Glueck im Unglueck - and so much to be thankful for

Here is a perfect example how translations are not always catching the true meaning "Glueck im Unglueck" is commonly translated as "A blessing in disguise". In our case today I will say "A quantum of luck in the circumstances" is much more fitting.


I was at work, getting ready for the first meeting of the day when JP called me at 830 a.m. with concern about Saumur. Saumur showed clear signs of colic, didn't want to eat and hadn't passed manure. Not good: Emergency call to the vet and heading home. By the time I got home Saumur was worse. I walked him and he tried to lay down. Remembering that if the horse doesn't thrash around it's ok to let them lay down I let him be, but it was a scary sight: Eyes rolled back and legs out stiff.


An hour later the vet-mobile rolled in and Saumur got the full work up: Sedatives, pain killers, stomach fluids, rectal exam. Still no movement or decent gut sounds, so the recommendation was to take him to MSU's (Michigan State University) Large Animal clinic in Lansing.


It was not easy coaxing Saumur on the trailer, and once we got to the clinic we discovered to our shock that Saumur had crashed and was laying in the trailer. I ran in for help, and by the short time it took to get the team out we discovered JP standing between Saumur's legs to get the center divider out of the way. This could have gotten from bad to worse in a heartbeat! Luckily we got JP out and Saumur up and in the clinic.


What a relief to be greeted by Dr. Nickels, a familiar and friendly face, and the heart and power behind the Equine Veterinary Program. Another myriad of exams, ultrasound, another tube down to his stomach, this time to get gas out. The lead veterinarian for our case, Dr. Schott, kindly and quietly explained everything, while one of the students was discreetly handing me some Kleenex. Surgery was recommended, but of course, first things first: Did we want to do it and could we afford it? A 22 year old retired Morgan, looking at about $8K (or more) of medical expenses. Of course, there was never a question what to do.


Saumur was prepped for surgery and we were offered to stay and observe. Mainly also in case things didn't turn out well and a decision would have to be made on the spot to euthanize him we needed to be there. It was gut wrenching to see Saumur propped up, and then all his intestines out. We received numerous updates during the procedure, and a student watching with us tried to put our mind at ease even though he admitted "I am really  cattle man" - and eventually had to leave us to tend to a calf.


We breathed a bit easer when we saw the thumbs up from the surgeon. It turned out that Saumur had a fatty tumor called Lipoma wrapped around his colon. Luckily it was caught early, so there was no surgery to the colon required. Once the fistful of tissue was removed all the intestines were cleaned with saline, put back in place and Saumur's abdomen was sutured up.


We received carefully worded explanation that the next hurdle would be coming out of the anesthesia, and then the following 72 hours would be critical. Saumur will have to wear ice boots to prevent founder (as he is Insulin Resistant), and if all goes well he could go home in about a week. And from there 30 days stall rest, and another 60 days of limited turnout in a small area to give the incision time to heal.


As to the quantum of luck: We caught it early and made the right decision to heed the advise taking him right away to MSU and then agreed to have the surgery done as quickly as possible, thus preventing major damage to the colon. Saumur made it through the surgery OK, no problems coming out of anesthesia, the staff at MSU Large Veterinary clinic is incredible, and a lot of people are praying and rooting for Saumur. That is way more than a quantum of luck, for sure!




Be brave, big man, you can do this!!

"I want to wear my own bridle - why do I have to wear girl's stuff??"

Taking the boys back and forth between home and 'school' obviously has good points. From their point of view: Unlimited rolling in the mud, nightly treats, bedrooms with half-walls for nightly gossip at home. From the human point of view, the not so good points: Unlimited rolling in the mud, constantly moving half a barn full of equipment and feedstuff (heaven forbid Remy would have to miss out on the ginormous carrots JP schlepps home from the local store).


Today we had both Remy and Chambord on the trailer, above mentioned equipment and stuff, plus our riding gear. The truck and trailer were loaded with everything we needed - or so we thought. Pulling into Topline's driveway I realized that Remy's bridle never made it on the truck. Never mind that it was hanging together with Chambord's on the same hook - SOMEONE only took his own horse's bridle and left Remy's behind.


