Traveling with the new tests - learning on the fly

Traveling to Sherbrooke (a town about half-way between Montreal and Quebec City) I packed the usual: Laptop, business suits, TSA approved travel cosmetics, and so on... plus the Dressage Illustrated Test Book 2nd level. I thought I might as well use the time in transit to learn the new tests.

Quite frankly, I'm the worst person for my job when it comes to travel. I need heavy duty prescription anti-nausea medication every time I travel. Otherwise I will spend the entire time with my nose in the 'courtesy bag' , in the worst case passing out. The meds not only make me groggy and give me stomach issues, they also affect my eyesight so enter reading glasses. Really?! The things we do to learn dressage tests... As for learning the test patterns, let's just say I'm still in the 'assimilation stage'. 

This trip I was tempted to double the meds, so I wouldn't think about the tragic crash of the German plane in the French Alps. My heart aches for all the people that lost their lives, and the families that have to deal with the loss. 

The trip went smoothly, well, aside from the huge piece of Elk I got served for dinner. This is what you get when you work in a male dominated business. Luckily the waiter took pity on me (probably fuming: "Ah, les Femmes!") and found a plate of pasta. 

Remy had his "Aunt Jude and me" time with Judy during the week. Yesterday's lesson was great, despite the meds still roiling in my system. Judy had worked with him on the collected canter and better responses to half-halts, and I got to reap the benefits. I might not know where to go but we sure can do awesome counter canter loops - Sweet!

Getting an education on trailer tires - Bias-Ply vs. Radial

I have been agonizing about the issues with my trailer and quite frankly I am still very much inclined to hand it back to the dealer.

On Tuesday a customer service representative from the manufacturer called me in response to the message I posted on their website. He informed me that the tire blowouts were due to my trailer having the wrong tires. WTF?? The tires were installed by you guys! That did not make me happy, and I quite bluntly told him so.

Turns out the manufacturer installed bias-ply tires on the trailers, IMO quite certainly to save on costs. It seems that they had quite a lot of customer complaints about tire blowouts, and now decided to switch to radial tires. Of course, the idea of informing the dealers about the issue apparently didn’t cross anybody’s mind, or if it did, it was squashed. Keep in mind the tire issue is just the top of the iceberg, before that it was faulty axles on our trailer.

So, our trailer got another complete inspection, and a set of five radial* tires is apparently on its way from Oklahoma to Michigan. Once the tires are installed at the dealer’s JP has to do another four hour round trip to pick up our trailer.

Quite frankly, the whole issue caused a lot of friction between the two of us. I think the trailer is a safety hazard, and I much rather just trade it in (it’s barely two years old). I am seriously wondering where else the manufacturer tried to cut corners to save money?

Of course, the dealer doesn’t want to go for a trade in, and JP is convinced that 1) it is now fixed and 2) I’m overreacting.

This is one of the very few times where I wish for JP to be right. And I think JP fervently wishes that, too. After all, if one more thing happens with the trailer he has to move into it - and then we can discuss "overreacting"..

* The main difference between bias ply and radial ply tire is how the tire is constructed. The cords underneath the tire are run in different directions. On a bias tire, the cords run at a 32 degree angle from the direction of travel and on a radial tire, the cords will run at 90 degrees from direction of travel, or across the tire from wheel lip to wheel lip.

Because of the construction of a radial tire, the tire has more flex and will allow for more ground contact. That will improve traction and better treadwear. It also gives the radial tire better stability. 

A bias tire will have a stiffer sidewall and shoulder, which will increase heat buildup in the tire. The radial tire will run cooler which will help the tire last longer, especially when the tire is under a load. 

Looks like we've got a lemon - in the form of a trailer

Well, despite being a very good student, Remy couldn't use his 'weekend-pass' - no wheels!

Two years ago we purchased a brand new two horse bumper pull trailer, all Aluminum, good reviews, dealer's wife a student of Judy's, super nice people at the dealership. Well, all that means squat when you end up with numerous tire blow outs (due to issues with the axles). Since we had the trailer it went through major repairs, and complete axle replacements.

