dressage book club and a special meeting

Yesterday, after my daughter and husband headed to a local dressage show to volunteer, I moved on with the horse chores, rode Cody, gave afternoon hay and Salina's lunch, and then left my son in charge of November Hill while I drove into town to attend the first of 4 "dressage book club" meetings with Cindy Sydnor.

There was a nice group in attendance and we were all eager to listen and talk about one of our favorite topics: dressage.

I got there right as things were gearing up but found a seat in the front row. I'm not always a front row sitter, but for anything horsey, I like to be right up front, for some reason.

Cindy passed around her copy of the massive tome School of Horsemanship, by Francois Robichon de la Gueriniere, who, among other things, is considered the originator of the "shoulder-in."

I was excited, as I had an epiphany earlier this week using Walter Zettl's shoulder-in entwickeln exercise, which not only helped Keil Bay and I deal with some left-sided crookedness (both his AND mine) but prepared us for that beautiful canter circle we enjoyed together on Saturday.

When we moved on in the book club discussion to look at Walter Zettl's book Dressage in Harmony, which is a long-time favorite of mine, and was actually translated from Zettl's dictaphone by Cindy Sydnor some years ago, we got into a discussion of shoulder-in, and the fact that it is such an important exercise and a foundation for many upper level movements.

Cindy asked us to share anything we might have to say about it, and I eagerly shared my revelation with Keil Bay, although I never mentioned his name. But I described some of his weaknesses, and mine, and excitedly shared how the exercise had helped me fix something I was doing with my right arm, and how that trickled into him getting a more correct bend going left, and how working carefully through that a few times seemed to prepare both of us for the amazing canter circle.

As I finished talking (Cindy's response was encouraging, and she finished by saying "that's so great - now YOU should write a book!") the woman next to me leaned over and whispered, "What's your horse's name?"

I answered without pause, "Keil Bay." And she got this beaming smile, her face lit up, and she said, "I'm J.S. Keil Bay was my horse for 6 years."

We exclaimed and promised to talk after the discussion, which we did. She and I corresponded when I first bought the Big Bay, and she kindly sent me a many-page document that summarized her work with him, his likes and dislikes, and a few stories about his wonderful personality. I sent her a couple of updates after he moved so she would know he was doing well and was much beloved by not only me but my entire family.

Yesterday, she wanted to know how he's doing, and I was thrilled to get the chance to fill her in. I talked about his work but even more about the Keil Stories that have become family legends, told her about his herd, and she told me that she has a TB now who fits her body better and is going strong at age 20, but said she doesn't think she'll ever love a horse like she did Keil Bay, and it makes her feel so good that he has such a loving and adoring home.

When I got home it was dark out, and my husband and daughter were still gone (Pony Club quiz prep after the show) so I headed out to the barn to get started on evening chores. Keil Bay was in the paddock munching some hay while I mucked a stall, and I called out "Keil Bay, you'll never guess who I saw today!"

I could hear him raise his head and pause, and so I went on. "Judy! She talked on and on about how much she loves you and misses you, and I told her how we love you too."

At this point he came and stuck his massive head and neck over the stall door. I rambled on and he stood listening until I ended with, "she said to give you a hug and a carrot, so here's the hug. I'll bring the carrot later."

After he got the hug, he stood and looked at me for a moment, and then went back to his hay.

All this made me realize that the very best thing we can do for our animals is love them and treat them well. They trust us and they carry that forward should they move on at any time to new homes. It was obvious from J's face that she adored this horse, and it's obvious from his demeanor and personality that he has always been loved and adored.

I told her we call him The King, and she smiled. "That's Keil Bay."

sunday morning tableau

I looked out the back door a bit ago and saw a huge crow fly from the ground up to a fence post. It was so shiny and black in the sunshine, and Salina happened to be standing nearby having a morning sunbath, so the black of horse and bird was very striking and held my attention. I was trying to figure out if I could possibly get a picture without alarming the crow.

Off to the side, I noticed the donkeys were walking around in an odd zigzag way, noses low to the ground, and upon closer inspection, there was a small flock of birds running hither and yonder, and the donkeys were following them, perfectly mimicking the erratic path of birds skittering along, not threatened enough to fly, but not wanting donkey noses nudging them.

valentines

So far today I have a number of valentines.

Keil Bay gave me a beautiful, slightly collected canter to the right today, in an entire 20m circle.

After untacking and getting the Big Bay turned out, I walked into the barnyard to see the donkey hearts enjoying a taste of spring.



Dickens Edward Wickens planted himself in my path a number of times, and looked quite charming.





Later, we're going out for a valentine's dessert, and tomorrow, my husband has agreed to substitute for me as a volunteer at a dressage show so I can do the dressage book club I signed up for, double-booking myself in the process.

Hope everyone has a lovely day!

rafer johnson's progress

I haven't mentioned this specifically lately, but something that happened yesterday made me stop and think about how well he's doing.

