One needs stuffing, one needs rework - and an exciting week ahead

Ah, finally, Spring is in the air! JP and I were crossing our fingers that our outdoor arena would dry out enough in time for Luanne's visit. Luanne is our awesome saddle fitter, and both our saddles were due for a check.

Chambord had been acting very uncharacteristically under saddle lately, starting to buck after about 10 minutes into the ride, especially when ridden with light contact. His teeth checked out fine, so we figured the saddle might be the culprit. Sure enough, when Luanne measured him it turned out the saddle was too and 'wobbling' on Chambord's back. The resulting pressure points obviously made Chambord uncomfortable, and Chambord is not one to suffer silently. He shows it in no uncertain ways when things are not right.

Once the saddle was adjusted both JP and Chambord let out a big sigh. Off they went down the road, with Luanne and me smiling behind them.

Remy -uh, his saddle- only needed a bit extra stuffing. The wool had settled a bit as our new Tribute saddle is breaking in. I do love this saddle, thankfully! I think Luanne would quit on us if I'd say we need to find something else... after all, I did try almost the entire range before choosing the Tribute.

So the saddles are fixed - but Remy and I won't need a saddle for the clinic with Marius Schreiner this week. Marius is a Bereiter from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, and I have signed us up for long-reining and in-hand work. I am very much looking forward to this.

And then, the "pièce de résistance*": our annual trip to the Kentucky 4Star 3-Day event! (It will always be "The Rolex" for us, even though the sponsorship has changed.)
It's our anniversary, and what a great way to celebrate: World class horses and riders (Michael Jung!) followed by fabulous dinners at Le Deauville in Lexington. 

*an outstanding item or event

What do you do when you are stuck in snow and ice? - You make your will

And the saga of Michigan's "January in April" continues... ice storm yesterday, more of it today. Plenty of freeway closings today due to accidents, plus school cancelations, and overall frustrations galore. We had to go and pick up Remy's stuff as well as Ziggy's meds - which meant going a whopping 4 mph in our four-wheel drive truck.

What to do with all the indoor time? Well, JP and I finally ran out of excuses why we couldn't do our will. Nobody wants to face his or her mortality, but with nine (!) dependents and no family in the US it is especially crucial to have a will. Our trip to Europe is coming up, and who knows, between the flights, German Autobahn, French kamikaze drivers in Paris, and crazy people in any country carrying out attacks there is a very real risk.

Some years back I had attended a workshop geared towards horse owners, and it was an eye opener. For example, you need to put money in trust so the monthly expenses will get paid. The lawyer gave plenty of examples where people left a lump sum to a relative in the hope the person will care of the animals - only for the person to turn around, gave the animals to a kill shelter and kept the money (of course!).

We were able to get through it without killing each other (good thing as we had to finalize the will first) and I have to say I am very relieved that it's done. All that's left is for the lawyer to put it in 'lawyerese*' (and charge big bucks for it) and hopefully all of our critters will be well taken care of.

Note to the Europeans who hope to inherit from the "Rich Americans" (hah!): Better not count on it - Critters only :-)

*A satirical term used to connote the idea that lawyers frequently speak and write in such a way that is difficult, if not impossible, for laypeople to interpret.

A blast from the past - and it seems showing CAN be fun!

I happened to come across the membership page of the Morgan Dressage Association. And what do I see: Saumur and I as 'poster-children':

How shocking: it looks like I actually had fun! It's been a long time. Who knows, I might get my mojo back and jump into it again?

In that case, Remy, buddy, hitch up those big boy pants: It will be your turn!

"Breaking up is hard to do" - but sometimes you just don't have a choice

I finally had to face the reality: My breathing issues caused by some kind of allergic reaction to the arena footing are not allowing me to ride to my full potential. I barely make it through the warm up and then I am drenched in sweat  (even on very cold days) while gasping for air. While my masks are advertised for sports, it's for sports that don't require too much aerobic activity, such as motorcycling.

I can't take the meds as they make me drowsy - not something you want to be when you pull a 1200 pound passenger behind you - aside from the fact that it's simply too dangerous.

So with a heavy heart I told Judy about my decision to leave. I am really quite sad, leaving after six years of working together, through good times and challenges. However, the lack of air (don't know how to better describe it) made the good times more and more elusive: Me gasping for air, Remy wondering what's going on 'up there' (and sometimes taking advantage of the situation), and Judy wondering if/when I'd faint. We all gave it a good, long try but there comes a time when trying alone is not improving the situation.

