside; he then tries the same with me. And the kid didn’t disappoint.

The only way to address this is by keeping Remy busy, and not letting him get away with blowing me off. As Judy said “He is willing to listen – if you have something to say”. Especially on days like this it is very important to have a clear message in order to keep Remy’s attention and his mind occupied. He tentatively tried to show me the middle hoof a couple of times, but luckily didn’t persist. However, it took some well placed “German growls”, in addition to a varied exercise program, to get a flawless two-way communication established.

Remy reminds me of a kid that puts the fingers in his ears “La, la, la - I can’t hear you!”. Actually, more likely, wearing earphones. I bet Remy has an oversized set of earphones on the wishlist for his next birthday! 

"That was f..ing incredible!"... and not everything behaves

It is official: Remy and I are ‘warm weather workers’, and by ‘warm weather’ I mean 30F. Not sure if Remy feels better because I’m less tight or I feel better because his muscles aren’t bunched up. Probably both.

Nevertheless, the temps went up, but the snow stayed on the roof (yay!), so all was well in Topline-Land. Remy and I had a really good warm up and nice trot work. And then came our “piece de resistance”: Walk-canter depart. First try left canter depart netted a very untypical outburst from Judy: “That was f…ing incredible!” – and that’s exactly how it felt. Now, I can’t even remember having heard her use the f-word, so I just started laughing hard while cantering around. Both Remy and I found that to be hilarious. Once we came down to earth Judy explained that that one of the best canter departs she had seen in a long time (“that was an 8”), and that from us. WOW!

So, while both Remy and I behaved beautifully (if I may say so) I can’t say the same about my stomach: Instead of celebrating the big deal –and it was a big deal for us- I ended up hugging the toilet. Clearly my stomach didn’t get the message to behave!

Hitching up my big girl pants - Vorwärts! we go

The car told me it was 11F (-12C) today, so dressed for the Arctic I arrived at the barn. Obviously, the temperature did nothing to cheer me up and I was pretty much grumbling to myself and to Remy, questioning my sanity. Nevertheless, I got on with it as I didn't want to come across as the "Cold Weather Wuss" I am (who am I kidding? everyone knows!), considering that Judy spends her days riding and teaching in worse temperatures than that.

I swear Remy picked up instantly on my attitude, and decided "well, if she is grumpy then there is no reason why I shouldn't be". He was fussy in the bridle, didn't want to go forward, threw in a baby buck when I whacked him with my (very soft) boots, and generally was a little stinker. He felt like he was just waiting for an opportunity to blow up.

Options were limited: (1) Either Remy scores and I bag it for the day, or (2) I hitch up my big girl pants and work through it. With Judy's encouragement "Vorwärts" we went, meaning "forward riding with purpose, on the aids, and with engagement". That way Remy had to focus on me, rather than contemplating some shenanigans. It worked beautifully, and we were able to finish up with a nice collected canter.

As I explained to a Judy afterwards: "A training session at work yesterday helped my riding today: An Ex-CIA agent covered dicey subjects such as extortion - so my little rebel without a cause was not getting the best of me!"

In response I could literally hear Remy purring: "Ah, but tomorrow is another day!"

"I'm trying to stay warm" - "And how is that working for you?"

This currently follows the ubiquitous "How are you?". No wonder, Michigan experiences a serious deep freeze. Case in point, yesterday we had a 'balmy' high (!) of 2F (-16.6C). So riding was pretty much curtailed, even though Judy braved the cold and continued working the training horses (shorter, less demanding sessions, but still.. she's my hero).

Michelle, Linda and I attended yesterday an excellent "Test Riding Clinic" at Michigan State. Maryal gave an overview on the new dressage tests, with class room sessions in the morning, and demo riders in the afternoon. Well over a hundred people attended, and it was fun catching up with people I rarely see during the winter months. (Note to self: Try to decipher your notes and write an article for the MDA, or Nadette will come after you!)

