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