I will always be very grateful for all the help, support, dedication and hard work Judy put into us. We've come a long way, baby: From Intro to Third Level. From the bottom of my heart: Thanks for everything, Jude! And no worries, I'll have a stash of chocolate with me when I see you at the shows.

It doesn't help that as I'm writing this we are having an ice storm. Our outdoor arena is a sheet of ice, and not much improvement in the forecast. Hard not to get depressed, but then, as Judy would say "It's not cancer and nobody died". Puts it all in perspective, doesn't it?

I'll regroup and see what will be next, when one door closes another one opens - maybe not exactly in the ideal time frame, but eventually it will. At least, until now, summer never got canceled!

Anatomy field assignment - and so much more

My current equine anatomy field assignment is to "Find horses with some kind of injury (old or new), get a verbal history from owner or trainer. The injury needs to be something palpable such as a scar, lumpy joint, bump etc. Take vitals, write description of injury based on input from owner/trainer, include how old it is and how it happened, take photos of the injury. Write brief paragraph detailing your own description and observation of the injury using anatomical descriptive terms and surface landmarks from this course."

Luckily, none of our guys fit the bill, so I asked for candidates through FB and I also emailed acquaintances. Julie, who had helped my tremendously with Saumur in our early days, responded and offered some residents of her barn as case studies. Julie is a true horsewoman, she combines dressage with natural horsemanship, and also works with kids that have special needs. I met Trinity, an amazing 12 year old girl with a very traumatic history (seven foster homes until she found adoptive parents willing and able to deal with a myriad of severe issues stemming from fetal alcohol syndrome and abuse; mom died in jail).

Trinity owns Tiger Lilly, a lovely 14.3 hand pony. Julie explained to me how much Tiger Lilly has helped Trinity to overcome a lot of her issues. I just loved talking with Trinity and also watching her lesson. Seeing the pure joy in both of them made my day. And: High Five, Trinity (and Julie and Tiger Lilly), those were some really nice half-passes!

Tiger Lilly and Sally, a very nice Mustang mare, were excellent case studies for the assignment and I look forward to having them being part of my fieldwork practice. I will also do a Bladder Meridian workshop for Julie's students, which should be fun.

Most of all though, I am very grateful that my course assignment allowed me to meet some true everyday heroes.

Cleaning stalls is cathartic - and where's the room service??

For me, cleaning stalls is cathartic*. There is something about the seemingly mindless work that makes me feel good. It's a great time to think and ponder all kind of things. There is a sense of accomplishment when everything is "just right" - even though my "just right" is not always up to JPs standards. He's been known to remind me that "Remy likes a fluffy bed"... Oh, OK, then... as long as Remy has a fluffy bed I don't have to chase dust bunnies in the house!

While the boys certainly appreciate their nice fluffy beds (they show up for breakfast 'caked' in shavings), Chambord in particular has been known to voice his displeasure quite strongly about the -seemingly way too slow- food service:

*: purification or purgation of the emotions (such as pity and fear) primarily through art. b : a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension. 2 : elimination of a complex by bringing it to consciousness and affording it expression. 3 : purgation.

"Die Luft ist raus" - but I saw a really good movie

In German we say "die Luft ist raus" (fig. "the fizz is gone" = feeling deflated) when it comes to my riding lessons. The harder I try the less air I get (yep, still struggling with the indoor footing allergies) und the more frustrating the whole thing gets. I think Remy is trying but it seems not enough. There is little fun in it, and it doesn't help being told "your are riding below your potential".

Perhaps it's the long winter that's grading on everyone's nerves, and we all have cabin fever. A good strong outdoor canter might do wonders. My friend Glenda always says "if it's not fun I'm not doing it". If I go by her motto (which in principle I totally agree with) then I just have to quit riding altogether. I think I keep going because a) I'm not a quitter, and b) I still remember when riding actually was fun - and I am craving the happy feelings. For right now, though, I guess I have to dig into my 'emergency only' stash of (expired) anti-anxiety meds. On second thought, some really good wine will do.

Speaking of really good wine, we saw a great movie "Back to Burgundy". It's in French with English subtitles (yep, probably not the greatest fun for non-French speakers), and it neither has violence nor juicy sex scenes (gasp!). Still: Totally worth seeing it.

Perhaps Remy and I just need an extended vacation in Burgundy??