Spoiling the saddle .. and a butler for Remy

So, the new saddle is home for daily massages. Hmm, with all the TLC I'm sure it wouldn't want to go back home to Canada. JP built a very nifty saddle stand that converts from a regular stand so the saddle can be upside down safely for cleaning. Perfect, of course, to apply conditioner and massage the flaps to make them softer. The stand has three wheels so it rolls easily, an extra storage compartment when its closed, and a retractable handle. Pretty ingenious!

JP said "It's not Christmas if Remy isn't home" so Remy came home to enjoy R&R with his BFF Chambord. I was leery about the weather, but Remy deserved his Christmas vacation. And Michigan being Michigan... there is no way I can get him back to Judy's today in the snow storm. Merry Christmas, Remy! Your personal stall butler will be happy to spoil you a bit longer. But I do think a generous tip for Christmas would be appreciated... May I suggest more consistency in the changes?

Did I finally find my Holy Grail of Saddles? - Perhaps, but it first needs massage

Well, Thursday was the day: My new Schleese Tribute finally arrived. The whole new saddle process took about 15 months. Normally it takes three months for a custom saddle, but the one I had ordered previously was built wrong so it had to go back. Other saddles along the same line I tried also felt "off" (like sitting on a 2 by 4).  Luanne (the saddle fitter) is a super knowledgeable and patient professional and without her I would have given up on Schleese. After much trial and lots of "nope, not liking it" I finally ordered the Tribute - but not before swallowing very hard at the price tag.

The Tribute I test rode was beautiful, two tone with floral tooling. I liked the feel, but not the looks. Too flashy for me ... and as Judy reminded me "If you show up in this you better ride darn well". Duly noted! So I designed it to my liking :-)

With all the trials and tribulations to get the saddle I was pretty nervous to ride in it. Even though I rode in a demo and liked it, there was a chance that it could be different as every saddle is unique because it's hand crafted. What if it didn't fit/feel good to me and/or Remy?? I gingerly gave it a try with Luanne watching with an eagle eye. Well, Remy had a new swing to his step immediately. Whew! I rode it in my lesson on Friday and more Whew! Judy liked how Remy was going and my position after some fumbling around on my part. It's a bit more challenging for me to find my 'sweet spot' due to a more forward balanced seat..

All is well... except... the lower edges of the flaps are darn stiff.  No worries, says Luanne: "JP just has to massage the flaps this weekend and it will be fine".  Somehow I don't think massaging a saddle was JPs plan for Christmas ... pass the Woodford Reserve*, please!

*Kentucky Bourbon

A new resolve - and he still amazes me

Resolve = "Decide firmly on a course of action"

It was a bit of a bumpy road back to riding, marred by my being sick, but now Remy and I are finally  back into the swing of things. I am full of my new found resolve to be the leader that Remy needs: I will not get rattled when he tries to get out of work by resorting to antics!  Experiencing the show in Stuttgart was really an eye opener: All the horses performed at the top level in the very charged atmosphere (8,000 screaming people and music blasting) ... and I worry about Remy shying in Judy's indoor arena?! Really?!

So during the last rides I really buckled down and stayed focused. Sure enough, Remy did the same. Hmm - Duh! Things are going well, Remy is more through, and I think we are very close to nailing the changes consistently. It would be presumptuous to think that me currently still pretty much dilettante attempts using the Masterson Method make a big difference, but I do think it helps. Can't wait for the advanced course in Tucson in January (and yes, leaving Michigan in the midst of winter for sunny Arizona is an added perk).

Today was a cold, snowy and blustery day - and  I had another reminder how JP still wows me after 28 years together:
He came home asking if we had a spare horse blanket we could donate "because the horse down the road looks cold".
How many men would do this??

And yes, we did have a clean blanket - and the 20 year old Standardbred recently rescued will be sporting it.

A super week in Germany - but home with an "unwanted" souvenir

My week in Germany was awesome. I got to spend time with family and best friends, what's better than that? Ah, well, add a  horse show to that! Stuttgart German Masters, 55 000 tickets sold, 300 horses competing.

I love the German spectators, they are not afraid to voice their opinions. For example, in one of the jumping competitions one of the horses was completely overfaced, and it was a very ugly ride. The shouts of "Aufhoeren!" ("Quit!") were not subtle, and luckily the horse (!) took the hint and refused twice for elimination. SAP made it possible for the spectators to judge the dressage competitions via a phone app, the spectator judging didn't count but the score was shown next to the judges' scores. Interestingly, the spectators gave IW (Isabel) a lower score than the judges, and there was lots of grumbling, as the overall consensus was that Doro Schneider should have placed first in the GP freestyle.

It's mind boggling how all the horses performed in a "Hexenkessel" ("witches cauldron"), with 8000 screaming people and a noise level akin to a rock concert. During the indoor event, for example, the crowd went wild when Michi Jung went on course. His eight year old mare stayed focused on him the entire time, completely in tune with her rider. (Take note, Remy!).

I came home all eager to get back to riding, but alas, a bummer of a cold / bronchitis came along as 'unwanted souvenir'. Not at all what I had in mind! I don't even feel like touching the 'wanted souvenirs' (my mom's Christmas cookies and my dad's homebrewed Specials).  But the trip was more than worth it!

