OMG, what is this thing touching me?? - and Merry Christmas

On Tuesday Remy and I had our second lesson with Vanessa. She wanted him to be more engaged from behind and asked for my whip to tap him just slightly. Well, by Remy's reaction you would think he gets beaten regularly! He was like "OMG, there is a whip touching me!!!" What a drama queen, ahem, king. It sure did the trick and he put his rear wheel drive in gear. JP took some video so it was cool to see (less cool how I almost hugged his neck). 

It's almost Christmas Eve, and I just finished my last client summaries. Time to bring the boys in for their dinner. I am very thankful that despite this crazy year our little world is OK. I spoke with Mutti today, and I have to say I admire her newfound strength and resolve: No complaints about the lockdown, being alone Christmas Eve, etc. She even loved our Christmas present (!), hand delivered by Ingrid.

Time to crack the Cremant de Loire bottle. Dinner tonight is carryout from Diamond Jim Brady's Bistro, owned by a fellow horse woman.  Duck legs for JP, seafood cakes for me, plus various sides, and Apfelstrudel for dessert. No worries, Remy and Chambord, you won't have more weight in your respective saddles - you guys make sure we work it off!

 

And we have a plan - and a birthday celebration by the new rules

 After much back and forth I finally (ouf, says JP) came up with a winter plan: Remy stays home and joins his buddy Chambord at his jumping lesson twice a week. We trailer to Vanessa for a dressage lesson and try to get some remote lessons with Roz as well. The Pivo still sits in its original package, waiting to see daylight. I've been very busy with work and my sugar cube production. Yes, you read that right: Sugar cube production. 

For some strange reasons, sugar cubes are currently not sold in any stores. So I had the glorious idea of making little Christmas goodie bags for my regular clients with home made sugar cubes. (And yes, I am aware that there is a company called 'Amazon' where you can get just about anything, including sugar cubes). Great plan, however, I completely underestimated the production requirements for such a large number of regular clients. Still fun though, and I hope they are appreciated. 

The Horse and Sense Sugar Cube Production

Yesterday, we were invited to a co-birthday celebration. Today is Ed's birthday, so Angie and Ed invited us to a 'socially distanced celebration in the garage': Plenty of fresh -cold- air, room to distance, only members of two households. We had a great time, and the company, food, and drinks kept us warm. Angie completely floored me with her present: A quilt she designed and made for me! It features horses (what else, if you know me), and has cozy flannel backing (again, if you know me you are familiar with my chattering teeth). It feels like I'm wrapping myself in love.

What an amazing gift!

It feels a bit like having an affair - and fun discoveries

 Last Tuesday we had our first lesson with a local Dutch top dressage trainer, Vanessa. I had contemplated it for some time, but it felt a bit like cheating on Roz. However, Roz is in Florida, and we are here. (I'm sure glad JP didn't use that argument when Remy and I were in Florida and he was here 😉). 

We are a bit 'off-kilter', our winter boarding is not working out too great. I know I'm a Type A, and when it comes to my horse's health and safety my hackles go up immediately when things are not like they should be. The barn workers got an email from the owner stating "... as Remy's owner is picky..". Guilty as charged! Also Remy and I can't be left alone to our own devices for too long. We (I!) need the occasional kick in the pants to stay on the straight and narrow - otherwise we'll just play... when the cat is away. Vanessa had watched our lessons with Lilo, and knew what to work on instantly. It was fun, and we learned a lot. Hopefully, we can continue working with her at least once a week during the winter. 

A fun discovery was a present from a trainer and barn owner: Julie is a student of Bettina Drummond's and has done a lot of in-hand work with her. I mentioned I would love to learn more, so Julie gave me a Christmas present in the form of an in-hand lesson with her trained horse, Keegan. I learned how to move the bit in the horses mouth (rotate) for forward and back, how to bounce the whip straight up with my index finger and where/how to touch the horse. Keegan does shoulder-in, haunches-in, half-pass, renvers with the softest feel from the ground. Can't wait to learn more! Even if the ground outside is not good for riding we can still work on fun things. 

This came at the right time, as I definitely fell into a funk this week with my birthday. It helped that my family and friends rallied from a distance, with quotes like "the only whining should be done with wine!". Duly noted!

JPs cousin, Claude, had posted a beautiful poem on FB, and it really spoke to me (see below). Ingrid, you will love this one, too, I'm sure:

Saveur de mots:

Le temps s’est écoulé comme une rivière, je ne l’ai pas vu passer !

J’ai compté mes années et j’ai découvert que j’ai moins de temps à vivre ici que je n’en ai déjà vécu.

Je n’ai désormais pas le temps pour des réunions interminables, où on discute de statuts, de règles, de procédures et de règles internes, sachant qu’il ne se combinera rien…

Je n’ai pas le temps de supporter des gens absurdes qui, en dépit de leur âge, n’ont pas grandi.

Je n’ai pas le temps de négocier avec la médiocrité.

