Remy's Florida home and playground - and channeling my two "Inner Ingrids"

Aerial picture of WFEC

This aerial picture shows the WFEC (White Fences Equestrian Center). What it doesn't depict is that it is also an arboretum with beautiful flora, blooming trees, orchids, etc. 

I've marked the courtyard where Remy is stabled with the thick red line, and within it there is a dot for his stall and a line around his adjacent paddock. I leave the outside door open, and  it seems Remy spends most of the night outside - evidenced by the copious manure piles I get to pick up in the morning. 

I do have to channel my two "Inner Ingrids" in the next days. My living situation will get more interesting tomorrow: In addition to Paulette, Jota, Madeleine (their daughter), three dogs and three cats, there will be the two college-aged sons, one girlfriend, plus a talking bird staying at the house.

Usually I think of Ingrid Klimke as a role model for riding and horsemanship. This time I think I do need more of the other Ingrid.  She is my very good friend in Stuttgart, and my role model for tolerance when it comes to people. Ingrid has a knack for adapting to and getting along with all kinds of characters, even my super critical mother is smitten with her. Ingrid used to take Rotel*-tours through very remote areas like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, China, to name a few. For those of you that are not familiar with Rotel: It's a trailer pulled by a bus  "Rolling Hotel = Rotel" that has sleeping compartments akin to caskets (my description). It is traveling in VERY close quarters with strangers. It requires way more tolerance than I could ever muster. Being a true friend Ingrid made it clear: "I would never take you on such a trip". She knows how tightly wound I can get when I don't have my space - let alone the huge issues I would have with "the smell of unwashed fellow travelers" (see below), even if I were one of them!

Rotel: Rolling Hotel, sleeping capsules in the trailer

*From the Rotel description:
Capsule hotels are in vogue right now. German tour company, Rotel was always ahead of the game by providing capsule hotels on wheels since 1945. No matter how much you might enjoy staying in a five star hotel, you will always be stationary, trapped in one district. So, to feed your sense of novelty and adventure, you decide to book yourself on a Rotel bus. What next? Well, first you choose your tour from hundreds of options all around the world. If the wilds of Africa are not your thing, perhaps the vast planes of central Russia are. Or maybe the frozen wilderness of the Arctic will appeal or what about exotic Ecuador? On the bus, you ride in passenger seats during the day and sleep in 6x6x3ft capsules at night. There is a large kitchen on board for food but you may have to go a few days until you reach a shower as there is not one on the bus. But who could complain about the smell of unwashed passengers when you are waking up in a new and exciting location every day.

Farrier Day - and we are getting the Top Man

Good news: Farriers in the Wellington area are excellent. Other news: They are very expensive (some go above $500 for a set of shoes). I didn't write: "Bad news" because not all are exorbitant, and if you get top notch work and service then forking over the money doesn't hurt (as much).

I had made an appointment with Roz' farrier James Gilchrist, and -having been exposed to quite a few farriers of the Prima Donna kind (i.e. at one barn in Germany we had to wine and dine the guy and sent him home with lots of bottles in order to entice him to show up again)- I was thrilled to speak with a very professional and nice guy on the other end of the line. Not only that, he was the first person I met in in Florida that thought having a Morgan was great!

The appointment was at 9:30 a.m., by 9 a.m. James and his farriers had rolled up and set up shop. JP would have been thrilled to see the meticulously arranged tools in the trailer.. Remy's feet got thoroughly examined, then James conferred with one of his farriers, and this very nice young professional got to work. It was the first time that Remy got hot shoes, and he stood patiently through it, just trying to lick the farrier's shirt from time to time. He was a good sport and quipped "No problem, I need a back massage anyway". Remy's feet looked awesome afterwards: He got a size bigger shoes with rolled toes and copper nails. I got explanations and questions answered (without having to prod and poke!), as well as comments on Remy's great feet and condition - and they even thanked me for having a well-behaved horse. I think I'm in love!

