Through thick and thin - blazing our trail on a beautiful Christmas Day

Without family in the US Christmas is a quiet time for us. We enjoy spending it with our four-legged family. First I took Ziggy out for a spin through the woods, then JP and I took the boys for a trail ride. It was a beautiful sunny day, what better than to celebrate in nature?

Ready for take-off

Thankful for all the blessings on this beautiful Christmas Da

Nature put some stumbling blocks into our way, however. A tree had come down across the trail and there was no good way to go over (too high) or around (dense underbrush and vines). It was either turning around or blazing our trail. I got off Remy, leading him through the maze and hoping he wouldn't get tangled up and panic. While I stumbled around Remy followed me calmly and we made it to the other side. Chambord's self-preservation was on a bit of a higher alert, he had to think about it a bit more but then he gamely followed JP. What good boys!

While we were blazing our trail on Christmas Day I was thinking of my dad, and how fitting this is:

Navajo Night Chant:

I am walking on the tops of the Mountains

The Gods are before me

The Gods are behind me

I am walking in the midst of the Gods

My favorite oak tree

Hand me the safetey googles - and Merry Christmas

It's been unseasonably warm, with temps up to the 50sF. Great for trailriding! Not so great for grooming... As soon as the clothes (winter blankets) came off the boys had nothing better to do then grinding themselves into the wet ground. Yuk!

I am keeping Remy's tail braided, it's so thick that otherwise it would be a tangled mess, requiring gallons of conditioner to brush it. But talk about grooming the rest: It required safety goggles, otherwise I would have had to ride 'blind' due to clouded and itchy contact lenses. After we transferred the dirt from the horses to us we were off to a lovely hack through the woods.

Entry into Kensington Park

Now we are preparing for a quiet Christmas Eve.  I have so many fond memories of Christmas' past, hiking the woods with Emil, with a stop for his home-brewed Schnapps ("here, try this, it's with Blood Root*") at the hunting lodge. And JP dreams of Mutti's wild boar roast in red wine sauce with home made Spaetzle (noodles) and mushrooms. I also met JP's family for the first time at Christmas, so many years ago, in Paris. Again, so many fond memories.

We are counting our blessings and toast to the memories with my favorite champagne (thank you, Stephanie!), and trade the wild boar for lobster tails (sorry, JP, I'm no Mutti - wild boar is not on my kitchen radar). And we do have a supply of Emil's Blutwurz-Schnapps!

Merry Christmas!

*Blutwurz is a brandy made from the root of the plant common tormentil (Potentilla erecta), which derives its German name (blood root) from the color of the juice that emerges when the root is cut. The root provided a traditional anti-inflammatory medicine.

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

No rider required - and 'with a little help from your friend'

Remy and I joined JP and Chambord in their lesson with Lisa. Or should I say "Remy joined...". Before mounting in the indoor I took my jacket off and fumbled with my gloves. Remy is usually very good patiently standing next to me while I'm shedding some layers.

This time apparently it took too long: Remy eyed the course that just had been set up, started to trot, and then happily cantered over some of the gymnastics. Obviously, no rider required!

Yesterday was "Dental Day" for the boys. I had noticed that Saumur seemed to prefer the soft 2nd cutting hay over his pellets, nothing glaringly obvious, but just not totally right. And at his ripe old age of 25 tooth issues are to be expected. So, with our vet/dentist running a 10% off special in December for dental work I made the appointment for all four of them. Chambord and Teddy got off with just an exam, "Chambord has perfect teeth", but Saumur and Remy needed some adjustments.

How much Saumur needed the appointment was obvious when Dr. DeWitt found a lingual slab fracture. Rotting food particles behind the broken area made for quite the smell. Out came the offending large piece, with quite a bit of blood. It was almost 'instant gratification' - once Saumur's mouth was rinsed he seemed much happier, and after the mild sedation wore off he tore into a humungous carrot with gusto.

Remy had to have some sharp points and hooks smoothed out. Chambord, always at his side, provided emotional support:

I wish I had such great emotional support when I'm at the dentist!

"It is not so much our friends' help that helps us, as the confidence of their help when in need" (Epicurus) -
Dec. 10 Adventskalender Stephanie

"Storm day" - and it looks like 'Plan A modified' might work

Not a snow day (yet), but today is definitely a "storm day". Winds are gusting at about 40 mph, and I am just happy that we still have electricity. In our neck of the woods it's very likely that a tree falls on a power line, and whoosh, no more power. The boys are having a "storm day" (day off school). We had a lesson with Lisa scheduled, but in winds like this Chambord is guaranteed to perform "airs above the ground". No use risking life and limb, it's Chambord's quirk, we now it and so we adjust to it. He's much better outdoors, but no way are we going on the trails and risk having a tree fall on us.