Je ne veux pas être dans des réunions où les gens et leur ego défilent.

Les gens ne discutent pas du contenu, à peine des titres.

Mon temps est trop faible pour discuter de titres.

Je veux vivre à côté de gens humains, très humains.

Qui savent sourire de leurs erreurs.

Qui ne se glorifient pas de victoires.

Qui défendent la dignité humaine et qui ne souhaitent qu’être du côté de la vérité et de l’honnêteté.

L’essentiel est ce qui fait que la vie vaut la peine d’être vécue.

Je veux m’entourer de gens qui savent arriver au cœur des gens.

Les gens à qui les coups durs de la vie ont appris à grandir avec des caresses minces dans l’âme.

Oui… J’ai hâte… de vivre avec intensité, que seule la maturité peut me donner.

J’exige de ne pas gaspiller un bonbon de ce qu’il me reste…

Je suis sûr qu’ils seront plus délicieux que ceux que j’ai mangés jusqu’à présent – personne n’y échappe, riche, pauvre, intelligent, démuni … ”

~André-Gide~

Sadness and Happiness - and hooked on something new

My dear friend Antje in Germany just lost her husband Axel to Covid related complications. Axel was treated in the hospital (unrelated to Covid), and got infected there. I hurt for her, it's so sad. And of course, to make it even more difficult, Antje now is on two weeks quarantine. No personal contact for consolations. Only phone and WhatsApp.. but I guess we should be grateful for modern technology, otherwise we would have to resort to "Per AirMail". Incidentally, I still have a lot of AirMail letters from friends and family. 

Then this morning I saw a FB reminder - 10 years ago I lost the best mare ever. Crissy was my heart horse, a gift from JP to our first anniversary. I had arrived in the US in December, and in February I got a spunky four year old Morgan mare. She was 23 when we had to make the painful decision not to have her suffer through another Michigan winter as her Arthritis was very bad. I so wish I would have had a better vet and to have known then what I know now! 

Crissy (Broadway Crescendo)
1987 - 2010

Today is December 6: Nikolaus Tag in Germany, where good children receive gifts, and if they have an Adventskalendar there is usually a bit of a bigger gift in it. As every year Stephanie went all out with my Adventskalender. She sent 24 lovingly selected, wrapped, and labeled gifts for each day from December 1 to Christmas. Nikolaus/Stephanie meant especially well with me today!

The label text was lovingly selected by Stephanie, 
and then laser etched by her son Bernhard

Then this afternoon JP, Chambord, Remy and I tried our hand at Working Equitation with Brandt. It was WE combined with some police horse training, and the four of us had great fun. It was such a good confidence builder. I loved how the dressage work came into play, i.e. half pass in between narrow boundaries, pick up a large stick stuck in a traffic cone, turn on the forehand, half pass along the other side and put the stick back in another cone. I think we got hooked😊

Billy Idol song on my mind - and we never worked that hard

 Last weekend Remy and I participated in a clinic with top judge and trainer Lilo Fore. What I had seen at a clinic years ago and liked: Tough, but with a sense of humor, extremely thorough... and VERY German (OK, the last one is not always a plus😉). 

But after watching some YouTube videos in preparation for our lessons I got all of a sudden quite nervous: Would Remy and I be up for the challenge? We would soon find out...

Day one we weren't long into the session when Billy Idol's song popped into my mind, and it's been there ever since. ..."in the midnight hour with a rebel yell, she cried MORE, MORE, MORE..." OK, it wasn't the midnight hour, and there was no rebel yell, but German accented yells of MORE, MORE, MORE. I swear Remy and I never worked that hard, and I never had him going so well. No more "not enough impulsion" for this pair! She basically scared us into the best medium canter ever, I thought we were flying. 

Day two all of a sudden Lilo asked me to carry the whip vertical, straight up in front of me. She hadn't been happy with my 'forward seat' and wanted me to sit up and straight. Well, that did the trick, plus Remy getting a glimpse of the whip behind his ears had him at attention. 

That was -almost- me😊

And why did the old masters carry the whip vertical? My friend Glenda, expert on all things classical dressage, had the explanation: It was to show independent use of seat, leg and hands. The double bridle reins were carried in the left hand, the whip in the right. You better had the horse on your aids!

"The raised whip shows supreme mastery of advanced collection and self-carriage without force. " Citation: https://static1.squarespace.com/.../politz-double-bridle.pdf

I have a lot of notes from the clinic, and I will post them in the next days. 

Happy -socially distanced- Thanksgiving! I'm off to ride Remy and then I have to pack Christmas parcels for Germany, write my client reports, clinic notes, Christmas cards, run the dogs, etc. etc. Luckily JP is in charge of dinner! And no, it won't be "Turkey for Two", seafood it is for us ("Bummer", say the dogs, "Yay!" say the cats).