In talking with James it turned out we really got the Top Man: Most recently he was in charge of the WEG horses in Tryon, and I found the following on HorsesDaily:

The Official Farrier for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the 1998 World Equestrian Games in Rome and the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, James Gilchrist AAPF works hard in Wellington, Florida shoeing dressage horses and jumpers for top riders and up and coming riders. It’s important to work with a good farrier with accreditation from the American Association of Professional Farriers. Gilchrist shared with us what he has seen change in the Dressage World during the last twenty years. “Those events were very stressful, you can only imagine, especially the dressage horses because it takes so many years to train one of them and most of the riders only have one Grand Prix horse at that international level. All their hopes and dreams are on that one particular horse and that one particular event. If something goes wrong, it’s not good for anybody.” A farrier for over 30 years, Gilchrist continues to shoe high performance horses. He said, “I started shoeing horses in 1980, full-time in Atlanta, and started coming to Wellington for the winters in 1981. I moved permanently in 1999. Mainly, I shoe jumpers and dressage horses, but I also do therapeutic shoeing. I’ve shod horses for client during every Olympics since 1988, dressage horses and jumping horses, once or twice a 3-Day client.” In talking about what changes he’s seen in the last twenty years, he said, “What has changed in the farrier industry in the 20 years is the technology and the footing. It’s unbelievable. We all use different types of shoes than we did back then because of the new footing that everybody uses in these dressage rings.  It really affects the way we shoe these horses. We can use the technology to make the shoeing better." "Still, a lot of people don’t understand the importance of the footing yet, but it’s coming when everyone will understand. We are going with lighter shoes, and taking weight out of the heavier shoes on dressage horses. We hardly ever use bar shoes anymore. Twenty years ago, every horse had bar shoes at the Grand Prix level and lots of Small Tour horses. Everybody wanted them. Now, no one is doing that anymore. The footing makes all the difference. All the top dressage riders know. The dressage horses more than any other discipline work best on this new footing,” he stated. Gilchrist likes to keep things simple and basic, he said, “As far as what I’m doing on dressage horses, I try to keep it as simple as possible, do what’s best for the horse, and maintain a biomechanical, functional hoof. The horses stay sounder longer. When we alternate and change things on these horses, that’s when we get into trouble.” “My best advice to any rider from a show horse farrier is to just take your time with these young horses. Save them, don’t push them too hard. Bring them up the ranks as slow as you can, take good care of their bodies, their feet, and their minds. I’ve seen it both ways, the push hard and the taking time method. Take your time,” he advised. 

All set up for the horse pedicure in the court yard

There were other farriers working today in the different barns at WFEC. One drove up in a converted Freightliner truck. Wow! I just had to ask if I could take a photo, and the guys were very nice about it, the owner even offered to take the picture:

Freightliner farrier truck with living quarters

Salute to the coaches at the shows - and what can I borrow next time??

After the WFEC show I came across this post on FB, and thought it was just so right on:

Not only that, but Roz actually pulled her own belt off her breeches and handed it to me because mine didn't work! 

Like part of the wedding saying* … something borrowed (her belt)… something blue (my socks). It worked well, so I'm wondering: What can I borrow next time??

*The full saying is "Something Olde, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, a Silver Sixpence in Her Shoe," and it first appeared in print in 1883. American brides often leave off the last part of the saying, gathering only the first four items. Ideas for Something Old Something old symbolizes the bride's family, her past, and tradition.

Shopping, "Durchhaenger", Panel Discussion - and what size socks does Remy wear??

Yesterday we all had a day off, and Roz invited me to come with her to the Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall in Sunrise to visit the Ariat Store. Wow, talk about an Outlet Mall! I am no expert, but this must be one of the largest malls around. We were quite good at locating the store, not an easy feat in this maze. As luck would have it I found a perfect pair of Jeans (and no, JP, a girl can NEVER have too many Jeans), and a shirt. Unfortunately -or fortunately for my CC- most of the sizes were either XS or XL. Roz found some things, too, and we fortified ourselves with lunch afterwards. It was a truly enjoyable outing.

After getting back from taking care of Remy that night I had a bit of a "Durchhaenger" - also known as "Having The Blues" (to be off form). No specific reason, but I think the change of climate, added physical exertion, and primarily not being used to living with strangers caught up with me. I guess I'm a bit homesick. I do miss JP, all the critters, and having my space.  There were houseguests in the last couple of days, I didn't want to get in the way, and it felt a bit awkward. A Tylenol PM took care of it and today was a new day.