The straw that broke the camels back (i.e. drove me over the edge, spewing the f.. word) was on Saturday when JP went to get hay with the trailer and sure enough, once again - tire blowout! He had to -once again- change the tire on the edge of a very busy freeway. The only saving grace was that this time no horses were on board.

So now the trailer has to go back ONCE AGAIN to the dealer, which is a three hour round trip and the dealer already told us they have no loaner available.

Tomorrow I'll see what customer service at the manufacturer will tell me, right now all I want to do is give this thing back and be done with it.

On to a search on 'lemon law'!

He gained a hundred pounds - but I better stay lean and mean

Remy travels so much on the trailer that I wouldn’t be surprised if soon he wants to drive the truck! We are like soccer parents, shuttling the four-legged kids to their sporting events.

Yesterday, it was time for Remy’s saddle fit session with Luanne. Remy’s measurements showed that he gained an inch in circumference since last fall, which translates into an approximate weight gain of 100 pounds. Fear not: it’s good news, as the weight gain is due to correct muscle development. Luanne commented on how correct his topline and overall development is. Music to my ears.

So, the tree got adjusted to give Remy’s shoulders more room, therefore putting me in a more balanced position (the saddle had placed me a bit behind the motion). We took it for a test ‘drive’ and Remy strutted his stuff with gusto, so all was well.

I have never regretted forking over relatively big $$ for our saddles, as all of them are adjustable, so they can accommodate changing muscle development. In the long run, it’s a good ROI – even though the adjustments are a bit pricey, they save me from having to buy new saddles. I never had a horse with a sore back or saddle sores, neither have I had any ‘ouchy’ spots myself. That says a lot.

Of course, if I were to gain 100 pounds I’d be out of luck – the saddles can only be adjusted to accommodate the horse’s weight fluctuation, not the rider’s. I better stay on the “lean and mean*” side!

*lean and mean:

Fig. fit and ready for hard, efficient work.

Frühlingsgefühle – and “It’s time to take the training wheels off!”

Last night Remy was more than forward, he basically gave the Energizer Bunny a run for the money. Spring is in the air, and with a pretty (horse) girl in the arena Remy’s Frühlingsgefühle (Spring Fever) were on full display.

That gave me the heads up for our lesson with Maryal today. I played it safe and put ‘Lothario’* on the longe line this morning. Good thing I did, Remy’s airs above the ground could have gotten him a job interview at the rodeo circuit. I had to remind him that the reward for good behavior was a weekend chilling with his friends at home. Wouldn’t you know it, under saddle I had a concentrated, motivated horse.

Maryal helped us tackle the three loop serpentine from 2^nd level test 3. In preparation we had worked previously on “Small loop, large loop (counter canter), small loop”. One loop in that manner sufficed, and Maryal said with a smile “Birgit, it’s time to take the training wheels off!”. She drew the pattern for me, making sure I understood that I needed to stay perpendicular to the wall when crossing the center line. Piece of cake, Remy stayed balanced and collected throughout. When it’s good, it’s good!

On a high after the lesson I feel my own Frühlingsgefühle bubbling up – watch out!

*Lothario (Shakespeare character)

1.      A man amorously attentive to women (i.e. Casanova, Don Juan, Jean-Paul -of course'!)

2.      A man who seduces women

Welcome to mud season - and "Tell me how you like it"

Michigan weather is like a Porsche, you go from 0 to 100 in no time. We are almost up 60 degrees since last week. The boys enjoy being 'naked', meaning I pulled their blankets and sheets off on the weekend, when the temps reached the mid 40s. While these balmy temps feel really good, we have to 'pay' for it. All the melted snow water has seemingly nowhere to go, thus creating small rivers, flooding, mud, and pot holes that could swallow entire cars. But hey, I wanted warmer weather so I make an effort not to complain about the rest.

Driving to the barn today I was trying to get the playlists from my phone to work via Bluetooth in the truck. While fiddling around I hit the CD drive (which I never use) - and almost choked on the piece of chocolate I was eating: Justin Timberlake crooned full blast "TELL ME HOW YOU LIKE IT.. DO YOU LIKE IT LIKE THAT??" What the heck?? Seems SOMEONE in the family expanded from Cabrel to Timberlake.

