While yesterday's trailride was just perfect, weather, boys, bugs... all fell into place. Today was a new day, literally.
The morning started hot, humid, with the threat of a thunderstorm. We figured we get a move on while things were still relatively quiet. The mosquitoes had the same thought it seems, nasty little buggers. While Chambord was as steadfast as ever, Remy was plain cranky. Right when I got on I thought "uh, uh, back is tight as a drum - I bet he has to pee". Never mind that he had all opportunity in the world to go before I got on.
The trails were nice and soft, and we stopped to give him the opportunity to do his business. Nope, not doing it, I'd rather continue to be cranky, he said. I even got off on a nice sandy spot, hoping that would do the trick. When that did work I led him a for a bit and hopped back on, now getting grumpy myself.
Wouldn't you know it, once I got our cranky selves home, Remy let out a big sigh - and proceeded to flood his stall. Really, dude?? Jeez, you're a guy, what's the big deal - you are supposed to love to pee outside!
But wait - perhaps I'm making the wrong assumption here: I am thinking of all the Frenchmen I tried to ignore over the years on the side of freeways (or even on street corners) doing the deed. Obviously, Remy's heritage has Puritan roots and he disdains that practice. Duh!
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Move those haunches - and his dancing card is pretty full
Scott, part of our father-son, awesome farrier team came yesterday and worked on Remy's hoof. He cut out the dead tissue, cleaned the heel area, and applied 'Dry Cow'. Remy was much less ouchy today, so I tempted to take him to our lesson.
JP - sans stones- took Chambord and they both had a blast cantering along. Clearly, less ballast is good :-).
While I still have a hard time breathing in the indoor arena, the footing sure is wonderful for the horses legs, soft and cushiony but supportive. Remy started out as usual (rather pulling than pushing), but then got with the program. We had a pretty amazing ride. Our haunches in's and half-passes weren't quite to Judy's liking at the beginning (I admit - even if she were easier to please it wouldn't have been up to snuff). So she had us do head to the wall leg yields, basically taking the bend out of the haunches in. Once we had that down pat we moved to the half-passes in canter and trot, and sure enough, it flowed. It is just such an awesome feeling when it all just seems to click, no effort, just a dance. I better remember that next time we hit another stumbling block!
Afterwards Judy and I went through the September schedule, and boy, Remy's dancing card is brimming: Jan, Police Horse Training, one day at Waterloo Dressage, Long Reining Clinic, Feldenkrais Workshop ... Not much room left for flirting with other adventures, pretty as they might be.
Remy does have a definite ace up his sleeve when it comes to managing his calendar: A very skilled Executive Assistant (yours truly). As for me? "Selbst ist die Frau!" ("Self reliance is the name of the game" - at least for this woman!)
JP - sans stones- took Chambord and they both had a blast cantering along. Clearly, less ballast is good :-).
While I still have a hard time breathing in the indoor arena, the footing sure is wonderful for the horses legs, soft and cushiony but supportive. Remy started out as usual (rather pulling than pushing), but then got with the program. We had a pretty amazing ride. Our haunches in's and half-passes weren't quite to Judy's liking at the beginning (I admit - even if she were easier to please it wouldn't have been up to snuff). So she had us do head to the wall leg yields, basically taking the bend out of the haunches in. Once we had that down pat we moved to the half-passes in canter and trot, and sure enough, it flowed. It is just such an awesome feeling when it all just seems to click, no effort, just a dance. I better remember that next time we hit another stumbling block!
Afterwards Judy and I went through the September schedule, and boy, Remy's dancing card is brimming: Jan, Police Horse Training, one day at Waterloo Dressage, Long Reining Clinic, Feldenkrais Workshop ... Not much room left for flirting with other adventures, pretty as they might be.
Remy does have a definite ace up his sleeve when it comes to managing his calendar: A very skilled Executive Assistant (yours truly). As for me? "Selbst ist die Frau!" ("Self reliance is the name of the game" - at least for this woman!)
Sunday, August 21, 2016
A 'stony' week - and where is a Dry Cow when I need one?
That was quite the week. Last Sunday JP went to Urgent Care because of intense pain, and by Monday at Midnight we ended up in the Emergency Room at the local hospital. Yes, it was the night shift, but we came across the most unfriendly nurses we had ever met. JP got a morphine drip, and that did a number on him. CT scan showed plenty of kidney stones, working their way through his system. Poor guy. Six hours later I took my 'stoned' (in both senses) hubby home.