Roz had me start Remy with long lining, and we are getting the hang of it. It is really cool! I no longer (OK, most of the time) make spaghetti balls out of the lines and I am positioning myself better (towards his hindquarters). This carried over into our riding session, we focused on the half-passes where Remy has a way of 'tricking' me out - meaning going for "yeah, yeah, it's good enough!" Gotcha, buddy!

Lunch time brought another interesting panel discussion and a delicious lunch, "Key Factors for Developing the Equine Athlete - More Than Just Good Riding". I'll post my notes tonight or tomorrow. It was held at the PIEC (Palm Beach Equestrian Center, also known as "WEG). That is where the Hunter/Jumper action takes place.

Cool artwork at the PBIEC entrance

Horses of all colors

Now I'm off to buy socks for Remy. Yep, he needs socks. I've been warned that pesky little skin wounds can develop into something serious and scary in no time. Sure enough, Remy has one spot on his fetlock that just won't heal, despite all kinds of different potions and lotions, and making sure the flies don't get on it. I noted that K., Vivian's horse, was wearing what looked like stockings, and the reason is to keep ointment on and the flies off. Roz recommended buying socks, and putting them on. The advantage is that there is no worry about bandages being too tight or coming off during the night.

So, the question is: What size socks does Remy wear??

After a very long hiatus - we get in and ride through it

I didn't tell anyone - not even JP - that I had entered a class at the White Fences show. With our combined show phobia chances were that I would scratch, and I didn't want to have to explain it to anyone. Roz was cool with it, which gave me more confidence. Schooling Thursday and Friday went really well, and so I decided to go for it on Saturday.

Remy kept his wits about him, despite the very busy warm up arena. And surprisingly, so did I. Perhaps Sally's CBD drops helped. Note to self: Place an order! We took a deep breath and in the arena we went. Obviously, we were rusty, I hadn't ridden the Third Level test in years, not even in practice (somehow we never got to riding through it). I rode with "gebremsten Schaum" (lit. "reduced foam", i.e. like having very little foam in the bubble bath) and we got through carefully and without any major hiccups. Actually, the flying changes went really well, and the rest we can fix, i.e. "need more clear extensions" (I know, I know, thanks, Mrs. Judge).

Roz holding Remy while he wonders what takes me so long

Getting started with the warm up under a sunny sky

The goal was to just go in there, doing our thing without any "unasked additional movements", stay for the entire test (not always a given for us), breathe and if possible have fun. A tall order, but we made it!

Best compliment from Roz: "You looked like you belonged there!" Goal achieved: Bananas and Carrots for Remy - and water and a power bar for me.

BTW, I am still checking if I can feel Remy's ribs better - a sign that he has the right weight.  I should be able to feel his ribs by a bit of poking, but they should not be visible. The consistent work plus at least an hour each day of brisk hand walking has to do the trick - or so I think.  Well, it works for one of us: While I still have to do quite some poking to get to Remy's ribs there is no poking required to find mine.

Alex in the hammock - plus Mouse and Gecko

White Fences Equestrian has two super sweet resident cats, Alex and Mouse:

Alex snoozing in his 'hammock' (which is actually our hay wagon)

Mouse brought the Gecko to the stables but then decided that was enough work for the day

Last but not least - beautiful roosters, chickens, and chicks roaming around

There is a snake in Remy's stall - and a reminder that not all is rich in Welly-World

While cleaning Remy's stall I noticed something long and black slithering around. That came just after Paulette had warned me in the morning about poisonous snakes. Great. I tried to pick it up with the pitch fork but of course it wanted to have nothing to do with it. Finally I was able to coaxed it out of the stall, all the while Remy was ignoring both the snake's and my antics being busy with his hay. Sarah, with several years of Florida under her belt, took a look at the snake and pronounced it safe, actually she said we should encourage it to invite its friends over for a party, as this kind of snake ("we simply call in Black Snake") eats bugs. OK, then. Learned something new again.