As for the Christmas parcels, I'm already behind, but I guess better late than never. My friend and neighbor Angie did bail me out with some beautiful handmade gifts (can't say what obviously). And even better - she generously donates the proceeds to the local food bank.😍

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Other women get flowers - I get lights

 I meant to post this earlier, but then time just got away from me. I've been very busy with my clients (thank you! I do appreciate all of you), and neglected updating the blog (thank you for all the gentle reminders!).

So, JP had his heart set at installing lights around the arena. I griped about it -yep, I admit it- because really, how likely is it that I want to ride in the cold and dark?? JP persisted and I relented (hmm, is there a pattern?? I'd rather say I pick my battles). But then, there could be days when the temperatures are fine, I'm running late, it's getting dark - so, why not?

And then there was light!

I was joking that "other women get flowers - I do get lights" - and wouldn't you know it, I got lights, flowers, plus a -newly repaired- fireplace. What more could woman want?? 😉

...and flowers

plus a lovely fireplace

Encouraging words - and grappling with the end of the season

Our lessons have been going really well, the highlight being the statement from Roz "Even his worst days are now still better then his best days in the past". Wow! Wish that would apply to me, too ;-)

This week was our last week of lessons with Roz ... until next April. That's quite a bummer, and I'm grappling with it. Even though we have planned on virtual lessons it won't be the same. Speaking of virtual lessons: I just purchased the Pivo system, and am crossing my fingers that I'll get it to work.  

In the meantime, though, we have a very exciting clinic coming up next weekend: Three days with Lilo Fore! I came to it like "Die Jungfrau zum Kinde" (German saying for something very unexpected: Like the virgin to a child). The clinic* wasn't advertised, I was working on client horses when the trainer mentioned the upcoming clinic. I jumped on the opportunity and asked if I could be on the waitlist, not really thinking that there would be an opening. Well, the same evening I got a message that Remy and I could come. So, now I'm getting nervous. I've audited one clinic and liked Lilo's teaching style a lot, but even after all these years in the US she still is very German (nothing wrong with that!). She is known for being a very fair  and correct judge. 

Today is one of these stormy, rainy days where riding is not possible. The arena is a swimming pool and the high winds have trees and branches falling left and right. I took the dogs out early and the three of us got completely drenched. JP tried to pick us up at the end of the trail, but the truck was still hitched to the trailer so he took my car. I opted to run home - better to have wet, smelly, and dirty dogs at my side than in my car. 

The mask has to match Remy and my outfit 😀

*Note for my European friends: A 'clinic' has nothing to do with a hospital. It's a Lehrgang / cours de formation

At a dressage clinic a clinician is brought in to teach six to 10 riders (and horses) who might otherwise never have opportunity to learn directly from someone of that caliber. The clinician may be a current or former top rider, judge or trainer. Clinicians are generally well-known for their talent at the local, national or international level. - Dressage Today

When it rains, it pours - and now it's a weird swelling

Saumur is back to his old self, happily wolfing down any food that's put in front of him. Whew! Nous avons échappé belle ("we escaped beautifully", in our case: it was a narrow escape). 

Remy had been working really well in our lessons, but sometimes he gets ahead of us. Roz quipped the other day "next time, try to get a less smart horse". So, I thought we were just cruising along, and happily drove to my lesson on Friday. While in the car I got a text from Roz with a picture "your boy has a weird swelling". Uh, uh: When it reins, it pours. Weird swelling was right: Remy had a huge swelling in his left groin area. Soft, but he wasn't ouchy. I put Remy on the longe line to see how he would move, and to my relief he was sound. Roz and I decided movement would be good and Remy cheerfully went through his lesson (probably also because he noted the arrival of his school bus driver).

At home I palpated the area and noted a hard lump within the swelling. That was just too dubious, so I called the vets office for advice. By now I should have them on speed dial. I texted the photo, and Dr. Ryker called me back, joking that recently we've been talking way too much. He thought it's a hematoma with a blood clot inside, and just to watch it over the weekend. I put Surpass on it in the hopes the swelling would go down.

As of today the swelling is almost all gone, but the hard lump remains (it is smaller). I've been applying hot compresses to the area, and that seems to have helped. Hopefully -fingers and toes crossed- it will be gone in a few days.  

I've been really busy with work, and added new clients also. It is amazing, as I don't advertise, the business growth is entirely organic - through word of mouth. I am very lucky to be able to do what I love (OK, the love might perhaps 'cool' a bit in the coming winter months, but we'll see, I've been stocking up on clothes to combat the Arctic Winter). As long as we stay healthy, all will be fine! 

I should get one of those!

Nail biting times - and who would have thought??

 Yesterday morning when I got to the barn to feed I noticed right away that Saumur hadn't finished his night hay and he didn't want to eat his breakfast. He was lethargic, and hay was hanging out of his mouth. I took his temp, but at 98.7 it was normal. A vet call was needed. Dr. Ryker suspected choke (something lodged in the esophagus, and thus blocking it). So he sedated Saumur and pushed a tube and then liquid down. It went too easy - meaning no substantial blockage. 