Well, the song did the trick: It turned me on... to my ride that is! I was imagining Remy asking me during a shoulder in "Do you like it like that?" and during the counter canter "Is this how you like it?"

Made for a fun session, and yes, Remy, this is how I like it!

My instincts were right - échappé belle

My pen was already poised to write a check for a clinic with a well known coach focusing on mental toughness, "pressure proofing" the rides. I had read one of his books on that subject and really liked it. My former eventing instructor recommended him. The clinic was not too far away, and -compared to rides with top dressage coaches- reasonably priced.

All good, right? Wait: My "don't sign up if you haven't audited first" rule popped up and - thank you, Internet search! - I decided to do my homework first. There were video clips and plenty of comments (good and not so good).  My red flags were raised enough to decide to forgo riding and audit first.

Even the auditing started with a hitch, no pun intended:  I managed to get stuck in the hosting farms driveway (umh, and yes, I drove the four-wheel drive Chevy). There was no parking left and I thought, no problem, I just wedge myself at the edge of the snow bank, not knowing that there was a big drop. So, I had slink to the farm and ask for help. Luckily, I came across the nicest people ever. The owner got his big Diesel, hitched my truck to his and and pulled me out of my predicament. Thank you!

OK, now finally I could climb up the hayloft to audit the rides - and after a couple of minutes I breathed a big sigh of relief that I hadn't signed up. It was completely geared towards Young Riders - something I had aged out of too long ago to mention. Very small arena with four jumps that were set sort of like a cross. The riders had to remember the pattern, jump counting strides and hit the pre-set time accurately. If they missed: "Give me 100!" = Sit-ups, push-ups. I would have spend the afternoon doing just that!

As the French call it: échappé belle (narrow escape)!

Consistent contact is the name of the game -

Some days are more challenging than others, but then as Judy noticed “you learn more from the difficult rides than from the easy ones”. Right on.

I struggled with getting Remy honestly in front of my leg, and it felt more like riding a jet ski on choppy waters: Up with the wave (= back up) and down with the wave (=back down). The more I held in front, especially without backing it up with my leg, the more inconsistent Remy got. Duh!

Judy honed right into the crux of the matter: My inconstant contact was confusing Remy. This whole Hold/Give/Take/Hold/Give was like garbled talk, and Remy couldn’t figure out what the deal was. However, I figured out what MY deal was: Years of adapting to Saumur! He would get so strong in the hand, basically having me carry all his weight (figuratively) with my arms. The recourse was to give so he had nothing to lean onto. This forced him to carry himself - if he didn’t want to fall on his nose.

Remy doesn’t have any of Saumur’s issues, though. He likes consistent contact, but that doesn’t mean he’s always up for it. Take the stretchy circle: No snatching the reins from me, no falling on the forehand. Remy has to take the reins nicely out and down like a gentleman; and then coming up and collect again without fuss.

Who said this stuff is easy? Or as Remy quips: “It’s tough trying to be a gentleman!”

The hair is coming off - yay!

I never thought I would get so excited about having to deal with hair shedding out. But actually, it's a very good sign for Saumur - it means that he might not have Cushing's disease* ! Also known as *Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction or PPID, Cushing’s Disease is a dysfunction of the pituitary gland. It is most common in older horses (18 – 23 years). Since it is sometimes associated with Insulin Resistance, Cushing’s can be confused with another condition called Equine Metabolic Syndrome. Signs of Cushing's include long, curly hair, and delayed haircoat shedding (among other symptoms). 

Morgans are especially prone to this disease, and Saumur has definitely some of the symptoms. A couple of months ago I added a supplement for Equine Metabolic Syndrome to his SmartPaks, and this seems to help him get rid of all the unwanted hair. I'll have him checked at his next Vet appointment, but for right now, I'm happily currying off hair. I filled half of a muck bucket today, the rest is stubbornly clinging to me. Say Hello to the Hairy One - and I don't mean Saumur! 

On a completely different note, Friday we went to the movies and we really enjoyed "McFarland, USA". I was 'lukewarm' about seeing the film, expecting lots of cliches, but I was pleasantly surprised. As JP described it to Sean: "No violence, no sex, (no horses) ... and still an excellent movie" :-).