Horses, Oysters, Quiet Neighbors - and lots of learning

I had a wonderful time in New England with Doris and Ron. Educational, fun, and inspiring. The weather was perfect, warm and sunny early fall days. Driving in Rhode Island and Connecticut goes at a relaxed pace, but navigating the small country roads at night was a bit more challenging.

It was a good system of "Divide and Conquer": Annual review of my skills in the Masterson Method as well as in Equine Sports Massage with Doris, and then learning the Upper Suspension Technique developed and taught by Ron.

Cover of Ron Bouchard's book.

The picture shows the grandfather of one of his clients, Harold Skinner and his horse Ranger.

On Friday late afternoon we went to Matunuck where Doris and I had a relaxing walk on the beach while Ron was on "line duty" (waiting for a table) at the Matunuck Oyster Bar. We scored a table outside with a view of the ocean and next a heat lamp. Yay! While I don't "do" raw oysters, I felt adventurous enough to try the grilled ones. They were served with ample garlic butter, which I came to appreciate later in the evening... Still, better yet was the amazing lobster salad - Wow! JP sure missed out on that one (we both still salivate at the thought of the lobsters we had when we visited Donna in Maine).

The hotel I had booked in Norwich stated "quiet location". And quiet it was, at least on the outside (on the inside a rambunctious group of kids ran around until the wee hours).

"Hotel is in a quiet location"

True statement: The neighbors had left a long time ago.

Good thing the oysters were served with ample garlic, just in case...

Off to New England - and "True professionals have coaches"

Without my coach, Roz, Remy and I wouldn't be where we are by far. When I'm working alone I have to admit to a tendency of "good enough". That only applies to Remy, though, (yay, he says). Working with the right coach not only keeps one's skills sharp but it also forces one to stretch and improve.  

At the beginning of my executive career I was smart enough to book some sessions with a "Mind coach", a German psychiatrist that specializes in executive coaching. Simone helped me to 'out-smart' and 'out-live' the worst male chauvinist boss I'd ever come across. 

Fast forward to the present: Tomorrow I am heading to New England for my annual review and continuing education (some things never change, it seems...). Although this time, the review is to check that my equine bodywork skills are still sharp and to add Craniosacral therapy and thoracic sling release to my repertoire. I am so fortunate to have Doris and Ron as my coaches and mentors. Not only do both of them have decades of experience (and are also certified instructors and examiners), they are also truly nice people. Whenever I need a sounding board with a puzzling -equine- client, I can count on helpful advice and feedback.

I think of it in terms of competitive athletes, most of the top ones have great coaches. As Simone puts it: "True professionals have coaches!" (No matter the discipline).

Back to my riding coach - today we had a long reining session, and it stretched my skills. Roz set up a series of cavaletti at different heights Remy had to trot through and then canter out. With both hands full with both long reins plus the in-hand whip steering was not as easy as it seemed. Remy did a great job weaving in and around a few times until I got my act together. But then it was super cool to see how he stretched his neck, bent his hocks, picked his belly muscles up and cruised through. Made us all happy - Remy most of all: He knew there was an "obscene" carrot (Chapin's description) waiting for him. And yes, the juice carotts JP buys in bulk from our local grocery store look rather ...hmm.... Luckily Remy doesn't blush - he just wants to sink his teeth in them.

And here is something bright in celebration of the start of fall: Stephanie had sent me two clay 'crowns' a few years ago (yes, all the way from Germany - and as she is a 'master shipper' nothing ever dares to break). It's a metaphor for not giving up: "Aufstehen, Krone richten, weitermachen" - "Get up, straighten crown, continue"!

Happy Fall - American Mums in a German 'crown' :-) 

Ending the week on high notes - and what has Goethe to do with riding?

Aside from our blip on Tuesday, Remy and I had a really good week. Yesterday Roz checked him out and warmed him up before I got on and it was like riding on a cloud. OK, that sounds a bit weird, but it was one of those elusive times where things just clicked. I thought it and Remy floated into it.

Saturday is our "Joint Riding Day" - JP, Chambord, Remy, and I have a standing 'date' with Lisa, the H/J trainer. It also means getting up very early to feed to boys so they have time to digest their breakfasts. Today was one of those lovely late summer mornings, and looking at the barn in the mist I -once again- told myself how lucky I am. (Feeling even luckier after my 2nd or 3rd cup of coffee!).

Lisa does a beautiful job motivating and challenging her students while keeping it fun. JP made a lot of progress since he started riding with her. I got to see first hand how he and Chambord conquered the 'Circle of Death' exercise, and they showed us how it's done. Remy and I had so much fun, I even forgave Lisa for making me follow JP :-)!