Remy watches over a sedated Saumur

Once Saumur had slept off the sedation I tried to feed him his favorite 'Slobber Mash' - no dice. Outside he'd nibble at grass but then didn't swallow. He also didn't drink. It didn't bode well, and after conferring we realized that it might be time to make final arrangements, just in case. At 26 I didn't want to subject Saumur to a trailer ride (which he still hates) and all the prodding and probing at Michigan State, and then perhaps have him put down there. JP and I agreed that when the time comes our animals will pass on in their familiar surroundings.

 When Dr. Ryker came back he said he had conferred with the lead surgeons at MSU, and one thing came up was SPM, caused by toxic plants. He wanted to inspect the trees in our pastures. And wouldn't you know it: There is a box elder bush. It produces seeds in the fall that are highly toxic to horses, with a mortality rate of over 75% (gasp!). Usually horses don't eat those seeds, but Saumur must have ingested some, and it caused SPM: Seasonal Pasture Myopathy. 

The Banamine injection helped, and later that night Saumur was able to eat some mash and soaked hay. He also drank. When I checked on him later he had also eaten all his soaked hay cubes. A boulder rolled off my chest.

Whew! Saumur has lived in these pastures for 20 years and we never had an issue. BTW, Saumur and I are having our 20th anniversary this month!! 

So, for those of you that have horses on pastures: Check the trees and brushes (Acorn for example is also highly toxic). There are Apps that let you identify plants, such as INaturalist. Believe me, it is worth it!

Saumur resting after his ordeal

Has it really been nine years? - and trying to stay upbeat

 While I'm not a devoted fan of FB, I do like the reminders that come up. Case in point: Today is the ninth anniversary of Remy's arrival in Michigan. He sure was a cute kid, then a difficult teenager, and luckily he is now at 12 becoming a responsible adult. Still cute, though. His latest trick is that he walks out of his stall during night check (while we pick the stall and put hay bags in for the night). Remy meanders around, and when I tell him "go to your room" he marches right back into his stall. It's become our nightly game. 

Remy fresh off the trailer from Montana 

We sure enjoy the glorious fall colors. Kensington Park is stunning and lots of people are posting awesome photos, not just of the colors, but also of the wild life, like eagles, minks, and -everyone's favorite- the white doe. 

We cast our absentee ballots today, the drop box is right next to our police station, so I guess it's safe. When I talked with Mutti today she reminded me several times "waehlt ja richtig" (vote for the right person). Europeans are watching the upcoming election closely. Stephanie offered not only her open arms, plus Schnucki-Apartment, but also the garage for the horses as well - in case we decide to get on the (yet to be build) ark and sail towards Europe. It's good to have a "Plan B" :-)!

Michael's contribution to the topic 'Arc' :-)

The weather forecast calls for an unusual cold and snowy winter in Michigan. No Plan A or B yet on how to go about Remy's training through the winter months (boarding? home?). He's been working so well lately, it would be a shame to let him 'sit' in the snow for four or five months. "As long as there's enough hay and good company, I don't mind at all", Remy says. I've been checking into hoof boots with grip/spikes, for rides in the snow. The boys are barefoot in the winter, so those boots would give them more traction on the trails. But to be honest - I'm not hardy enough for rides in ice and snow. Oh, Florida, how I'll miss ya!

At least the 'last hurrah' of fall is beautiful! 

A colorful entrance to our property

Arena - Potomac - 3-plus-1 - and love being "stuck" here

 Some of my friends become worried when I haven't posted in a while. What can I say - it's been just too darn busy and in some instances also nerve-wracking.

So, recap in -almost- chronological order:

1) Arena is completed - Yay! JP even installed lights, this will be the closest I get this season to "Dressage Under The Stars" (a Friday night event at Global Dressage in Wellington). And who needs a sandy beach when you have a sand box at home?

Finally - Good Footing

2) When JP was feeding breakfast to the boys last week he noted Saumur was not eating, and seemed completely listless and depressed. I took his temp and it was 103F: Emergency call to the vet. Luckily Dr. Sheldon came quickly, armed with a tube, charcoal, Antibiotics, and Banamine. She suspected Potomac Horse Fever (even though Saumur is vaccinated, there are various strains). The scary part with Saumur is that he is 26, IR (insulin resistant), and therefore at high risk for founder. Luckily, after some nail-biting days and nights, and daily vet visits, he pulled through. It was a big bill but as JP so eloquently says: "Quand on aime on ne compte pas" - When you love you don't count!

3) Ziggy ran off after a squirrel, didn't find his way home, but thanks to a lovely young couple watching over him  (he wouldn't come to them), and then seeing my post on Nextdoor we were able to pick him up. He was safe and sound - and very tired. Blame the Eichhoernchen, he said. 