After his broken leg mended, and he got his first post-break hoof trim, he has literally not taken an off step, and I have not seen him resting a hind leg. He walks, trots, and does the fast donkey run. He lays down. He rolls. He jumps, he rears when playing with Redford, he pivots, and he has no qualms about going through a certain part of our fencing that is not board or HorseGuard tape. Fortunately the part he goes through only leads to the big barnyard, which is secure. But in all ways I can see, he is back to his normal Rafer self.

I went out yesterday with my big dosing syringe and Salina's Lubrisyn gel. It is clear gel, and has no smell I can discern, but neither she nor Keil Bay like it. I suspect it's the consistency - gel not being something horses really encounter when grazing or nibbling.

So Salina sees the big syringe, and although she doesn't walk away from me, she looks disgusted. I give her dose. There's a little bit left in the syringe.

Rafer walks up and as clear as can be, asks me for some of the good joint lubricant stuff. I thought maybe if he smelled it, and realized it wasn't a treat, he'd back off, but he smelled it, licked it, and asked for his own dose. So I gave him that little bit left over, which was about what a donkey dose would be, and he was satisfied.

The last medicine I had to give him with the big dosing syringe was what we named the "applesauce antibiotic" and he came to hate it. He came to hate the dosing syringe, and he came to hate the halter. About the time we got him over that, he broke his leg, and then the halter meant vet, and needles. So we've worked off and on during the months since making the halter only come out when good things are happening. He considers getting his hooves trimmed a good thing, and taking a walk with one of us, and going into the arena to "work."

I generally give medicines, including injections, without halters, using a lead line draped over the top of the neck if necessary just to let them know they should stay with me.

Rafer hasn't had any issues with dewormer pastes, but I was so happy to see yesterday that the big fat dosing syringe is now a neutral thing again, and that in fact, he is not only happy but seeks out something he thinks might be good for him.

The funny thing is Redford, who huddles up with Rafer, and so far I just let him lick the end of the syringe, and see that Rafer likes it, in hopes that when Redford has his own encounter with the "applesauce antiobiotic," post gelding, it at least won't be scary to him. Just yucky for a few weeks and then we'll let him come back to neutral with it like his brother has.

wednesday got a bit wild

The wind was whipping here yesterday, although it was very warm. My ride on the Big Bay was good. He had his very alert ears on, but always responded when I asked him to flick back and stay connected. We worked into his big trot going to the right, and tried to work on his inflexibility to the left, which has always been an issue for him.

Keil has a rather large scar on his right barrel, and you can feel the thick scar tissue there. I have always wondered if going left pulls on that old scar tissue in some way. But in any case, he and I have to work harder going left to stay straight and get a nice, genuine bend. I also wonder if my own crookedness is in that direction, and between the two, we really have a tough time. But we got a few good strides in and will continue working on it.

I was so pleased with myself that despite the roaring wind I got my ride in, got shavings in stalls, got evening chores done, and launched out of here at 6 to get to my office.

Sometimes when things go so easily, you know a hitch is coming.

Last night was the first time I've had to use the new alarm system in my building. I unlocked the door, went in to the keypad, typed in my code, and then felt my anxiety rise as the scary computer voice told me to enter it again. And again. I wondered if I was supposed to close the door - I'd been so nervous about not getting the code typed in before the allotted time elapsed, I'd left it open. So I ran back and closed it and locked it.

By this time the computer voice was seeming more insistent and then suddenly the alarm went off. The voice of a live person came blasting into the hallway.

Identify yourself.

I said my name, gave my code, and then she said I needed to give another code. Which I didn't have.

You are unauthorized. Leave the premises immediately. Police officers are on the way.

By this point I was so discombobulated I went to the front door, opened it, and set off a series of motion detectors, which told me every step I took that unauthorized motion was detected. I felt like I was in a scene from the Twilight Zone.

Fortunately, the owners live quite close to the office, and they drove up within minutes, letting me know they'd canceled the police call and offering to walk me through the routine.

My client session started late, ran late to make up that lost time, and when I got home last night, all I wanted to do was have a glass of wine, a little dinner, and watch the remaining episode on my Netflix disk. MacLoud's Daughters.

My husband thinks it was crazy that I didn't know what was coming. Without spoiling anything for anyone who might watch this series, I'll just say that something that I sort of knew was coming, but not how it would actually happen, happened. And it was heartbreaking. I was in tears by the last few minutes, and I still feel brutalized by the writers. How could they have written that?

Of course, it's to their credit that they write so well. I was completely involved in their story and thus taken completely by surprise, denied the little bit I knew, and then crashed and burned as it played out.

Fortunately, today is sunny and even though it looks like it might end up even windier than yesterday, their is no rush to be anywhere, and we can deal with the wind if it comes.

*******

My bird messengers are all coming 'round to settle things down this morning. First, my husband came in from throwing morning hay and said the redtail was sitting on the fence post.

I just opened the front door to let Moomin in and the three crows were all in the front field.

It's one of those days where you open your eyes and all the signs are there. It makes me think of the last lines of two of my favorite poems.

The whole wide world pours down.

-William Stafford


What we need is here.

-Wendell Berry