It's a very busy weekend at White Fences, they are running a National show over three days. Tents, trailers, LOTS of horses (some well mannered, some not so much), tractors, dogs, etc. Huge classes, even the Grand Prix tests have 10+ entries (in comparison, at Waterloo it's in the low single digits). Perfect for Remy and me to get a whiff of the show life again, and dip our big toes/hooves into it. Roz was the brave one, she got on Remy first in the warm up arena. Of course, as luck would have it, it was not very busy. Once I climbed on, of course, the people and horses showed up. I was so happy, Remy stayed focused and didn't get bothered by the other horses, which is HUGE for us. And, equally important, I kept my wits about me, too. Another positive deposit in our bank account!

Tonight I got a reminder of Florida reality - as we say in German "Es ist nicht alles Gold, was glaenzt" (Literally: Not everything that shines is Gold). With all the wealth on display it's easy to forget the other side of the coin. On the way back from the barn I stopped at a 7 Eleven as I had a craving for a Corona. It was like stepping into a different world: I was the only white women in there, and all the other customers clearly had a hard day's work behind them. Mainly day laborers it seemed. I saw a young couple with their small daughter, clearly very poor people. They bought the child a treat and the three of them looked so happy that they were able to do this.

When I got to my car a working girl was talking to the guys in a beat up car parked next to me. I was happy that I looked tired and dirty - and that I am a working girl at a barn!

Long lining - we do it and we learn about it

Roz' long lining expertise has really helped getting Remy straighter and more attuned to the aids. After some trial and error on my part we finally found a technique that works well for us.

So after our good session yesterday morning (we used the long lining as Remy's warm up)  I was excited to go to the 'Shop Talk' on "The Art of Long Lining as Complement to Riding" with two Swedish experts: Richard Malmgren and Bo Jena. The 'Shop Talk' is a once a month event hosted by a local tack shop.

Richard Malmgren long lining

Here is a summary of my notes:

- "Horses have to be inspired by nature" (on the importance of riding outside the arena)
- "Imagine going into a grey room doing the same thing over and over"
- "Cross training is very important" (A good analogy was the reference to top tennis players, they don't just hit balls all day long, they go to the gym, do cross fit, etc.)
- "You can educate every horse to be better"
- "If you don't work the body you get a leg mover but not a body mover"

Richard stated that it is important to make it as black and white as possible for the horses when we are communicating with them. Both stressed the importance of variation in the work, i.e. including cavaletti, trails etc. Also they noted that it is important to always learn, also from other disciplines.

One of my favorites:
- "Create your own cake". You may have similar ingredients but at the end of the day you have to bake the cake yourself.

Richard and Bo explained the long lining equipment, a very well made (of course) surcingle as used at Flyinge*, leather reins (safer than nylon), 8.5m in length. The reins should not be too heavy. Horses like to go into the contact, so a good fitting bit is very important. Especially for young horses a rubber bit can be beneficial. A light whip is needed as extension of the arm as forward driving aid.
The surcingle on display had extra straps on each side. Richard and Bo noted that you could also use a spur strap to have the reins go through on the inside for correct flexion and also for the horse not to feel trapped (exactly what Roz uses, it works great on Remy!).
The person's position should be 3/4 behind the horse, far enough not to be kicked, close enough to be able to influence the horse. The person should wear a helmet and gloves (requirement at Flyinge).

The first steps should be stop and steer on a circle. Then walk-halt transitions. LOTS of transitions, with great care that the hindlegs start first. Take it step by step and give the horse time to understand.

 It was noted that sometimes people are too kind and throw the reins away, but you need to give on the inside and keep the outside contact.

Richard said that he wants a horse to hold its own body. If you take the rider out of the equation the horse needs to own up to its own body. "So much in riding is rebalancing".  Long lining helps the horse to figure it out and not evade crookedness.

Important: Frequent rewards in the form of walk breaks.

- "Long lining is riding from the ground, it has nothing to do with longing. Longing does not influence the horse. With long lining you have the horse on the outside rein"

- "Long lining gives you a chance to see the horse other than when riding"

- "Your shoulders need to be soft and relaxed and your hands need to be as in riding. You can't use a death grip"

- "Long lining is like a dance - just like riding - and you need to be fit enough to keep up with the horse"

"The Best of the Best go out after a performance and stretch their horses out".

