It's amazing how happy a 'pat on the back' can make me. I am usually pretty sure of myself (JP begs to differ) but without the 'big wins' from my former corporate life I admit I sometimes crave some validation, or at least positive feedback. No, Remy, your feedback of giving me the hoof doesn't count!
Today I received a super nice email from a participant of the workshop I gave, telling me how much she and the other participants enjoyed it. In addition, Sarah also rides Major, the therapy horse I have been working on. Major went from tense, tight and sometimes crabby to relaxed and happy. That just made my day! I am celebrating with a glass of champagne as I am writing this :-)
Yes, I should know that I am doing a good job, but still - it's important to get that positive feedback.
How often do we see horses that try their heart out and it's never good enough? One more time, one more time... until frustration sets it. I read the analogy of the rider asking "What day is it?", the horse answers "Tuesday". Rider asks again "What day is it?", horse says "August 13th". Rider asks "What day is it?", Horse says "August 13, 2019".... all correct answers, and still the rider asks. And one wonders why the horse gets frustrated! A pat on the back for the first answer "Tuesday" would have gone a long way.
Remy and Chambord got more than pats on the backs today. They each had a full bodywork session. Now my champagne clouded mind asks... what about me?? I knew it's Sunday :-)
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Is the onion finally peeled? - and a fun evening
Well, Roz and I have been carefully peeling the onion (Remy), and it seems we finally have a nice, clean result - without even shedding tears!
Chiropractic: Check
Bodywork: Check
Adjusted training: Check
New Bit: Check
The last layer was addressed yesterday: Saddle fit. I had the inkling that it was too tight in his shoulders again, as Remy was a bit reluctant to reach out. It also put me in a position I didn't quite like. Nothing dramatic, mind you, but Remy and I are just such "Princess and Princess on the Pea". So Luanne to the rescue! And sure enough, she confirmed that Remy had gained another centimeter over the withers which skewed the saddle fit. The difference the adjustment made was astonishing.
Yay, we might just be in full business again!
Last night I gave an "Intro to Equine Bodywork and Bladder Meridian Workshop" at Therapeutic Riding Inc. in Ann Arbor. What a great group of staff and volunteers: Interested, engaged, friendly, fun. And my demo horse, Major, was just a ham. He clearly enjoyed the audience of about 30+ people. I had worked on Major before, so I was familiar with him. Nevertheless, working with a horse in front of an audience is never a guarantee that things go according to plan. But Major was game (actually he seemed disappointed when it ended) and I left tired but very happy.
Check out www.therapeuticridinginc.org to learn more about this wonderful organization.
Chiropractic: Check
Bodywork: Check
Adjusted training: Check
New Bit: Check
The last layer was addressed yesterday: Saddle fit. I had the inkling that it was too tight in his shoulders again, as Remy was a bit reluctant to reach out. It also put me in a position I didn't quite like. Nothing dramatic, mind you, but Remy and I are just such "Princess and Princess on the Pea". So Luanne to the rescue! And sure enough, she confirmed that Remy had gained another centimeter over the withers which skewed the saddle fit. The difference the adjustment made was astonishing.
Yay, we might just be in full business again!
Last night I gave an "Intro to Equine Bodywork and Bladder Meridian Workshop" at Therapeutic Riding Inc. in Ann Arbor. What a great group of staff and volunteers: Interested, engaged, friendly, fun. And my demo horse, Major, was just a ham. He clearly enjoyed the audience of about 30+ people. I had worked on Major before, so I was familiar with him. Nevertheless, working with a horse in front of an audience is never a guarantee that things go according to plan. But Major was game (actually he seemed disappointed when it ended) and I left tired but very happy.
Check out www.therapeuticridinginc.org to learn more about this wonderful organization.
Monday, August 19, 2019
Barn improvements before home improvements - and practising LSD on the trails (no, it's not what you think!)
JP LOVES barn improvements. While the inside of our house is patiently (way more so than I) waiting for paint improvements, the barn not only received a completely new color scheme (from 'Michigan Barn Red' to grey with black accents), the boys also got large windows. Well, what can I say... if the two and four-legged boys are happy life is good!