Judy offered Bebe's bridle for Remy. It has same double broken Herm. Sprenger bit as Remy's, but with a Swedish headstall. I had switched Remy to a Miklem "Rambo" bridle some time ago as I liked all the research and facts on the advantages of the design, and luckily Remy agrees.


Sure enough, Remy made it very clear today that a) He by far prefers the comfort of his own bridle, b) he is not into wearing "Girl's stuff", and c) he wanted his own bridle! After all, with a name like Rambo, what else is there to say?


He was much more fussy in the contact, it got better once I basically threw the reins away and let him have a medium canter just off my seat. All considered Remy still worked very well. Judy had me count the strides in the 10m canter circles, and that really helps me being way more consistent if I know I should have zwoelf (12) strides (yes, I still count in German on autopilot, I guess it stuck that this is how I learned to count first, followed by English, French, Spanish, Japanese - but who's counting the languages?)


Bad news for Remy and Judy is that he has to wait until Thursday until I can get the "Rambo" to him. So for Judy's ride tomorrow Remy has to 'suffer' through another day wearing borrowed girly stuff  (bling and all).


Man up, Remy: The androgynous look is hip. And really, be happy that you don't also have to wear Bebe's pink boots!

He earned his weekend pass - and are we done now fixing the trailer?

Remy was a very good student this week, and we topped it off with an excellent lesson yesterday. It is getting easier to do transitions within the gaits (i.e. working - medium - collected) and Remy stays soft and attentive. I sure love his canter, it feels like we could go on forever.


Afterwards I went to the Stallion Expo out of nostalgia. It is the place where we bought Crissy's first saddle (a Western saddle adorned with Silver), and it was so fascinating at the time. Also, RJ, the cowboy we got Chambord from was a key organizer and clinician at the event, and "attended" a few years ago in form of his ashes (brought to the expo by his widow).


Sure enough, the trailer dealership was there with a huge display. I ran into Israel, the sales manager that sold us the Lakota, and -only half jokingly- said I'm here to shop for another trailer. It sure irked me when Israel said perhaps the doors didn't stay closed because we live on a dirt road. Give me a frickin' break! LOCKED doors must stay closed, period!


Luckily JP was able to repair the door mechanisms, and so far they have stayed closed. But really, what would people do that are not mechanically inclined and don't have a spouse willing and able to constantly fix things or drive the trailer six hours to the plant?


JP has pointed out the things that need to be improved during the manufacturing process to the quality people at the plant, unfortunately, it seems its pretty much falling on deaf ears. What ever happened to quality surveys, 8D's, customer feedback and follow up? Well, wait, that seems not to apply to horse trailers - but it sure should!

He reminds me of my mother - and just like me?

My mother would NEVER go out in public other than impeccably dressed and coifed, and actually my dad is a pretty snazzy dresser himself. Their children are a bit wanting in that regard. So I thought I heard my mother this morning when JP sternly told Remy "You can't go out in public like that!" -- in this case though, it wasn't a question of hair, clothes or make up: Remy was covered in shavings from a good night's sleep so JP brushed him before turnout.


 I wouldn't be surprised if Remy gleefully rolled in the mud afterwards - just like me switching clothes and make up as soon as I was out of  my parent's sight!

My beach boy likes the weather - and let's go for the safety goggles

70F and sunshine today - plus another really good ride: Herz, was begehrst Du mehr? ("Heart, what do you desire more?"). Remy thrives in warmer weather, after all, he is a California boy. But before I could get to enjoy the ride serious work was called for. Mud season has come upon us. All our guys seem to have just waited for the chance to roll 'naked' (without sheets) in the mud.