*Flyinge is the National Equestrian Center of Sweden

A bit of a nail biting session - and a thinly disguised sales pitch

Today was a bit of a nail  (hoof) biter for us. Luckily I couldn't bite my nails as I needed my hands on the reins and Remy needed his hooves on the ground. High winds, and lots going on with a busy National show starting on Friday. We long reined Remy first, and that went well.

I got on and immediately felt that Remy was quite distracted and tense. He couldn't figure out where to look first: In the open spectator pavilion to our left where a Pilates class was going on, which meant sudden appearances of arms and legs over the balustrade. In the round pen to our right someone longed a horse that had the tail tied to its side, and this was not a smooth session. And then there was the new tent construction for the show.

It's hard for me not to get suckered into Remy's distractions and lapses of attention. In the back of my mind I do have his infamous 'jump and spin'. Roz was excellent in getting us on track and her exercises forced us to focus on the task at hand. Especially the shoulder in, then straight back to the track, then shoulder in again made Remy pay attention. Same with shoulder in in trot for part of the diagonal, then same in walk, and back to trot. We managed even to do decent canters, and finished with good stretchy trot both sides. I think we both were quite relieved when we got out of there unscathed - at least I was. And I don't have any nails to speak of I could bite, anyway.

Last night Paulette, Jota, and I went to audit what was advertised as "Training Sessions" at a famous (some say infamous) Danish Olympian's barn. It turned out that it was not so much about training as a thinly disguised sales pitch for the horses, but it was quite interesting. The two German moderators have different backgrounds; one is an international rider (I saw him riding at Global the other day), the other is a consummate sales/marketing guy who had worked for one of the most successful horse sales people in the world (Schockemoehle). Their opinions sometimes differed, i.e. regarding the walk. One said "Walk on the buckle" the other "Don't give everything away". I do think in that case both are right, it depends on the context. I also liked comments such as "No one is dying when the horse is taking the neck up", and "Most horses are not lazy, they are blocked by their riders". However, this was combined with the thinly veiled sales pitches like "I don't know why this horse hasn't been sold yet, it is clearly superb".

A feed company sponsored the libations, Prosecco being the drink of choice it seemed. Luckily I am not a fan of Prosecco so it wasn't hard to leave for my 'Remy duty'. Now if it would have been Veuve or Moet... Remy might have had to miss the turn down service.

Remy encounters his first alligator - and I the rich and famous (?)

Our second hack with Vivian and Kieran was another fun outing. Remy was marching right up, and I could feel him become more and more confident. Last time he was pretty happy to be behind Kieran, this time he had no qualms being next him. The paths go along the canals, and wouldn't you know it, just as we were strolling by an Alligator decided to take a splash. That startled Remy a bit, he did a 180 but then stopped and relaxed. This is Florida, buddy, just think of them as their version of our ubiquitous deer. (Yeah, you don't have to tell me that the deer at home won't eat you, but I promise, you are too big for these Gators!).

In the afternoon Jota gave me the insider tour of Palm Beach. I honestly can say I have never seen so many Ferraris, Rolls, Maseratis, Bentleys, etc. in one place. But as Jota and I agreed, money does not buy you taste - we were looking at a baby blue Rolls at that time. The town is fascinating to visit, and off the famous Worth Avenue with all the expensive stores (think Ferragamo, Chanel, Escada, to name just a few) are many small alleys that are beautifully maintained and decorated. They definitely were going for the 'Tuscan Theme'. 

It was a hot day and true to the theme we found an excellent place for Gelato. 

Water fountains in almost every alley

Court yard in Palm Beach

The 'Tuscan theme' 

Jota: Diplomat cum 'tour guide' extraordinaire

Orchids thriving in the alley

Meanwhile at home:

Ziggy and Jaas thriving in the snow under JPs loving care

"Oh, Remy has to eat 'sad' hay" - and a great lesson in long reining

Well, I should have listened to Glenda. She had warned me about the beautiful hay available in Florida. Yes, indeed it is gorgeous, but not what an easy keeping Morgan should eat! My stable mates feed "Valley Green" hay, which is an Orchard/Timothy/AA (Alfalfa) mix. I was told that the AA content was negligible, so I thought OK, no problem. Well, in two weeks Remy managed to get quite the belly, however, in his case not beer but AA. So back to the feed store, this time to order straight Timothy hay. I took one bale back with me (it filled the trunk of my GTI completely), in order to switch Remy over immediately. When I got to the barn I saw Sarah, a very nice young trainer from Minnesota who stables in the courtyard with us. She took a look at the hay and exclaimed "Oh, Remy has to eat 'sad' hay now". Yep, but luckily he doesn't look sad while eating it!

