He now has a spring in his step - and how's that for German quality?

 Remy has been going really well lately (knock on wood!), and he is developing a very nice spring in his step (suspension) in the trot. He sometimes feels like a completely different horse -in a good way! So much so that I jokingly asked Vanessa yesterday "who is this and what happened to my horse??". Remy is happy and very proud of himself. While I still sometimes feel like the kid that has to repeat a class or two (common in the German school system, no 'socially passed' happening there) I am happy that we finally seem to find our groove. Jenn, who's always supportive and a great sounding board, reminded me that Morgans were bred for groundcover, they had to be smooth and efficient in order to make good cavalry mounts. 'Springy steps' do not lead to accuracy in battle, I guess.  

So it's neat to feel the bounce in the trot, all the while he is going freely forward. This weekend, though, we are not going forward. We are under a heat advisory and it's so miserably hot and humid that riding has been suspended. Remy lounges with his friends under the fan in the run in shed, snacking on hay, or sauntering a bit around the pastures before coming back into the shade. Not a bad gig, he says. 

Yesterday, I carried a change of "clothes on ice" in a cooler to my appointments to help me stay cool. 

"Shirt on ice"

Luckily most barns have fans in front of the stalls, but some only have them in the aisles, and they don't help much when working with a horse in a stall. Tomorrow I'll start bright and early to beat the heat. 

While cleaning my every day Koenigs riding boots I happened to glance at the stamp "Made in West-Germany". A quick calculation revealed that these boots pre-date 1990 (Germany's reunification was in 1990). The are from the pre-zipper era, no muss no fuss. Talk about German quality! They are also a reminder of my dad - the boots were a gift from my parents during their first visit to the US. These boots can fall apart and they will still be with me. 

I wear them several times a week, on and off the horse. Remy and I are so efficient: He travels to our lessons wearing his saddle on the trailer, and I drive in my riding boots. 

The "West" tells that they were made in or before 1990

Still looking great - after all these years of almost daily wear

A confidence restoring weekend - and "Bummer - no need for Guinness!"

 Roz and Jenn were right on: Remy and I enjoyed the clinic with Bill McMullin. We learned a lot, and had our challenges, but it was always in a very positive manner. First assessment was the warm up. I had opted for the double bridle, as it keeps Remy's attention a bit better and he has less of a tendency to blow me off. Bill commented on how straight Remy was in all three gaits and how well he is taking the big (nice, even contact, closed lips). From there we went to lots of suppling exercises, such as three steps travers, three steps shoulder in, etc. in preparation for the half pass. Loved the tips of thinking shoulder fore in the halt, and also rein back, in order to keep Remy straight. 

Second day I was a bit worried as we had to warm up in the arena with a stallion. Remy can get quite worked up if there is a "manly man" around. This one was the cutest guy ever, a Welsh breeding stallion expertly ridden by a dressage professional. This time Remy looked but didn't loose his cool. We focused on canter half-pass to counter canter. That definitely is our week spot, as I let Remy "die" in the counter canter (remembering some bucks he can throw in when he thinks that's not how it should be done). It didn't help that there was a window at the short side with lots of interesting things going on outside - thought Remy. "Hey, what's going on? Who's that horse? Just let me have a look!" And boom, we lost it. Guess we know our homework! 

I did hold my breath a bit when I saw Bill reaching for a longe whip to tap Remy's hind leg for better crossing in the half-pass. No worries, he was very kind a patient, and Remy had no issues with that approach. 

It definitely was a bonus to have the view of the judge interwoven with the exercises. For example, Bill asked not only to the rider but also the audience about the training scale, he explained the difference between turns on the haunches in Third Level versus pirouettes in Forth Level. 

This weekend restored my faith in clinics. After each ride both of us were happy and relaxed, not completely exhausted and dejected (me more than Remy). However, Remy had a serious gripe afterwards "Bummer - no need for Guinness!" Sorry, buddy, I didn't make it to the liquor store, and you really didn't need it...here, have a banana instead 😋

It was super nice to have Jenn as 'groom' (more precisely Moral Support Person) on Saturday. JP and Ziggy did the Sunday 'duty'. Ziggy would have preferred to chase the birds, but having the auditors lavish attention on him came a close second - both he and JP lapped it up 😀

Jenn is the Para-Dressage coach at TRI, and she and I are on the same page when it comes to riding and training (and it doesn't hurt our relationship that she loves Morgans!). Best compliment I got in a long time: "Really nice to see kind, correct riding. Well done!"