Two that have each other's back

Reflecting on the ups and downs of riding and training made me think of a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe "Freudvoll und Leidvoll":

Freudvoll

Und leidvoll,

Gedankenvoll sein;

Hangen

Und bangen

In schwebender Pein;

Himmelhoch jauchzend,

Zum Tode betrübt—

Glücklich allein

Ist die Seele, die liebt.

Full of Joy

English Translation © Richard Stokes

Full of joy,

And full of sorrow,

Full of thoughts;

Yearning

And trembling

In uncertain anguish;

Exulting to heaven,

Cast down unto death—

Happy alone

Is the soul that loves.

Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)

Three different lessons - Three very different experiences

Yesterday Remy and I  -accompanied by JP and Ziggy- went to ride in a clinic with a well known dressage judge.  From time to time it's nice to get the judges experience - but yesterday was not our day. Remy got rattled by the resident stallion grumbling at him, and from then on he just sucked back. It was like he deflated. I did switch out bridles, from the double to the snaffle, hoping that might help. It was a bit better, but not much. Through all this the clinician just said "I don't know what your problem is". Lots of forward trot and canter work did help and we finally got moving - or so I thought...

From the horse to me "You are riding sloppy", "What is this supposed to be?", "A shoulder-in? Well, you have to tell me", "Your back is awful", "That wasn't a nice flying change". What I didn't get was what I had come for: Constructive tips on how to improve. Basically in the end, Remy and I left with our respective tails between our legs. JP and Ziggy had their work cut out with us on the way home -ok, mostly me - Remy was happy munching his hay on the trailer.

Thankfully, we had dinner that night with our friends and neighbors Ed and Angie, and the lovely evening with them, the Koelsch, and delicious food cheered me up considerably. Fun facts: A group of Americans of German, French, Polish, Hungarian descent drinking German beer and eating Mexican food :-)  Later a Tylenol PM did the rest and today was a new day.

And indeed a new day it was, like a switch had turned. Remy was just cooking along in the outdoor arena, happily working in his double bridle (I wanted to see if that might have been the issue), no problem with our shoulder-ins, and especially the canter felt great. Later Roz sent me a video clip from the lesson with the comment "this should cheer you up".  And yes, thank you, Roz, it helped restore a great chunk of my confidence.

And then there is the 'third experience': JP and Chambord had their lesson with Lisa today and they both came home super happy. JP's chest was puffed out and he seemed to have grown a few inches :-) Chambord swaggered off the trailer and I swear, his chest was puffed out, too!
JP  proudly told me that they mastered  Lisa's "Circle of Death" exercise with aplomb and Lisa called him her "star student".  That explains the puffed out chests and swagger...

This made me very happy and I thought with a tiny bit of envy: "These guys know how to have fun". JP doesn't get rattled when he and Chambord have a bad day, and they do have those, too. Stormy weather and rain pounding on the roof of the indoor arena translates into "better get off  NOW and call it a day" for JP as Chambord gets super charged and adds 'airs above the ground'. JP and Lisa are able shrug it off - next time will be better. Note to self...and if I can't shrug it off, there are always JP, Ziggy, friends, beer, and food to the rescue!

Today he filled in for me - and the turnout conundrum

It's been a busy few weeks, but all good. Ingrid and Gerhard made a detour from their East Coast trip and visited us for a few days of  "country experience". Sometimes we tend to forget that our lifestyle can be quite foreign to city people. Still, they were good sports and seemed to enjoy it - dog, cats, horses, and all.

Remy has been nicely trucking along in our lessons. Today was a bit more 'interesting' than usual: The place next door is undergoing major renovation and there was one heavy truck whizzing by every few minutes, using the air brakes for good measure right next to the outdoor arena. To my surprise Remy remained more focused than I was (no eye-rolling here, JP!). He felt more 'stuck' than usual, but I'm pretty sure that this was due to might tight seat. It was super that he filled in for me today, that doesn't always happen, so I take it when I get it - and dole out lots of treats afterwards!

The not so pleasant surprise was an email from the farm owner in Florida where we are supposed to be staying. I had mentioned that Remy loves his turnout, and I got a terse message that turnout is limited to two hours a day. Well, that really is a deal-breaker for us. Of course, the check with the substantial down payment had been cashed - so I am quite upset about the whole situation. And it seems even if we could arrange a half-day turnout for Remy, he would have to come in immediately if he were to run. He is a horse, for heaven's sake! So, looks like we might be wintering in Michigan...

Speaking of turnout, at home the boys got rather unusual pasture mates recently: A flock of wild turkeys comes everyday, hangs out in their pastures, and even sleeps close to the boys. There are at least a dozen of them. Interestingly, Saumur, who usually defends his territory with all he's got (front feet and teeth) doesn't even bat an eye when they are close.

Horses and wild turkeys: "Living in Harmony"