Finally some time to start writing again. We are 4 months on from the last blog and I have plenty to tell again. In the last blog I talked about the alm summer, the horses coming back down and out to pasture and the foals that had been sold. In this blog I continue with the horses coming to the stable, my own kindergarten babies growing really good and the move to finally my 'own' place!

October.

My own kindergarten, as I like to call them, consists of 4 young horses. 3 Haflingers and a German Classic Pony. Sensation, the oldest of the bunch, he is developing super well and slowly becoming a little more horse and less baby. Stanley and Sevimli are both a year younger than Sensation and Jazz is exactly the same age as Sevimli. The 4 babies enjoy being outside together and quickly become attached to each other. Because the weather was still very good and there was still quite some grass on the 'ski slope', we built a fence. Here they could go outside all day and eat their bellies full. Jazz had a round belly in no time and had to go on a diet.

At the end of the month the grass was finished and they went back to the winter pasture with the wooden fence. Here they could stay outside all day and I fed them with hay.

Impressive was still enjoying the meadow near Mayrhofen and Issy had moved to the meadow near the stable. So they could eat the last grass blades everywhere.

November.

This month I went on a lovely vacation, time for me to have no horses around me and just relax. A very good friend took care of the horses in my barn, fed them and took them out. Impressive was back in a stable nearby where she was fully taken care of and Issy was enjoying the pasture near the house, while I was lying on a sun bed at the pool in Cape Verde.

At the end of November I came back home. Issy also came back to the barn and I was able to ride her again. After a break of almost half a year I got on and went for an outdoor ride. Pretty risky with a horse like Issy, because with her it can go either way. But I know my horse and know what she can do. Fortunately, besides being enthusiastic and a bit busy, she was very well behaved. Almost too well behaved and quiet compared to the other years. So it could be that this year I will not get a mare foal but a stallion foal. They say you can tell what your mare is getting by the character of your horse. The last time she was quiet in the winter I also got a stallion foal. The last 3 winters she was extremely busy and sometimes unstoppable, here came a mare foal. So who knows!!! In a while we are going to see!

Impressive also really had to face the fact that it was now time to work. Of course not very intensive, but just some lungeing to see what she could do. The lungeing went as if she did it every day, she listened very well and enjoyed working very much. The character just like her mother and sister, always willing to work and learn. Although Impressive is definitely the most sensitive of them all.

Also in the last days of this month the first snow fell. I had to switch from 28 degrees Celsius in Cape Verde in bikini at the swimming pool, to snow and a thick winter coat.

But for the horses it was a big party. They always love to play outside in the snow and roll around in it. So even when it snows hard the horses go outside!

December.

This month was the time, Issy and Impressive were going to move. I had the stables all ready to go, neatly bedded and a portion of hay laid out. On December 6, I put all my stuff in the car and hitched up the trailer. I loaded Issy and Impressive and took them to Aschau. Issy likes everything very quickly and is not easily upset. Press always needs a little more time to get used to it. She is a somewhat nervous horse, but fortunately Issy was a good support for her. Getting used to it is natural, a different barn, different environment than what she was used to. It's really nice to have all my horses together in my own place. I can do everything the way I want to. This is what I have always wanted.

Now I could also continue training Impressive. I put a bridle on her for the first time to see if the one I had would actually fit her. Press has a big head and by now she doesn't fit any of the halters I bought her, she grows out of everything. Fortunately the bridle with bit did fit, but I wonder how long that will last!

With Stanley I also had to work hard. Stanley is a somewhat jumpy young stallion. Don't make any unexpected movements, because he flies into a corner. Meanwhile I have come so far with him that I can walk into the stall normally and clean it out without his eyes almost flying out of his head. Unfortunately he also has very quick hind legs sometimes and this is something I don't like so much. And so there must be much exercise, which is something I really like to do!

Touching his legs was always a challenge. Step by step, a little more and more. First the front legs, slowly with my hand downwards, reward every relaxation, practise for no longer than 10 minutes, good is good. I managed to do the front legs pretty quickly and now I can pick them up and scratch the hooves without any problems.

The back was a different story, as soon as I came close with my hand, he would hit, and not a little bit. So far too dangerous and I had to find another solution.

A friend also trains horses in the Netherlands, including traumatized horses. I asked her for tips. This turned out to include a golden tip. An old glove, filled with sawdust and hay on a broomstick. This allowed me to touch his leg with one 'hand' without having to be nearby. So I could stay at a safe distance even if he started hitting. I could then just keep the glove on his leg, when he stopped hitting I took the glove away and rewarded him. I practiced this with him 2 times and he understood very quickly that nothing was wrong.

The next step was with a rope around his leg, down and then give pressure so he would lift his foot. He understood this immediately and cooperated very well. On his good days I can now move my hand very carefully down his leg. We have not yet scratched out his leg, but that will not take long. We have to keep practicing, because soon it will be time for the farrier... But maybe the first time we will only start with the front legs...

January.

Because of my work in the ski school, I am at the barn every day at about 7 o'clock. Then I put the horses outside and give them hay. They can stand outside all day and when I am finished working I go back to the stable at the end of the afternoon to put the horses inside again. I always try to muck out the stables in the morning so that everything is ready in the afternoon to take the horses inside. Because it always gets dark pretty quickly in the winter, there's not much time left to really train the horses. But if I have time, I try to spend as much time as possible with Impressive, who needs it the most at the moment and needs to be well prepared for the studbook registration.

So it was time for Impressive to get a girth. First I lunged her on the bridle, which was a piece of cake. Press picks up everything so incredibly well that I would sometimes forget that it is all new to her. I always listen and observe carefully to see if my horse is ready for the next step. Now it looked like she might be able to put a girth on. I put this on her back and slid it back and forth a bit. There was practically no reaction. Even when closing it, nothing happened. I walked a bit with her and girt her tighter, now she looked back and I saw the muscles in her belly tighten, but as quickly as she tightened she also relaxed. Nothing wrong with that! I let her walk a bit on the lunge and then trot a bit but she trotted just as well as before, so mission accomplished!

Impressive is also becoming a lady and has a beautiful figure! I am really proud of this mare, what a beauty!

Furthermore, this month everything went well, we had a lot of snow, which of course the horses didn't mind, but it didn't always make riding easy. Also the teaching I would like to do has not started yet, because the arena is not good enough.

The young horses enjoy all the attention they get and like to be brushed and cuddled. I can really enjoy this!

With this picture of me with Jazz I close this blog. The next blog will undoubtedly be about the birth of the foal that is coming, just be patient and who knows what it will bring this year!

Love, Fabiënne