"It's like boiling water" - and yay, I got the shirt!

My apologies to the friend that checks my blogs to see how I'm doing... I haven't written in a while. Busy times, all good, and often too tired to type. Catching up now, and I promise to get back into the swing of things, Ingrid!

Remy and I have had our ups and downs in our lessons, nothing dramatic, just some days are better than others. Do I wish we were further along? You bet! But then I'm honest with myself and admit that I'm not a 'five or six-days-a week dressage' person - and neither is Remy's horsey mind. And sometimes I'm just plain tired from 'wrestling' horses that can be up to 18 hands, weighing close to 1,800 pounds. 

When I struggled with getting Remy in front of my leg quickly enough. Vanessa came up with the analogy that "it's like boiling water - you can set the flame low and wait a long time, or put it on high right away". We are still catching up with her pace. 

Our next challenge will be a dressage clinic this weekend with Bill McMullin, a USDF judge and certified instructor. Crossing my fingers and hoping for a good experience (Remy probably crosses his hooves also), as we both are still reeling for our last experience. Usually I don't sign up with someone I haven't audited first, but in this case I do trust Roz, and Jenn, who both gave Bill the thumbs up. 

Today I was sporting a very cool IBKUL shirt that I almost ripped away from the company's owner when he presented the collection at the local tack store. I WANTED the shirt - however, it was not for sale! Luckily, the owner's wife is a happy client - and voila: Trading bodywork for sample shirt :-) 

"Anything in that pocket for me??"

Whatever happens - we are dressed to rock and roll!

Let's hope it's not a revolving door! - And where's breakfast?

 Lately our lessons have been going quite well. Especially last week had some highlights, I'm thinking of Friday's canter half-passes to clean changes. That just made my day. What really made my day/week was that Remy felt great, he stayed "locker" (loose) and relaxed. Perhaps he went through the door and got to the other side? Glenda said this is how her trainer Gabor would call it when it 'clicks' and the horse gets over the training hump. Let's hope it's not a revolving door!

Remy certainly likes the creature comforts at home, in fact, so do all the boys. Remy is the only one that literally goes 'under the covers' in his stall and buries himself in the shavings. 

Breakfast?? Where's my breakfast??

 

Sad times - and not everything is about shows and competition

 Last week we had to say goodbye to Bella, our lovely senior lady. She had only been with us for nine month, but we loved her dearly. We knew when we adopted her that she had had a rough life on the streets after being abandoned twice, and that at 12 years old with a heart murmur time would be limited. Still, it didn't make it easier when she started to have breathing issues and had trouble getting up. The young vet at the emergency clinic gently asked to consider letting her go - and it was the right and kind thing to do. Bella passed away gently in our arms.

Godspeed Bella - we miss you💝

The weather has been pretty unpredictable, but we were able to get on some relaxing trail rides. Last Sunday Chambord came to a dead stop (very unusual for him) as a big female turkey was in the middle of the trail. She wouldn't go away, and we found out quickly, why: A whole flock of little turkey chicks came out of the bushes, ran underneath Remy, and went to the other side, herded by momma turkey. Quite the sight! Remy was so surprised he just stared after them, like "what the heck was this??".

Otherwise I have been feeling quite a bit out of it. I feel left out even though it's my own decision (I know, pretty stupid). As trailer-ins we are not part of the barn community, we haven't gone to any shows this year, and I opted not to do the four day dressage clinic based on our last -not so good- experience with the clinician. It's that nagging feeling we should be doing more, and be farther ahead. Our lessons can be quite frustrating at times, it's like being stuck in the mud and not making much headway. 

I'm working a lot and it's physically tiring, but also very uplifting to help horses and owners. Yesterday I had a client appointment and before starting to work Claudia and Julie had a lunch spread laid out at their barn for me, including waffles and Nutella. (Claudia remembered from 20 years ago that I love waffles and Nutella) 😍 That just made my day! Also because they made me remember that not everything is about shows and competition. 