4) Great riding week, yay, Remy! And of course, Yay, Roz! Remy and I have a tendency to 'die' in the half-passes. They start out well, but then we just fade - the bend goes and so do the haunches. So Roz had the great idea to use 3 plus 1. It means I have the snaffle rein in one hand and the two curb reins plus the snaffle in the other. For example, half-pass to the left I have the snaffle rein in the left hand, and both curb reins plus the other snaffle rein in the right hand. Wouldn't you know it, it worked like a charm. I have to admit that I actually squealed for joy (hmm, do I really want do admit this?) during a canter half-pass to the left (our more difficult side). 

5) Lots of client appointments - lovely horses and owners. I am so grateful that I am able to do something I love. Yay! to second careers :-) 

"Princess Allie" enjoying a scapula release

6) Beautiful fall weather! While I sorely miss traveling -especially visiting Germany- I do love where I am "stuck" (as long as the TV is off!)

Our cozy barn, 4 stalls, tack room, storage,
Porch (run-in shelter) for the equines
Upstairs "Play room" for the humans

"Home with a view" (from kitchen window):
Morning mist over Kensington Park

Ziggy's nemesis on the top rail

Changing the bend, work in progress - and "that's not me"

 Remy and I had a very good 'school week' - he is more and more consistent. We had one day where he came out a bit stiff and feeling stuck (it was an early lesson and he hadn't been turned out yet). Roz pulled a really good exercise (one of so many) out from under her mask: Half-pass, change the bend to leg yield, then change the bend again to half-pass - and voila: a nice and supple Remy!

We also found that changing the bridles help a lot with getting him more 'up' and 'through'. One day he goes in his snaffle, the next in the double. Then he has a day of long lining, and then back to being ridden each day in a different combination. The goal is to improve his carriage while keeping a very soft feel in the reins.

As I type this there is lots of activity outside the window: Trucks and heavy machinery making a ruckus. What we thought would never happen is actually happening - Our outdoor arena is getting redone! Yay! Today it's the grading, then laser leveling, drainage, and finally the footing. We are going with 2NS medium, sub-angular sand. JP is on the way to the gravel pit right now to get sand samples. Depth of  footing 1.5 to 1.75 inches. Roz had a super point (as always): The sand that gets delivered is usually wet, so once it dries it fluffs up and gets deeper. Footing too deep is a recipe for tendon injuries. 

Finally: Work in progress!

On a 'family note'- we adopted Bella, a 12 year old Vizla mix. The poor old girl had been abandoned twice. She and Ziggy are getting along very well and Bella is a very good girl. Unfortunately, though, Bella has a 'leaky problem'. Our job today: trying to get a urine sample for the vet. Never a dull moment...

Bella smiles as Ziggy looks a bit suspicious at the lady from the rescue
 (she had a very loud voice)

This cartoon is too funny and cute - and Michael thought it fits me to a 'T':

Nope, that's not me: I kept them both :-)

Sitting in the right spot again - and keeping the focus

 Today it was saddle adjustment day for both Remy and Chambord. Last time Luanne worked on the saddles was in the winter, before we left for Florida. So in the meantime, both boys' bodies have changed: Remy needed the tree widened, Chambord narrowed. It instantly made a difference to my seat, I no longer had to scoot around to find the 'sweet spot' to sit in. Before the adjustment I felt the saddle was placing me behind the movement, and thus also impeding Remy's range of motion. Luanne worked her magic - and we were in the right spot again. Yay! 

While these saddle adjustments seems expensive to a lot of people, it is just as important as regular veterinary care (vaccinations, etc) IMO. With an ill fitting saddle at best you mess up your position, at worst you hurt or even damage the horse. And the only other option then is to buy a new saddle. While people say "oh well, we re-did the flocking, so now it fits" - most of the time this is just a band aid. The most important part is the fit of the tree. 

So now Remy and Chambord have more bounce in their steps - and JP and I need to keep up with that. We should get our adjustments also, and in JP's case, he does: he has an appointment with his chiropractor. 

It was a very busy day at the barn, which challenged our respective attention spans quite a bit. First the saddle fitting, then Remy saw his school bus (trailer) showing up, and he probably thought it was already weekend. And then of course he had to make sure his best bud Chambord noticed him. Plus people and horses were walking in and out of the arena, a horse cantering around us... all things that are major distractions for us. So while we might not have worked on the more challenging movements, we met a challenge nevertheless in that we both kept our focus. Sometimes, training is done without any training!

I love this - und
Stephanie, das ist fuer Dich :-) 

Finally Fun with Changes - and I'll take that compliment!

 Remy has been a very good student recently. We finally can play with flying changes and have fun! Both he and I had some 'legacy issues' to overcome, but with the help of Roz it's become a different ballgame. Changes (luckily!) are easy for Remy, but we had to go way back to the drawing board for a while to get the correct canter with enough 'spring' to get on the right path. 

Today we've been trying a new weymouth bit, a "Neue Schule Thoroughbred". It's thinner and lighter than the Herm. Sprenger I've been using, and straight. Also, we know that Remy has sensitivity on his bars, and this bit promises to alleviate bar pressure. I felt Remy taking a much better connection, so hopefully that continues. The bit is a rental, so we have two weeks to see if it's a keeper (at those prices, rentals first a the way to go). 