Every day is a new experience here. Remy has found new friends in the form of Egrets (white Herons). These cute guys stay right next to the horses in the paddocks, and neither of them is afraid of the other.

Remy and friends

As Remy was quite naughty under saddle the other day Roz and I decided to change the routine and add long reining to his repertoire. Roz has great experience in long reining and she showed me the ropes, uh, lines. Remy and I have two clinics under our belts but neither approach had really 'clicked' enough for me to continue it  on my own. Roz' system works super for us, and after some fiddling around on my part we got into the swing of things. It helps that we have a wonderful large round pen to work in. It was also good for me to have one web rein and one leather rein so I could keep left and right straight (always a challenge for me).  I really had to use my core and be very precise with my half-halts to keep Remy going correctly.

Last night Paulette and Jota were invited to a dinner party and they brought me along to another beautiful farm. It's just such an interesting crowd here. Many Europeans, South Americans, and of course the Snow Birds from the North. I haven't met a true Floridian yet. A nice Danish man told me that they bought an 'inexpensive horse' - 'inexpensive' meant $75K... So when people asked me what kind of horse I have and I answered "a Morgan" I am sure they thought I am someone's poor relation! ("Where did Paulette and Jota find her??").

Paulette, my lovely landlady, and her sidekick Fargo

Lecture Notes on "Balance in Movement"

February 13, 2019

Susanne von Dietze lecture at Yellow Bird Farm, Wellington, Florida:

Balance in Movement – The secret of invisible effective communication between rider and horse

The following is my bullet point summary from her excellent lecture:

-          Riding requires elasticity, not strength

-          Use your abdominal muscles as seat belt

-          Sit TO the inside, not on the inside in the canter

-          Aids ALWAYS need to have a FORWARD tendency

-          Outside aids give security to the horse

-          Use the outside rein in a forward and elastic way

-          You need to be able to open both front and back lines of your body

-          Hand to shoulder is the elastic part, NOT the rein

-          To become elastic, we need to expand

-          Picture a heart on your back that opens the shoulders and the lower part of the heart anchors your seat

-          You carry not just your arms, you carry also the bit

-          The principles of classical riding stay the same

-          The moment a rider gets on a horse he/she influences the balance of the horse / you always influence the horse with your weight aids (if you want or not)

-          Aids (as the word says) are there to help, not to force

-          Rhythm: Harmony and Movement, Timing of the aids

-          Balance: Symmetry of movement and weight, only exists in motion

o   Aids should support the balance

o   You need to let the horse move to balance (think of a bicycle, if you are too slow you wobble or topple over)

o   Allowing forwardness – young horses can’t canter slow

o   “Dressage riders want every thing slow”, but you need forward motion. The old masters often had an eventing background, so they knew how to let the horses canter forward.

-          Suppleness: Positive tension, dynamic, stability

o   Suppleness is elastic, like a tent spread out and holding

-          Positive tension = expanding, growing taller, reaching, stepping under

-          Negative tension = Shortening

o   Susanne explained that when she judges she looks for a horse to grow in the transition. If the horse shrinks it’s a 5

-          Rhythm: “The music starts in the hind quarters”, suppleness in the shoulders. Think dancing couple

-          Pelvis: Connection point between horse and rider

-          Seat bones are shaped like a sleigh, they are not just pointy spots

-          Having seat bones like a triangle gives a stable ground

-          We want horses narrow behind, wider in front

-          Every shift of weight has to be FORWARD, going sideways always must be more FORWARD

-          Every corner: FORWARD

-          When you start a pirouette, you are half a meter ahead of the turning point

-          Moving your leg should NOT influence your seat bones

-          Pelvis is an elastic ring, distributes the weight of the upper body

-          Change the big movement of the legs into refined impulsions into the spine

