A super week in Germany - but home with an "unwanted" souvenir

My week in Germany was awesome. I got to spend time with family and best friends, what's better than that? Ah, well, add a  horse show to that! Stuttgart German Masters, 55 000 tickets sold, 300 horses competing.

I love the German spectators, they are not afraid to voice their opinions. For example, in one of the jumping competitions one of the horses was completely overfaced, and it was a very ugly ride. The shouts of "Aufhoeren!" ("Quit!") were not subtle, and luckily the horse (!) took the hint and refused twice for elimination. SAP made it possible for the spectators to judge the dressage competitions via a phone app, the spectator judging didn't count but the score was shown next to the judges' scores. Interestingly, the spectators gave IW (Isabel) a lower score than the judges, and there was lots of grumbling, as the overall consensus was that Doro Schneider should have placed first in the GP freestyle.

It's mind boggling how all the horses performed in a "Hexenkessel" ("witches cauldron"), with 8000 screaming people and a noise level akin to a rock concert. During the indoor event, for example, the crowd went wild when Michi Jung went on course. His eight year old mare stayed focused on him the entire time, completely in tune with her rider. (Take note, Remy!).

I came home all eager to get back to riding, but alas, a bummer of a cold / bronchitis came along as 'unwanted souvenir'. Not at all what I had in mind! I don't even feel like touching the 'wanted souvenirs' (my mom's Christmas cookies and my dad's homebrewed Specials).  But the trip was more than worth it!

I still smile when I think about the trip to McDonald's with my parents. For years, they had been curious what McDonald's was all about so I finally took them (never mind that I don't go to Micky D's in the US). It wasn't the awkward trip I feared ("nothing to eat").  Surprise: They have veggie burgers and yummy salads in Germany. Picky Mom got a veggie burger, Dad a Classic, and I had the Greek Salad. My very health and status conscious parents had fun and were happy - go figure...

Here are some impressions:

Schluchsee - Schwarzwald

Piaffe performed by a "Fire Rider"

Straight and "vorwaertz" gets you spontaneous applause - and Is it the "Maternal Grandsire Effect"?

Last lesson before a two week hiatus - and it couldn't have gone better. I finally rode bolder, more "vorwaertz" (forward), kept Remy straight and therefore got clean changes, which netted us spontaneous applause from Judy. Yay!

Judy is on her way to Nationals in Kentucky now (Good Luck, Jude and Team Topline!) and I'll be heading to Germany this week. Suitcase is already packed, and as usual on overload. Do I dare weighing it before going to the airport? Nah. Otherwise I would have to cull all things Moose Munch and Emil's Bourbon. Can't do that.

I just finished reading Rita Mae Brown's latest book 'Crazy Like a Fox'. IMO, it is not as engaging and captivating as some of her previous works in the Fox Hunting saga. There was some unexpected food for thought, though, regarding to what the author calls "The Maternal Grandsire Effect". It refers to certain traits skipping a generation. To quote from the book: "For centuries this generational hop has been noted by Thoroughbred breeders and hound breeders. The study of this is relatively new.... Please research The Maternal Grandsire effect if you are curious. I think of it as train signals being switched on and off but gender produces the flip."

It made me think of my maternal grandfather, Franz-Xaver Kessler. As a young man he rode steeplechase races and worked as a horse dealer (later he became the town mayor and also owned a restaurant). Unfortunately, I did not get to spend a lot of time with him. The interesting part is that no one else in my family is into horses. My mother has no interest in horses whatsoever, I think the first time she saw me riding was when I was in my thirties (!). So perhaps I am indeed the product of the "Maternal Grandsire Effect"??

Steeplechase trophy won by my grandfather, Germany, pre-WWII

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. - Anais Nin

Mud baths?? - and "Yep, he's a couch potato"

Country living undoubtedly has its challenges. Currently on our list: A brand new well! Our old well is about 50 years old, too shallow, and pumping up dirt with the water.  My bathtub looked like I was taking mud baths. So, let the digging commence. Perfect day to start was Halloween, scary because of the $$$$$ required. It started out well (no pun intended) - then today we were told that at 120 ft (approx. 40m) the water is clear, but there is not enough of it to supply both house and barn. More digging to be done tomorrow...

Sometimes I have to shake my head: Here we live in one of the most developed countries in the world, and we have to pump our own water. And when we have storms more likely then not we need to rely on our generator, because we lose power. (BTW, no power = no water).

Aside from this -and my badly scratched GTI- (that's another story), life is good. Judy rode Remy yesterday and had a dozen clean changes. My turn today wasn't near as good, but I was very happy with my ride. As Jan had pointed out so aptly "Birgit, Remy is a couch potato!", it's high time to get Remy off the couch and working, so I don't have to breathe so hard. If I set the tone right from the beginning Remy says "oh, OK, sure". However, he won't put an effort in it if I don't ask. It's like expecting a guy to take the trash out or clean the cat litter box: Most likely he'll do it but not without being nudged*.

Judy explained it today as "You are the brains, he is the brawn" -  Remy begs to differ!

*And here JP begs to differ (what's it with my guys??). Although, it's true, JP takes out the trash, I give him that. As for the cat litter boxes... definitely some spur required!