Chambord has been a bit troublesome, in that he expressed his opinion about being uncomfortable by unseating JP. That is highly unusual for him, and we noted that Chambord was dragging his left hind toe through the sand, not using the leg and stepping under. I suspected arthritis in his hock (Chambord is 16), and the vet exam yesterday confirmed it with the x-rays. Not super serious, luckily, but enough to decide to get his hocks injected. First time in all my years of horse owning! I always prefer the non-invasive route first, and I'm no fan of "he's not going well, let's inject him", but in this case, it was warranted. 

Next steps for both Remy and Chambord: Saddle fitting session tomorrow. No wonder I get my clothes from the bargain bin :-). 

With all the scary news and negativity I felt we needed something uplifting - and when I saw this poster I knew I had to have it for the bathroom:

I take a compliment anyway I'll get it :-) 

Pulling "No Stirrup November" ahead - and some unusual hitchhikers

 Not sure who came up with it but in a lot of barns (especially H/J) "No Stirrup November" is a tradition. Like it says - it means riding without stirrups. This definitely helps the rider's seat, but one has to be careful, as an unbalanced rider can be very stressful and unsettling for the horse. 

It's not often that Remy and I are on our own, when we are at Down Under Stables we usually have lessons with Roz, and at home we mainly go on trailrides. Our outdoor arena rework has become the 'never ending story - and is a 'Trauerspiel' (lit. 'sad play' = tragedy). We've been trying for almost a year now to get a contractor to rework the arena, grading, drainage, new footing. Shouldn't be that hard, right? Well, let me tell you, it is! And that takes into account that we didn't even negotiate pricing with the contractors, we accepted the bids. Still, either no shows, or the equivalent of 'manana' - in our case: "definitely next month". 

So Remy is at DUS, even without lessons, until tomorrow. It was actually a very good opportunity to see how we can work on our own. Remy is currently on his 'best boy behavior', so I thought I'll give it a whirl and ride him without stirrups in trot and canter - what fun! 

I'm driving through Kensington Park several times a day, as it's basically the main artery to go anywhere for us. The Sandhill Crane population is quite large, and those guys are very curious and not afraid of people. When I slowed down for them they walked right up to my car, seemingly looking for a ride (or more likely, food).

I sent the photo to Michael on WhatsApp. Here is our the conversation:

Me: Those two were looking to hitch a ride with me today

Michael: Why didn't you take them, you used to hitchhike quite a bit as a teenager*.

Me: Yes, but I was house trained - LOL!

*I 'famously' got picked up by Emil one night at 3 a.m. when I was 16, needless to say that put a serious hold on my outings

"Post - but don't post" - and making up for Remy on the trails

 Remy has been a very good student this week. Yesterday's long lining session was super. And Roz noted (of course) my problem: not enough outside rein. And it was the outside rein that had wrapped around my leg when we had the accident. Interesting - and a tough learning experience!

We have been working on getting Remy's frame more closed, with a higher neck carriage ("up and out"), and lots of transitions within the gaits. I was flummoxed to note that Remy is "taking me" forward when I canter in two-point or do posting trot. He slows down when I'm sitting. Alas, my darn tight back again. Years and years of being told -or yelled at- to "use your back!" are sometimes rearing their ugly head. In order for me to get a lighter feel Roz had a good exercise "Think of posting but then don't post", and that really did the trick. Remy's canter has improved significantly, and it's a joy now to feel the fluidity and have him take me (as opposed to me having to push him along). 

On the home front, Chambord is a bit lonely without Remy. Saumur and Teddy stick together, and are not much into rough play. So Ziggy and I have to fill in as trail buddies.

Ziggy and I "Huff and Puff" filling in for Remy. Chambord says, it's only fair!

A different take on potty training - having fun with pole work

 This week JP went to Ikea and came back with a stack of children's potties - and we don't even have children! 

Great find at Ikea

I love doing pole exercises with the boys, and these potties are perfect as support. They elevate the poles just enough, prevent them from rolling, are easy to clean, and inexpensive. Riding over poles is a good motivational tool for horse and rider. The horse learns to look where it's going, lift the legs, and utilizes core muscles. The job of the rider is not to disturb the horse, aim at the middle of the poles, and think about various exercises (I do like the "110 pole work exercises" from "Listening to the horse"). 

One of two poles are enough to start. Guidelines for distance between poles:

Walk: Approx. 0.60m to 0.80m 

Trot: Approx. 1m to 1.30m

Canter: Approx. 2.8m to 3.5m

PVC poles decorated with tape from an equestrian supply catalog

Glueck gehabt - a very scary experience

On Friday I decided to long rein Remy in our outdoor arena while JP went to his lesson with Lisa. I thought it would be good exercise, and as Remy had been calm under saddle in the previous days I didn't foresee any issues.