Needless to say, not much riding going on during the week. Remy was good for Judy, and when I finally climbed on Friday he was a very good boy. However, when I cleaned his hooves he was uncharacteristically touchy, pulling his right hind away from me and even kicking out. Closer inspection of the hoof showed that the poor guy has thrush, which explains his reaction.
At home I soaked his hoof in salt water, but what I really needed was "Dry Cow" - a product to cure bovine mastitis. It comes in syringes and gets squirted right into the teats of the cow. It is non caustic, and will take care of the inflammation. I had used this on Saumur years before, and rummaging through my drawers revealed one syringe - with an expiration date of 2013. Oh, well, better than nothing.
On the bright side, after an excruciating week JP's stones had worked their way through his system - Yay! As soon as they were gone JP was (almost) as good as new.
With JP off the sick list I continued my quest to score "Dry Cow". Country living has its advantages: The second farm supply store I hit carried a 12 pack. I didn't even get any strange looks at check out - guess by now I blend in so well that a bovine mastitis product looks just like another item on my shopping list. Hmm??
Needless to say, not much riding going on during the week. Remy was good for Judy, and when I finally climbed on Friday he was a very good boy. However, when I cleaned his hooves he was uncharacteristically touchy, pulling his right hind away from me and even kicking out. Closer inspection of the hoof showed that the poor guy has thrush, which explains his reaction.
At home I soaked his hoof in salt water, but what I really needed was "Dry Cow" - a product to cure bovine mastitis. It comes in syringes and gets squirted right into the teats of the cow. It is non caustic, and will take care of the inflammation. I had used this on Saumur years before, and rummaging through my drawers revealed one syringe - with an expiration date of 2013. Oh, well, better than nothing.
On the bright side, after an excruciating week JP's stones had worked their way through his system - Yay! As soon as they were gone JP was (almost) as good as new.
With JP off the sick list I continued my quest to score "Dry Cow". Country living has its advantages: The second farm supply store I hit carried a 12 pack. I didn't even get any strange looks at check out - guess by now I blend in so well that a bovine mastitis product looks just like another item on my shopping list. Hmm??
Sunday, August 7, 2016
There goes my "Saddle for Life" - and another notch in our belts
The good news: Remy's body is developing exactly as it should - or in Luanne's (the saddle fitter) words to our mutual friend Glenda "I'm not sure what they are doing but it must be good, the horse looks great!" The not so good news: Remy outgrew his saddle, even though it's adjustable. I had assumed that like Saumur's saddle it would be a "Saddle for Life" (OK, the company's slogan is "Saddle Fit for Life" and not "Saddle for Life"). My bad.
Remy's growth in the shoulders combined with his short back does require a 'relief wedge' to take the pressure off his loins. So either I have the underside of my current saddle completely changed to the tune of $1.2K and 2 months without a saddle or I get a new saddle. Uff! Luanne came to the barn on Friday to let me try a wide range of saddles to see if there is any style I like better than my current Triumph. To my relief I did not fall in love with any of the top $$ saddles, and in the end I decided to order the same model I have with the different panels. No need to change a good thing when you have one. The other not so good news: The saddle has a three month lead time. Guess business is brisk and Canadians have a lot of vacation time...
Yesterday JP, Remy and I ventured to Waterloo for schooling. Yes, the scene of the 'crime' (cracked leg), and I was not overly keen on it. But it needed to be done, and the conditions were excellent for our purposes: Small show, almost empty warm up arenas. We hauled in, tacked up, and off we went. Remy was a really good boy, he got to work in the warm up arenas and hardly batted an eye.
Remy's growth in the shoulders combined with his short back does require a 'relief wedge' to take the pressure off his loins. So either I have the underside of my current saddle completely changed to the tune of $1.2K and 2 months without a saddle or I get a new saddle. Uff! Luanne came to the barn on Friday to let me try a wide range of saddles to see if there is any style I like better than my current Triumph. To my relief I did not fall in love with any of the top $$ saddles, and in the end I decided to order the same model I have with the different panels. No need to change a good thing when you have one. The other not so good news: The saddle has a three month lead time. Guess business is brisk and Canadians have a lot of vacation time...
Yesterday JP, Remy and I ventured to Waterloo for schooling. Yes, the scene of the 'crime' (cracked leg), and I was not overly keen on it. But it needed to be done, and the conditions were excellent for our purposes: Small show, almost empty warm up arenas. We hauled in, tacked up, and off we went. Remy was a really good boy, he got to work in the warm up arenas and hardly batted an eye.
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| We couldn't do it without our coach/groom/driver/moral support/kick in the a** |
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| Veni, vidi, vici (Latin for "I came, I saw, I conquered")
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