So, for me it's paperwork day, catching up with client correspondence and session summaries. Also designed and ordered our Christmas cards. Yes, it would be easier and cheaper to a) not send anything, b) do it electronically, or c) buy off the shelf cards. I have fun designing them, and our friends and families are happy to receive them. When I visited friends of my parents in Germany last week I saw they had our last year's Christmas card still displayed. Made me happy.

Regarding the winter training plans JP and I went back and forth discussing the best option. Michael and Remy (my nephew) offered to handle Mutti's move alone, but Michael has a full-time job, and Remy is a busy university student with a job, so it would be unfair to leave it all to them. And quite frankly, while two are working the third one has to keep Mutti from jumping off a cliff.

So, JP suggested we go with 'Plan A modified': Remy (the four-legged one) and I travel to FL, and then I fly from Ft. Lauderdale or Miami to Stuttgart and stay for about a week clearing out the house and buying new furniture for the apartment. Roz said she'd be delighted to work Remy, and I can arrange for his care during my absence. I was joking with Michael that all I have to do now is robbing a bank -- but being a law abiding citizen I'll resort to cleaning out JPs retirement account instead ;-)

Back home - and working on Plan B

Home from a stressful but very productive trip to Germany. Accomplished a lot: Found senior apartment for Mutti that is pretty much perfect: Large, bright and airy, 10 min. from her house, next to a park, in the city center, and affordable. My friend Stephanie said it's like winning the lottery. My parent's house is on the market, and there are already three serious buyers interested. If all goes well the house sells and Mutti moves into her apartment. However... before that happens a lot of other things need to be taken care of - Sorry, Michael! (that's my brother who is stuck with the paperwork).

So while all that is good news, the bad news is that the apartment rental needs to be effective February 1st at the latest. So that means moving sometime in February, and cleaning out the "museum" (aka my parent's house). It is filled with hunting trophies, art, etc. Mutti only wants to take one piece of furniture, so we also have to buy furniture for the new place.

Why is that bad news? Well, that puts a serious bump in my plans for Florida. Bump as in "trading Welly-Land for Leonberg". Aside from the fact that stall and room are non-refundable, Remy has been going super lately and I really want to continue to 'ride the wave'.

Today was our last lesson for the year with Roz (snief) - and we finished on a very good note. His collection is getting better and better, feeling effortless. Roz reminded me to work on "less is more" when we are on our own.

So, if Welly-Land indeed doesn't pan out, we've got a Plan B: Jumping with Lisa (and JP and Chambord, of course), Dressage clinics with Laurie, trail riding, and whatever else we can find to beat the winter blues. Luckily, the indoor at Berwyck is heated, and as it's only a bit over a mile from home its a very good solution. Roz might even come back to the Frozen Tundra (aka Michigan) for a clinic. I'll also check into a remote coaching system that works with WiFi. And Remy will enjoy vacation while I'm in Germany, that's the part of Plan B he prefers.

With all the action around house and apartment I still was able to go with my friends Stephanie and Ingrid to the Stuttgart German Masters, and we had a grand time. You can google it to see excerpts. And speaking of apartment: I was super spoiled and had my very own luxury apartment during my stay in Stephanie and Harald's house. It was living like  "Eine Made im Speck" (lit. "a maggot in bacon") = to live in luxury.

How very fitting!

Endspurt - rushing in almost all areas, except for one

Ah, here I go again, rushing to get everything squared away before leaving for Germany on Sunday. I've been contemplating applying for the Morgan Dressage Scholarship, as it would be really helping with training costs this winter. Of course, I need to submit it tomorrow (!) and I lack a) show record, b) good photos, c) good video clips. So not sure how I could pull this off.
At the 11th hour we are trying to get some video clips, and Chapin and JP have volunteered, but the indoor is dark, and somehow I would need to "cut and paste" which I don't know how to do. And I don't have any good -clear- photos either. One more try today, just as temps are in the 20s...

On the travel side I might have to fly without clothes - as I'm 'paying' Stephanie for the apartment in "Moose Munch Currency" I have about 6 kg of Moose Munch stuff assembled. Michael, my brother,  had bought a bunch of vintage vinyl records in the US and Canada and they are now to be hand-carried to Germany by yours truly.  Add to that some other small gifts and the suitcase is at the allowed weight limit.

In addition, there is a laundry list of other things to do, and I have client appointments this afternoon where the travel time alone is three hours. Never a dull moment.

While I can sprint like I'm on a perpetual 100m run, one area I don't rush is with the horses:

"As time goes on, all the little things will fall into line. We should be adjusting to fit the horse. Fix it up and let it work. You can't make it happen, and you can't put your time limit on it. You can just set it up to enable him to learn. Sometimes the slower you go, the faster your learn." - Ray Hunt