-          One seat bone will always influence the other

-          Movement starts in the MIDDLE of the rider’s head (not in the neck)

-          You need to lift the chest to have a stable neck position

-          What I ask of the horse I must do in my body

Movement of the Horse                               Movement of the Rider

Flexion-Extension                                            Same

Rotation                                                               Lateral Flexion

Lateral Flexion                                                   Rotation

-          Horses have rotation mainly in the trot

-          To ride good half-passes the rider’s body should bend equally well both sides

-          The rider sits on the rotation center of the horse, through the rotation there is influence on the horse

-          Curl and Arch = Flexion and Extension

-          Exercises: Turning from waist; Patting horse on the opposite side of the neck; diagonal stretches through body

-          Through rotation we get strength. Rotation = Activation of the spiral inside the upper body

-          Think diagonal strength like a soccer or tennis player, more powerful on the diagonal

-          Balance of the highest degree should look effortless

-          Interplay of rhythm and balance = correct timing and positive tension

-          Balance enhances rhythm / Rhythm enhances balance

-          You are the conductor (like an orchestra can play on its own but not as well), the best horse in the world needs a conductor

-          Rider needs to provide anchor – need to anchor shoulder to give, otherwise horse falls on the forehand

-          Ueberstreichen – without anchor your giving is worth nothing

-          To control your horse on your seat you need to give

-          The most important part of the half-halt is giving

From the lecture hand out:

Susanne von Dietze-Pollak is a world-renowned seat, balance, and position expert and has written two excellent texts on the biomechanics of riding (Balance in Movement, Rider & Horse Back to Back). Susanne earned her Physiotherapy degree at University Goettingen in 1987 and for the next 10 years worked actively in the field, focusing on back pain and spinal injuries. She is trained in manual therapy as well as PNF. During that ime Susanne also worked as a trainer at the German Academy of Riding, Warendorf, and also Mannheimer Reitverein.

Day off! - and Florida is a smorgasbord for rider education

Tuesday it was up before dawn to get Remy settled before leaving with Jota for Miami for the day. Jota had offered to take me as he had meetings in the city, what a perfect opportunity. This gave me the opportunity to see a beautiful sunrise at White Fences:

Early morning at White Fences

Miami is about 90 minutes by car from Wellington. I was amazed when I saw the city: All those apartment building really reminded me of Shanghai. It's not what I had expected, but during the course of the day Jota took me to different neighborhoods. I got to see the Art Deco houses, and we had a fun late lunch in South Beach people watching.

Impressions of Miami

While I was having fun walking 11 km is Espadrilles (!) Remy had the day off. Apparently all my good 6 a.m. grooming was for naught as he had let himself out and managed to grind so much dirt into his short coat that Roz decided not to get a coating of dirt herself.

Yesterday was a rain day - literally, gusty winds and heavy rains all day. Perfect for education, but not when you are on of the clinic riders. I went to see Susanne von Dietze* teach at Yellow Bird Farm and unfortunately, the outdoor arena there is not covered. I have to hand it to JJ Tate, she rode two horses in the downpour and not only managed to do a great job but also to keep her smile.  I've read Susanne's book and was very keen on learning more so I zipped back to take care of Remy and then returned for her lecture (lots of driving involved here).

The lecture was on "Balance in Movement - The secret of invisible effective communication between  rider and horse." It was great! It took copious notes and will post a write up in the next day or so. It was also great to chat with Susanne (she reminded me so much of my friend Antje, it was eerie).

Paulette and Jota also attended and they agreed with me that it was a super evening, between the lecture, interesting people, good food (including chocolate covered strawberries), and a well stocked bar: What else could you want??

*Susanne von Dietze is a world-renowned seat, balance, and position expert and has written two excellent books on the biomechanics of riding. 

Passed the one week mark - and actually enjoying the comments of a dressage judge

Sunday Vivien took us on a hack (they use the British word for trail rides here) and it was great fun. There is so much space to hack around, and it's beautiful. It was a windy day and the palm leaves were rustling quite a bit. Add the canals and birds and that explains why Remy had to take several 'second looks', but he marched right along Kieran (Viv's horse). We actually saw an eagle in its nest - how cool!.