I still smile when I think about the trip to McDonald's with my parents. For years, they had been curious what McDonald's was all about so I finally took them (never mind that I don't go to Micky D's in the US). It wasn't the awkward trip I feared ("nothing to eat").  Surprise: They have veggie burgers and yummy salads in Germany. Picky Mom got a veggie burger, Dad a Classic, and I had the Greek Salad. My very health and status conscious parents had fun and were happy - go figure...

Here are some impressions:

Schluchsee - Schwarzwald

Piaffe performed by a "Fire Rider"

Straight and "vorwaertz" gets you spontaneous applause - and Is it the "Maternal Grandsire Effect"?

Last lesson before a two week hiatus - and it couldn't have gone better. I finally rode bolder, more "vorwaertz" (forward), kept Remy straight and therefore got clean changes, which netted us spontaneous applause from Judy. Yay!

Judy is on her way to Nationals in Kentucky now (Good Luck, Jude and Team Topline!) and I'll be heading to Germany this week. Suitcase is already packed, and as usual on overload. Do I dare weighing it before going to the airport? Nah. Otherwise I would have to cull all things Moose Munch and Emil's Bourbon. Can't do that.

I just finished reading Rita Mae Brown's latest book 'Crazy Like a Fox'. IMO, it is not as engaging and captivating as some of her previous works in the Fox Hunting saga. There was some unexpected food for thought, though, regarding to what the author calls "The Maternal Grandsire Effect". It refers to certain traits skipping a generation. To quote from the book: "For centuries this generational hop has been noted by Thoroughbred breeders and hound breeders. The study of this is relatively new.... Please research The Maternal Grandsire effect if you are curious. I think of it as train signals being switched on and off but gender produces the flip."

It made me think of my maternal grandfather, Franz-Xaver Kessler. As a young man he rode steeplechase races and worked as a horse dealer (later he became the town mayor and also owned a restaurant). Unfortunately, I did not get to spend a lot of time with him. The interesting part is that no one else in my family is into horses. My mother has no interest in horses whatsoever, I think the first time she saw me riding was when I was in my thirties (!). So perhaps I am indeed the product of the "Maternal Grandsire Effect"??

Steeplechase trophy won by my grandfather, Germany, pre-WWII

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. - Anais Nin

Mud baths?? - and "Yep, he's a couch potato"

Country living undoubtedly has its challenges. Currently on our list: A brand new well! Our old well is about 50 years old, too shallow, and pumping up dirt with the water.  My bathtub looked like I was taking mud baths. So, let the digging commence. Perfect day to start was Halloween, scary because of the $$$$$ required. It started out well (no pun intended) - then today we were told that at 120 ft (approx. 40m) the water is clear, but there is not enough of it to supply both house and barn. More digging to be done tomorrow...

Sometimes I have to shake my head: Here we live in one of the most developed countries in the world, and we have to pump our own water. And when we have storms more likely then not we need to rely on our generator, because we lose power. (BTW, no power = no water).

Aside from this -and my badly scratched GTI- (that's another story), life is good. Judy rode Remy yesterday and had a dozen clean changes. My turn today wasn't near as good, but I was very happy with my ride. As Jan had pointed out so aptly "Birgit, Remy is a couch potato!", it's high time to get Remy off the couch and working, so I don't have to breathe so hard. If I set the tone right from the beginning Remy says "oh, OK, sure". However, he won't put an effort in it if I don't ask. It's like expecting a guy to take the trash out or clean the cat litter box: Most likely he'll do it but not without being nudged*.

Judy explained it today as "You are the brains, he is the brawn" -  Remy begs to differ!

*And here JP begs to differ (what's it with my guys??). Although, it's true, JP takes out the trash, I give him that. As for the cat litter boxes... definitely some spur required!

Hitting bottom with a loud wheeze - and dealing with a major funk

I had been looking forward to the clinic with Jan this weekend, especially as it is the last one for the next six months or so. Jan doesn't do winter in Michigan :-)

As Remy had been going so well lately I was all keyed up, only to hit bottom with a loud thump - or better- a loud wheeze. I sounded like I had been on four packs a day for fifty years. It was one of these days where my lungs just closed up in the arena. Remy was tough to start out with, and then when he heard me wheezing and shaking on top of him,.. well, that was about it. I was pretty devastated and embarrassed. I HATE it when I'm not doing my best, and in this case I just couldn't do it.

It took about all I had to go back today and give it another try. This time JP drove the truck and I was able to double on the meds. Also, I warmed Remy up in the outdoor arena and we opened the large door in the indoor for my lesson. Luckily, today was 'die another day', and we had a very good lesson, including good changes with enough forward momentum and oomph. Jan reminded me that I need to set Remy on the straight and narrow from the beginning, and not wait half an hour before reminding him he has a job to do. We worked on lots on bending lines in the beginning, head to the wall leg yields, shoulder ins, travers, in order to get Remy more through. We had very nice work in all three gaits. Life was good again!

But of course this does not solve my problem: What to do this winter?? I can't ruin my lungs just because I want to ride. To be clear, it's not the riding, it's riding in the only arena I am super allergic to the footing (my doctor is obviously not a fan of this, she thinks I'm nuts because I'm not moving somewhere else), but at this time I'm not coming up with any viable options. JP, pass the wine, that might help - not to find a solution but definitely to make me feel better.

Perhaps Remy and I should just run off into the sunshine: Anyone in SC, AZ, FL, CA... willing to take us in?? :-)