Two rain days are just what he needed - and no "Servicewueste" for him

Yesterday was the second day where riding had to be scrapped due to heavy rain. It didn't mean that Remy had to stay in his room, though. Vivian and I tried to use a break in the weather for a hand walk, and both boys were game. Half-way through, though, it started to really pour again and I felt I finished looking like a drowning rat. Luckily Betsy keeps lots of towels in her barn, so we could dry off somewhat.

When I got back to the barn later in the afternoon it had let up and we were able to squeeze in a good longing session, just using the cavesson (no bit, side reins, etc). Kudos to Adam: The White Fences footing is wonderful, even after two days of rain it is great to ride on.

A double rainbow brings good luck

Today we started out with a quick check on the longe, after all, Remy is a very fit guy and the cooler weather plus two days of vacation could mean some pent up energy that needed to get out. He was very good, though, and I climbed on after a few minutes.

Well - the two rain days was just what Remy needed: He was soft, supple, engaged, swinging back, and withers up. Roz always comes up with exercises that keep things interesting. Today for example shoulder-in to half pass to shoulder-in to leg yield back to the rail. Or collect in corner, set him up for lengthening on the diagonal, let him go and when he doesn't listen one swift reminder and then let him motor on again. It only took Remy one diagonal to figure that one out - no reminders needed, he put his RWD in gear and motored on.

Lunch and Learn today was again very interesting - and I have to mention that the food was especially delicious (catering is done by White Horse Tavern). Salmon and risotto: Yum! The event was sponsored by Wellington Agricultural Services, a family owned company, with presentations given by father and daughter.

Some 'fun' facts: On average a horse produces 50 pounds of waste a day. There are 35,000 (not a typo!) horses between the town of Loxahatchee und the village of Wellington. It is estimated that they produce more than 316,000 tons of manure a year. Illegal dumping has become an epidemic in the area, as spreading manure on properties is not allowed. The manure removal business is a $50M/year industry. Wellington Agricultural Services is planning to build a facility that will convert horse manure into four lucrative organic products: Wood pellets, fertilizer pellets, liquid waste absorption pellets and manure compost.

I had enough time to ponder all this while sitting in the tire shop waiting for a new tire to get mounted on my car. Same tire that got repaired about a week ago. The plug they put in to close the nail hole was too close to the rim and started to leak air, so I had to bite the bullet and get a new tire. On the bright side: The service was quick and courteous, and not like what is known as "Servicewueste Deutschland"* ("Service Desert Germany") - it means there is no or only marginal service.

Speaking of service... I believe Remy just rang for room service, so off I go to clean his bathroom, fluff the bed, feed dinner, and of course leave a mint on the pillow: No Servicewueste for him!

*Servicewüste (service desert) is a management buzzword coined in Der Spiegel by economics professor Hermann Simon in 1995, referring to "the total lack of acceptable services".It is used to describe a country, region or area where the service sector generally or customer service specifically is weak or completely undeveloped.

It is often used for Germany, where it is perceived that many organizations do not offer any other services after the purchase of a product and do not consider customers' needs. Generally repairs and maintenance will be done only after paying additional fees. An example given by Simon is that in contrast to those in the United States, German supermarket checkouts did not have an employee dedicated to sacking groceries.

[Wikipedia]