"I am ready for my hack!"

Canals everywhere - but so far no Gator in sight

A lovely place to hack

This morning we had a very good ride. We are working our way back to the "Pre-Roz-Leaving" stage. It was our first lesson in a double bridle in several months, and Remy was very good. Our changes are becoming more natural (for lack of a better description), and the canter half-passes are coming along nicely. All good - especially for a Monday.

In the afternoon we walked across the street and a pasture to another farm that is hosting a clinic with Stephen Clarke, a British 5* Dressage Judge (highest level, he was also elected FEI Judge General at the 2012 Olympics). It was fun and educational, with lovely riders and horses. Mr. Clarke focused on the judge's point of view and here are a few of his gems:

*"You think you are riding transitions but it's not obvious enough for the stupid judge"
*"It's a sight for sore eyes when somebody rides a good transition"
*"There are marks waiting to be stolen" (on riding figures correctly)
*"People throw points away in the easy stuff"
*"Do it and make it look easy"
*"A bit shoulder fore before the change"
*"Uphill and vorwaerts (I could he sworn he used the German word) into the change
*"We want reaction first then rhythm"
*"Play with the gears so he can be active and in front of your leg"
*"We need impulsion without tension"
*"If it takes three steps to get it done it's too late"

This definitely was one of the -rare- days where I thoroughly enjoyed the comments of a dressage judge!

This is such a great place for education. On Wednesday I will be auditing a Susanne von Dietze clinic on rider biomechanics as well as attending her lecture in the evening.

Tomorrow, though, is a different day of education: Remy will be under Roz' expert tutelage and I am getting an insider tour of Miami. Once I mentioned to Paulette and Jose that I would love to see Miami Jose offered to take me as he has some meetings there. I will travel in excellent company: My tour guide was stationed in Miami - as Consul General of Argentina.

That doesn't get me out of Remy duty, though, 5 a.m. wake up, going to the barn, feeding, mucking, grooming, then back to shower and Miami. Later in the evening the reverse. During the day Vivien has volunteered to check hay and water. It's a lot of work to be a personal butler* to a horse!

* Traditionally butlers would be male, housekeepers and ladies’ maids would be female. But the female butler has steadily been making its way up in the popularity ranks and this highly versatile role is now a much sought-after member of staff.

"We need to warm up his brain" - and getting into the swing in Welly-World

We have our first week training in Florida under our belt. It's been very good so far, Roz had us start easy and we are progressively adding to the program with the goal right now "We don't need to do tricks, we need to warm up his brain". The dressage portion of Remy's brain had been on holiday -or better said -on ice- since December, hence the need for the warmup. Remy is settling in nicely. Even though his need for a friend prompted him to open Bodi's (the Andalusian next to him) door and letting him out into the paddock. At night check they were discovered hanging out in one stall. Teenagers!

White Fences is just ideal for us, it is so beautiful but also laid back and friendly. Here are some impressions:

Fountain in 'our' courtyard

Gators right next to the paddocks?

The properties of the Ueber-Rich here are just incredible. Real Estate listings for $20+ million are common. On my way to the show grounds I drove by the Aero Club. This is a community that has runways and each home has hangars for the private planes = fly to your front door.
 https://www.businessinsider.com/wellington-fl-where-the-rich-go-to-play-2017-1

It was interesting to audit the Isabell Werth Masterclass. I had not seen her teach as she focuses in Germany on her stall full of Olympic horses. The things she worked on were familiar: leg yields to improve half-passes, use of counter flexion, straightness, and encouraging the riders to let the horses go. One rider would really hang on the curb bit, so she asked him to do Piaffe and Passage one handed, and the change in the horse was stunning.

Last night Paulette, Jose, and I went to see the freestyle, and we saw it somewhat in style: Drinking wine and munching on cheese, crackers, and German chocolate (thanks, Stephanie!) - while standing at the rail because the place was packed and all the seats were taken. It also was a reminder that good genes are not enough, the son of a legendary dressage rider was a far cry from his father.

The three of us had a different winner pegged.. and in true French-Argentinian-German unity we picked the same one. How's that for intercultural understanding?