Well, something set him off and he ripped the reins out of my hands and bolted. Unfortunately, one of the reins got wrapped around my left leg (the one I had broken before) and I ended up being dragged by a bolting horse. Honestly, I thought "this is it". Luckily, "mein Schutzengel machte Ueberstunden" (my guardian angel worked overtime"): The rein caught on the wooden deck in the arena and broke, thus freeing me. Remy ran back to the barn and I limped behind him. To my big surprise he was fine, and looked at me like "what just happened?". 

As I texted Roz, at least we know his tendon is holding up. As for me, I'm pretty bruised and sore, but fine. Just quite shaken at the thought of what could have happened.

So, yesterday I hiked up these big girl pants and rode him. This time, we did have our 'safety blanket' (Chambord and JP) with us. All went well, we even ventured into to the woods. Today we are completely rained out, tomorrow we restart our lessons with Roz. Cross my fingers that my guardian angel is quitting his/her job anytime soon!

Life saver: The long rein broke

Finally, an all clear - and special birthday boy

Dr. Miller came yesterday for Remy's recheck, and as I had hoped: He is cleared to go back to work. Yay! Of course, with a transition period, taking it easy for another two weeks, but we can restart our lessons with Roz. It's been two months, but between Remy's care and rehab, my work, and everything else I've had hardly any time to notice. The horses are enjoying the good life, when the weather gets too hot they congregate under the fan while munching hay. Not a bad gig!

Chambord, Teddy, Remy (left to right)

Remy and Saumur (left to right)

It will be a bit difficult having Remy stay at another barn, even if it's just for 3 or 4 days a week, but the kid needs to go back to school, as do I. I'm sure we both are a bit rusty by now. Quite a few of my clients are back into the swing of the show season, but considering the still raging Corona virus I don't have any regrets on missing out. JP and I are still very careful, wearing masks, social distancing, etc. 

Speaking of JP, it's his birthday today. Normally we would have gone to our favorite restaurant, Assaggi, but instead it's a jumping lesson for him and Chambord with Lisa, followed by Maine Lobster Rolls and champagne at home. Life is good!

Bon anniversaire, 
 to a city boy from Paris that took to American country life like a duck to water

When your horse wakes you up at 5 a.m. - because he has an urgent need

This morning we heard Saumur call way too early, shortly after 5 a.m. Initially we thought he wanted breakfast, and decided to ignore him. After all, once he knows that his persistent calling gets the food delivery service at his beck and call, there will be no end to it.

Well, the calling sounded more and more desperate. That woke up Ziggy (our Vizsla), so JP and I had no choice: We rolled out of bed, JP took care of Ziggy and I went to the barn to see what was up with Saumur.

Well, Saumur had managed to let himself out to the little paddock outside his stall. Unfortunately, the door opens to the outside and for some reason it closed behind him, so Saumur was locked out. Normally not a big deal - but for Saumur it is. He is a very fastidious boy, and does not pee on hard ground (who wants the legs splashed, anyway??). So he called because he had a pressing need: to pee.

Once he was back in his nicely bedded stall he opened the floodgates, let out a big sigh, and life was good again :-)

The Sister- and Brother- hood of the Traveling Trunk

Last week while working on a horse heat exhaustion hit me hard (ja, ja, Ingrid, ich hoere Dich!) and I was sick for almost an entire week. My usually very low blood pressure decided to stay in the cellar, who wants to come up in that heat, anyway?

Today we concluded the story of the 'traveling trunk'. It all started with Paulette's friend in Florida. She was looking for a good home for a lot of horse equipment. Paulette knew of my volunteering at TRI (Therapeutic Riding Inc.) and asked if TRI might be interested. Yes, of course!, came the enthusiastic answer from Jen and Jan.

So, how do we get this trunk from Florida to Michigan without spending a fortune? Even though it's late in the season for the horse migration back north I asked Jan, the owner of C&W Horse Transportation if she had a load going from FL to MI? Affirmative. Jan had a shipment going from Ocala to Michigan. And, as she generously put it, "it's for a good cause", she waived the fee. So now we have to find a way for the first leg - Wellington to Ocala, about a 4 hour drive. Paulette volunteered for this part.

And this is how the "Sister-and Brotherhood of the Traveling Trunk" played out:

Step 1: Paulette drives the trunk from Wellington to Ocala
Step 2: Jan picks up the trunk at a layover farm in Ocala, and takes it back to her farm in Michigan

Jan, owner of C&W Horse Transportation, picking up the trunk in Ocala

Step 3: JP and I pick up the trunk from Jan's farm and take it home

Guarding the prize

It took a lot of French muscle to load it

Step 4: I take the trunk to TRI
Step 5: Mission accomplished!

Jenn (Education & Outreach, Para-dressage coach)  and Jan (Program Director, Head Instruction, Equine Manager)

checking the bounty for the TRI horses

Voila - teamwork at its best!

