Not according to plan - and a 'kick in the pants' speech

I had been very much looking forward to a dressage lesson with Laurie - alas, it wasn't meant to be. Remy had a severe reaction to his vaccinations. We thought it would be better if he got the injection in his gluteals (instead his neck) but I hadn't thought that one through. He got the shot in his left side, which is his tighter side already. Like 90% of the horses, Remy is RF/LH, meaning he is tighter in his right front and left hind. So, he should have gotten the vaccines in the right hind. Although he would probably have been sore there, too, he might have worked out of it better.

So all in all it took two (!) weeks for him to be able to move freely again. And when we took him to Berwyck for our lesson on Saturday, moving freely he did... kicking up his heels, bucking, and having a jolly good time. I contemplated not getting on as I didn't feel like a having a rodeo ride, but after 20 minutes of trotting and cantering on the longe line Remy settled down a bit. He still felt "up", but was rideable, and we managed to have a good ride.

If I wouldn't have needed the vaccinations for his trip to Florida I wouldn't have done it, that's for sure. Even though we already took Rhino-Flu out to be given later, it was not good at all.

And speaking of Florida - JP gave me a major kick in the pants (figuratively, of course!) today. After talking with Mutti I've been teetering on the brink of canceling (again). My parents house is now sold, and she has to be her new apartment by mid February. That gives Michael, Remy (the two-legged one), and me time to clear out the house before handing the keys to the new owners on March 1.  The apartment is available January 15. My plan is/was to fly to Germany at the beginning of February, after Remy (the four-legged one) is settled in. So now Mutti panics about moving, wants me to come earlier, and the horse shipper doesn't even now if they'll have enough horses to ship in January. Ugh!

All this resulted in another dinner conversation about not going to Florida - up and until the point where JP had enough and I gave me a good and swift (OK, maybe not so swift, I 'had' to cut him off) kick in the pants. Yep, he is super supportive and wants me to go, and yep, I can do it all, and yep, Mutti will be fine. Pass the wine, please!

Right out of JP's "Kick in the Pants" speech