So, what's up with "LSD"? you might wonder. It's what we did today and we had a great time :-). It stands for Long Slow Distance, and it's part of our riding/conditioning program. Growing up in Germany it was standard for everyone at the barn to go "ausreiten" (hacking), in addition to the dressage and jumping lessons. The Sunday group outing "Sonntagsausritt" was always a lot of fun (we added SF to it: short, fast work) and the ride concluded invariably in the "Reiterstuebchen" (riders' bar).
So when I read about the importance of LSD (in preparation for SFD) in Denny Emerson's new book "Know Better to Do Better", I thought about how I wished that some of my clients would add that to their horse's program also. Lots of horses hardly ever get walked into fitness, and IMO a lot of injuries could be prevented with the right conditioning. As Denny states "It's hard to injure a horse at the walk".
The key idea is that the longer slower miles build the base so that by the time the horse is asked to do shorter, faster work, he is fit and strong and able to do so without getting hurt. Of importance is that the horse still marches forward and doesn't amble around on the forehand.
Note to Remy and Chambord: Treating the trails like the buffet line on a cruise ship is not the idea either!
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Barn door with the new color scheme
Horse portraits carved in wood - just one of JPs many talents
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| "What's JP up to now??" |
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| "Hey, what's going on out there??" |
So, what's up with "LSD"? you might wonder. It's what we did today and we had a great time :-). It stands for Long Slow Distance, and it's part of our riding/conditioning program. Growing up in Germany it was standard for everyone at the barn to go "ausreiten" (hacking), in addition to the dressage and jumping lessons. The Sunday group outing "Sonntagsausritt" was always a lot of fun (we added SF to it: short, fast work) and the ride concluded invariably in the "Reiterstuebchen" (riders' bar).
So when I read about the importance of LSD (in preparation for SFD) in Denny Emerson's new book "Know Better to Do Better", I thought about how I wished that some of my clients would add that to their horse's program also. Lots of horses hardly ever get walked into fitness, and IMO a lot of injuries could be prevented with the right conditioning. As Denny states "It's hard to injure a horse at the walk".
The key idea is that the longer slower miles build the base so that by the time the horse is asked to do shorter, faster work, he is fit and strong and able to do so without getting hurt. Of importance is that the horse still marches forward and doesn't amble around on the forehand.
Note to Remy and Chambord: Treating the trails like the buffet line on a cruise ship is not the idea either!
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| This is an excellent read |
Sunday, August 18, 2019
When you know it's the right decision - and it still breaks your heart
I haven't felt like writing much as we have had to cope with the loss of Jaas, our Viszla girl. We adopted Jaas 14 years ago from the Viszla rescue, as companion to our shy boy, Max. She was feisty and independent, fun and loving. Lately, though, we had watched and worried about her declining health (no surprise at her ancient age of 15 - in human years it would be about 105).
Jaas' had good moments and not so good ones, especially getting up was harder and painful for her. We were just so scared that the time would come where she couldn't get up any more and we would have to put her through a lot of pain and stress until we found an emergency vet.
So - I made the appointment for Dr. Molle (our regular vet who does house calls) to come last week. The animals know and like him, so there was no stress involved. He gently gave her the first sedative, then a stronger one, and then the final. Jaas passed away gently, and I hope she felt our love until the end.
It was the right decision, but still, it broke our hearts. Yes, our animals shouldn't outlive us, but that is just a small consolation. The bigger one is that we took her out of a kennel and into our home, and she had a happy life. Godspeed, Jaas. We miss you.
Jaas' had good moments and not so good ones, especially getting up was harder and painful for her. We were just so scared that the time would come where she couldn't get up any more and we would have to put her through a lot of pain and stress until we found an emergency vet.
So - I made the appointment for Dr. Molle (our regular vet who does house calls) to come last week. The animals know and like him, so there was no stress involved. He gently gave her the first sedative, then a stronger one, and then the final. Jaas passed away gently, and I hope she felt our love until the end.
It was the right decision, but still, it broke our hearts. Yes, our animals shouldn't outlive us, but that is just a small consolation. The bigger one is that we took her out of a kennel and into our home, and she had a happy life. Godspeed, Jaas. We miss you.
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| Jaas adored JP, and was nice to Julius (the cat), even if he sometimes annoyed her. |
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