And we are off - to five minutes of tack walk

I'm thanking my lucky stars that Remy is such a patient patient (hmm, the joys of the English language). So far so good. Today we are on marker 25 min. handwalk and 5 minutes tack walk. I wasn't sure what I would get under saddle but Remy kept his wits together. Whew! I tried to keep it interesting and walked him over a variety of surfaces.

Definitely no DQ (Dressage Queen). Somehow the casual get up makes me think of pony club

Is there a pony club for 'mature adults'?
Preferably with stiff drinks instead of cupcakes when someone falls off!

Speaking of variety of surfaces - recently quite a few clients have asked about 'proprioception'. I have put a summary together that covers tips for tack walking as well as proprioception exercises.

Here we go - but first the disclaimer: If your horse is on a rehab program or has any issues get approval from your veterinarian before embarking on any exercises.


Proprioception

“Perception or awareness of the position and movement of the body” Proprioception refers to the horse’s awareness of his body’s position and movements, including limb and foot placement. Unconscious proprioception coordinates a horse’s posture and basic locomotion, whereas conscious proprioception facilitates more complex locomotor tasks.


Simple progression of proprioception exercises

1)    Different Surfaces: An easy start is walking the horse on different surfaces, such as grass, sand, dirt roads, asphalt. To keep it interesting for Remy, I added walking over pool floats and yoga mats (stabilized by blocks) in the outdoor arena.

2)    Shifting weight: With the horse standing square lift one limb at a time and hold for 10 seconds. Start with the front limbs then go to the hind limbs. Watch for any compensation changes.

3)    Shifting weight with increased challenge: Increase the difficulty of the above exercise by leaning into the horse, while lifting one of its legs. Lean into the side with the lifted leg and move your weight gradually from side to side to make him work harder to balance.

4)    Poles: A useful technique for restoring the limbs’ range of motion and muscular strength involves using ground poles. Eventually they can be raised as high as eight inches and (later in the rehab program – after cleared by veterinarian) also done in the trot*. Poles stimulate a greater increase in joint flexion. The horse is required to elevate the hooves to ensure clearance whenever poles are present.

*Trot over ground poles placed 4.5 feet apart

Our set up for walk over -repurposed- pool floats and yoga mats 

And we have a plan - and no stranger to multi-tasking

Dr. Miller checked in on Remy leg on Wednesday. She was happy to note that the swelling was quite reduced. I held my breath while trotting him for her: Sound or not?? Yay, sound!

So, we have a detailed plan: Starting with 10 min. hand-walking per day, which gets increased by 5 min./day.

"Frequent snack breaks are very important for my mental health", says Remy

Once we are at 25 min. hand-walking we can do five minutes tack walking. The tack walking gets increased 5 min./day until we are at 25 min. Then we add trot, also in five min. increments. After the 25 min. trot marked is reached we can introduce trails again. Turnout is one hour to start and increased incrementally, but in the smallest pasture, and definitely not when it is close to feeding time. We reduce ice boot usage to once per day, poultice every night for the next five nights, and then reduce to every other night. Uff! Remy needs his own appointment book so we can keep track of everything.

Add to that my client appointments and the respective paperwork, keeping track of Chambord's Adequan shots, the farrier schedule, getting hay, making sure Ziggy has his play time in the woods, taking the cats for the vaccinations, keeping up with the Equine Physio webinars, and the class on "Arthritis and other causes of Lameness"... and yes, also making Erdbeer-Rhabarber Gsaelz (Swabian for strawberry rhubarb jam), and I'm glad that I am no stranger to multi-tasking!

"Hey, I saw something!" 

Two steps forward, a setback - and Vatertag

All went well with Remy's rehab and he got cleared for last Thursday for tack walking. We gave it a bit more time, and set out on Friday for a gentle hack. I had crossed my fingers that Remy didn't have too much pent-up energy, but all went well. So far so good.

As the boys seemed settled nicely we decided to let Remy out with his friends - so not a good decision as it turned out. Chambord led the charge, galloping up the hill towards the barn, followed by Remy. Sure enough, the leg blew up and looked worse than when he first injured it. I was sick to my stomach with worry. I continued the icing/poulticing/Voltaren routine, and emailed the vet. Dr. Miller called back from her weekend off and advised to continue what I was doing. She didn't seem overly freaked out (well, I guess that comes with the territory - she needs to keep the worried horse mothers calm) and said she'll check in with us on Monday.

So Remy is back to social distancing, kept entertained by hay, and the frequent nurse visits to ice, poultice, bandage, and also to disperse the necessary horse cookies. He also is allowed to hand graze. I'm just happy that he is home, I don't know how I could have handled the care with the commute to a boarding stable. I've been busy working this weekend, and I think I saw my tallest client so far - this big boy exceeded 18 hands. Luckily for me he was a gentleman.

It's father's day today. I do miss Emil - a lot.

 Ziggy had a special father's day gift for JP:

Best Vizsla Ever :-) 

And some food for thought:

Don't let your ice cream melt because you are counting someone else's sprinkles.