Applying corporate tools to my riding - and learning by observing

Long- and short term strategic planning was a huge part during my corporate life, and I still use the tools that I applied then. For example: SWOT Analysis. 

SWOT stands for Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It is a study to identify internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats. It has been VERY helpful to dig in and assess where Remy and I are, what we need to work on, and setting short-term and long-term goals. Being around a barn full of talented performance horses and riders sometimes makes me feel like the underdog, especially as Remy and I are not part of the full training/boarding package. I basically pull Remy out of the pasture, clean him up, saddle him, have him load himself on the trailer, and off we go to our lesson. But actually, that can go on the 'Strength' column, as Remy lives a very healthy and balanced life with his friends, and is less prone to stress and ulcers. 

Food for thought: I attended an excellent webinar with Amanda Burton (tilefieldequestrian.com), where she pointed out that in the wild, horses are living in big groups and are able to chose their friends. In a training setting, most horses are turned out alone, or only with one or very few others. "They are more work colleagues than friends". Imagine having to spend your outside time in a small enclosure with your least favorite colleague --  Luckily, Remy has his BFF at his side, and all four boys have room to roam should the friendship go through a rough phase. 

I am a visual learner, and it helps me a lot to see how things should look like. Vanessa is always happy to get on Remy to show me how it's done. It has multiple benefits: Remy gets expert training, I get to see how it should look like, and when I get on I profit from Vanessa's work as Remy is still very much 'on'. 

 

Watching like a hawk

"Der Apfel faellt nicht weit vom Stamm" (The apple doesn't fall far from the tree).
Emil (my dad), in the uniform of the German forestry service

"Stay in your bubble!" - and lessons from endurance athletes

 We (ok, I!) had a light bulb moment yesterday - and it shouldn't have been a light bulb moment because it was so obvious. The indoor arena has windows all around, and they are just the right height for the rider to look out ... and get distracted. Remy and I were merrily trotting along when my eye caught a horse that was being turned out kicking up his heels and careening around. First thought (and unfortunately audible outburst): "Oh, sh*t!" - as I fully expected Remy to follow suit and and join the action indoors. Vanessa quickly gave me a strong half-halt: "Stay in your bubble!", "Remy didn't even notice what was going on outside, he was focused on his work. Your horse needs YOU to stay in YOUR bubble, otherwise he'll wonder where his person went." Oops, of course,  mea culpa, stimmt genau, Vanessa! 

We (again, I) had some difficulties in our previous lesson. For some strange reason I could not get a decent shoulder in to the right to save my life. The harder I tried the worse it got, and my frustration mounted. It didn't help that we had a rail-bird* chiming in (which made me very cranky). Yesterday, without a rail bird in sight, we (I) were back on track, with flowing and correct shoulder-ins and half-passes.

As luck would have it, the WSJ's Wednesday edition featured an article by Elizabeth Bernstein "Hard-Earned Lessons in Endurance", subtitled "Adversity can make us braver and stronger, in sports and in life. We got advice from endurance athletes". 

I loved "Accept the Rule of Thirds" quoting Alexi Pappas, a professional long-distance runner and Olympian. She explains that when she got frustrated her coach, Ian Dobson, explained ..."when you are chasing a big goal, you are supposed to feel good a third of the time, OK a third of the time, and crummy a third of the time. If you are feeling bad all the time you are fatiguing, he said. If you are feeling good all the time, you are not working hard enough."

The other one that hit home was from Blair Braverman, a dogsledder, who has completed the 1,000 mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race (amongst many others). "... After years of trying to anticipate and solve problems before they happened, Ms. Braverman realized her worry was unproductive. She decided to trust herself to successfully deal with a problem when it arose." "If I could come up with a solution while lying awake in bed at three in the morning, I could also come up with a solution on the trail - and it would probably be a better one...".

OK, to sum it up:

1) Stay in your bubble when riding

2) Accept the Rule of Thirds

3) Trust yourself to successfully deal with a problem

4) Relax and SMILE - Says JP 😊

As JP says: SMILE! 
Saumur and his people at Waterloo, quite a few years ago

*Rail bird = Zaungast = Onlooker (often someone that gives unsolicited advice / comments)