Chambord turned from Palomino to something earth colored, Teddy is a ball of mud, same with Saumur, but he tops it off with mud in his ears. Remy, of course, didn't want to be left out. Luckily Judy has an industrial strength horse vacuum, but before that gets pressed into action the dried and caked on mud needs to be loosened. Hence: Safety goggles to keep my contact lenses from being clogged with all the dirt - at least some part of me needs to stay clean, and I opt for the eyes! Now I'm stylin': Facemask while riding (due the allergies to the footing), and safety goggles while grooming.


While throwing around caked mud I was thinking of the other mud-slinging going on right now: Politics! My hard earned citizenship allows me to vote, and the irony is: This is what I get to chose from??


I by far prefer slinging real mud than listening to the other mud slingers out there (and BTW, they have 'people' to dig up the dirt for them).

"He is more like a diesel" - and more trailer woes

The day started well with a 7 a.m. haircut. Ellen, a good friend, has been cutting my hair ever since I came to the States, and I always leave her chair feeling and looking better.


The weather went from snowstorm to Spring in seemingly the blink of an eye, forecast for tomorrow is in the 60sF. Guess the snowshoes go back into the garage, at least for now.


JP used the good (trailering) weather to take Chambord to Judy's today, so he could ride during my lesson. Not even half-way there the locked (!) trailer door opened. JP first thought he hadn't closed it well, but alas, no such luck. The door opened again, and again... I have to say I kind of lost it when I called the sales manager at the dealership. I felt so bad, after JP had spent literally about 20 hours on the road, between taking it back to the dealership and then to the Lakota plant in Indiana. And here we go again!! I'd rather hand them the trailer back (keep in mind we bought it barely four months ago)! Too bad the lemon law does not apply to horse trailers, but something needs to happen.


So, needless to say I was pretty spent by the time we got to Judy's. I half-jokingly told her that I had already had a good cry, so I should be good for my lesson. And yes, it was a very good lesson. However, it took Remy a bit to get into gear (moving swiftly off my leg), prompting Judy to liken Remy to an old-fashioned diesel (the ones that needed vorgluehen -pre-heating-) before getting into gear.


On the bright side, even though Remy might sometimes be like a diesel, he sure can put the turbo to good use when he wants to. And important to note: His emission test results have not been altered!

Some days things are just falling into place - and looking ahead

Today I had one of these rides that left me feeling like I'm on top of the world. Yesterday was a different story: I had put Remy on the longe line because I wasn't sure if the ice and snow would come off the roof. That turned out not the issue: The cleaning lady running the broom up the windows in the observation room did the trick. I have never ever seen Remy like this: Snorting, flagging his tail, doing very nice PiPa (Piaffe/Passage), showing off incredible extended trot and canter with super engagement. Quite the performance!


It was my first ride since Tuesday due to work and a medical appointment. But it all clicked today, we were focused and neither of us did get distracted by the other horses. It made me think of Egon von Neindorff. One of my favorite parts on his DVD is him working a horse in hand, doing piaffe, and then Mr. von Neindorff saying; "Und nun lassen wir ihn alleine weiterarbeiten" (and now we let him work alone) - and sure enough, the horse calmly continued to piaffe on his own. OK, we are not at piaffe yet, (unless there is a broom in the window) but once engaged Remy kept the good work up. We are on the right track!


Even though we are on the right track, our Spring training will be quite different from Judy's other clients. While most of them are planning on the big Chicago shows at Lamplight, we decided to forgo these events as Remy still needs to get more relaxed at shows. It makes me feel a bit 'left out', but then we do have a full and very diverse schedule: Freestyle, Jan clinic, Horsemanship with Cows (!), some jumping, and certainly plenty of trailrides.


Remy's schoolbus (aka the trailer) is fixed - hopefully for good. Remy didn't get his weekend pass, despite all the good work today, due to snow. I forked over extra apples, bananas and carrots trying to make up for it.


So, things really did fall into place today - especially for JP and Judy: I scored more of their favorite and very hard-to-find French Madeleines for them!
Of course, we can't leave any one out so.... top of the line hay cubes for the boys and umh, yes, German chocolate for me :-)