Today: Heatwave! A high of 26F, so I was really looking forward to my ride. Ah... careful what you wish for: you might get it. In my case I was yearning for warmer temps - and my wish was granted. Hah! Just as I got on Remy the ice and snow started to come off the roof, and after a few minutes it REALLY came off in big noisy thumps. Remy naturally got startled, and with each big 'swoosh' he jumped. OK, call me a sissy, but I decided to get off. No point in getting hurt.

"10 minutes on the longe line are better than 10 weeks in plaster" - with this in mind we used the time for a good longing session, Judy pointing out that he has to work on the longe line like under saddle, with engagement. Remy prefers to canter over putting a lot of effort into the trot, so we worked on improving the trot and not allowing him to 'exit' into the canter.

I have to admit, it's hard for me to keep the right attitude, when all I really want to do is hibernate until Spring. Alas, this "ain't happening" - so luckily I have an healthy supply of my preferred "mood enhancer" (Nutella, specially imported from Italy). Please keep it coming, Schnucki II! JP and everyone else having to deal with me will be eternally grateful to you :-)

Muffin moved into his palace - a sublet for the winter

Yep, winter has caught up with is. Blustering winds, ice, snow, and temps best described as “saukalt” (extremely cold).  We had to cut Remy’s home stay short in order to get him back to Judy’s before the roads became to treacherous to haul. And good thing we did. On our way home cars and trucks were sliding all over the place, and although our truck has 4-wheel drive, the trailer obviously hasn’t.

Michigan winter weather often cuts turnout time short. Who wants to be out in -20F windchill and risking breaking legs on ice?? So I have been wondering if Remy could move for the winter into an oversized stall with more room to move around. It's more expensive, but hey: Only the best for Our Muffin :-) With Benise spending quality time at Jan’s in CA this winter, Judy agreed that Remy could “sublet” her room. I felt like my kid is moving to a fancy larger dorm room!

Remy’s “welcome to the new digs” gift from me was a dose of wormer (OK, followed by apples and carrots but still not what he expected). Remy was a good boy, swallowing the stuff right out of the syringe, as were the others at home, with –of course- the exception of Chambord. This one made it very clear what he thought of the invasion of his privacy and well-being: His ‘middle hoof’ (for lack of a middle finger) clearly was pointed my way!

Happy New Year! - and no resting on the laurels

After a nice New Year's Eve celebration (ah, for a bottle of Moet!) I woke up to a whopping 15F, overcame my "innerer Schweinehund" (it means I conquered my weaker self), trudged to the barn to feed and turn out, and then headed for my lesson, teeth chattering in the cold.

It's been a great week with consistently good rides, and today was no difference. Yes, I can actually smile during a lesson - who would have thought?! Judy has been upping the ante, with 2nd level as the target increasing collection is now a focus. Remy needs to carry more weight on his hind end, lightening up in front "more uphill, more uphill, light with the hands, leg before hand" seem to be a constant. But man, when I get glimpses of self-carriage and collection it feels like a million bucks: Hence the smiles. Hard to please Jude commented after my lesson "Happy New Year!" - meaning it was Remy's new year's gift to me, but actually, it was her gift, too. I honestly don't know where we would be without her.

I often think back to the day I mustered up the courage to call her while staying at George's. "Umh, I have two horses, a Third Level (with some 'issues'), and a Greenie, and would like lessons". "What breeds are they?" "Morgans", "Oh, umh, OK, let's schedule a trial lesson" (voice rather doubtful, no wonder, I had called a Grand Prix trainer and the best in the business in our state). Well, the rest is history!

Even with our very limited competitions last year, we had stellar results (if I may say so) - actually, my contribution was mainly fracturing my leg therefore turning Remy into Judy's more than capable hands. I have no intention of a repeat performance in the ER, though, rather I have all intentions of making 2015 a great year!

USDF/All Breeds Awards 2014:

Morgan Dressage Association Awards of Excellence 2014: