It's been a while!

Well, I have been a bit lazy regarding my blog, but one of the reasons is, there is really nothing new to tell you guys. I was looking at some pictures today, though, and thought why not post some.

The summer has been very hot and dry here in the South of Germany and I'm more than happy that it rained last weekend and the temperatures dropped at least ten degrees (°C).

Nuka is her crazy self and Fayal is doing great! He is building up muscles and we are working on his balance. I'm more than happy with his progress and I think we will be ready for next years competition season in Working Equitation.

Alrighty, here are some pictures of Nuka and Fayal:

This is Nuka rolling and playing on/with a pear. She loves them!

Fayal

Aragon

Aragon

Fayal - he put on some weight

Days like today...

...are kind of hilarious if you look at it from the right angle!

I bought a new (or better very old) car. It was very cheap (400 Euros/ 560 CAD) but for the age well kept. It is not only very old, it is also very small and I have friends who thought my Ford Focus was small. My new old car is about half the size!

Anyway, today I went to get new number plates so could pick up my car up in the evening. It's a bit more involved over here compared to Canada. I was not exactly in good spirits because I hate doing thing like that, but what needs to be done, needs to be done.

The first annoyance was already outside. There was this BMW SUV needing almost one a half parking spots and I had to squeeze out of my mum's also very small car. So my head was already thinking a lot of bad things about that person I didn't even know and I started swearing in English, just talking to myself. Great!
I went inside and pulled a number and after not even waiting too long I was happy to be helped. However, I was told that I wasn't from the city Heilbronn but from the area Heilbronn. "Ahh, ya, I know that." The lady told me I was in the wrong place, but I just had to go down the stairs and there they would help me. Okay, so there is a difference for registering your car when you're from the city or the area. Oh well...

One thing I did find out from that lady, though, and that was that I had the wrong insurance code and I had to call them before I went down the stairs. Sounds easy, BUT...

First of all, I was very proud of myself, because I actually have a cell I can call people with! That sounds maybe very normal to you, but my cell is just not very high on my list and it took me quite some weeks after I arrived in Germany until I managed to get myself a new contract (unlike a horse which I bought within the first week). It's a thing about priorities I guess.
So, I was able to call the insurance company and the guy said he would send it via email. Oh oh...

I hung up and noticed that my battery was almost dead, of course. That, however, was not the bad news. During the last week or so I noticed a lot of different messaged on my phone saying that I was running out of storage. First, the messages said I couldn't update and honestly why does a phone have to update all the time, so I just ignored them. Those symbols in the upper left corner of my cell became more and more. But I just didn't see why I should spent my precious time taking care of that.

Today I found out! I tried to download those emails with the insurance code, but my phone told me it couldn't because it didn't have enough storage space. Ahhhhhhhhhh...I started deleting pictures being well aware that my battery was about to die.
In the end I was able to call the insurance company again and another guy yelled the code over the speaker phone so I could note it in my phone (due to the lack of a pen). The rest was easy.

So I went home and waited for my dad to drive me to where I could pick up my new car. I started driving my little car and it wasn't quite right. The engine light came on twice on the way home, however,went back out when I shifted into a higher gear. Good enough! We made it home just to find out that my right rear tire was loosing air. Who cares...I was smiling.

I saddled my horse and thought "whatever, I go for a ride". I didn't get very far, because at the first opportunity I asked him to canter and he tried and started bucking like a bronc at a rodeo. Never had that before, on any horse! I stayed on for a little while, but it also became very clear that he had no intention of stopping. When I came off I landed alright without hurting myself badly, but the farmer just had applied fresh cow dung TODAY! We are not talking about the dry, straw-rich kind. Nope! It was the wet and slimy kind with the very rich smell, Nuka really likes.

City of Neudenau

I proceeded to catch my horse and walked him home, stinking to heaven. Finishing up in the barn, I went to have a bubble bath to get the cow dung off my body.

At that point, I was actually in good spirits and now I'm sitting here, still with a faint smell cow poop looking forward to what tomorrow has waiting for me. It has potential for something even better, since I have been invited (nice word, it's mandatory) by the official job agency to learn how to use their online job page. Funny enough I have been using it for months already, but maybe they have great tricks I don't know about.
 

Groundwork with Fayal

I just wanted to share this video real quick with you guys. It's my first video on YouTube and it is anything but a pro video being shaky and all, but never the less you see our work.

I have been riding Fayal for about three weeks now almost everyday and I noticed that he was learning very quickly but seemed to get a bit worse just recently. Maybe he was bored or sore...
Not entirely sure why, I switched tactics a bit and started riding him on the trails and went back to more groundwork.

He is truly amazing on the trails! He canters very relaxed with loose rains and I'm enjoying every minute of it. The groundwork is more a game than anything else and it should also help to build muscles as well as tighten the bond between us. So in the video you can see us working together on our groundwork. I just included the little hill into our working area to help him loosen up, keep him alert, and make him stronger.

Check it out!

For all my horsey friends...

I wanted to give you a little update on Fayal's progress since I bought him. It's been five weeks already and he nicely settled in.
I had to get his feet done soon after we brought him home which was a small challenge. He really hadn't been handled much and holding his feet up was not well known to him and it got worse when I accidentally hurt him, just to find out that he has some thrush. I had four days to train him and he actually was great! By now, he is a real champ and holds his feet up way better than the two older horses we've got.

Surprisingly, he just loves people! I can say that he for sure was not handled much before and I also can say that I can't take any credit for it either (even though I would like to ;-)), it's just the way he is. He is waiting at the gate when you come to bring him home from the pasture. He even trots towards you, happy to see you. And he did it from the very start. He will be a real Black Beauty one day, except he is not black.

Oh well, as you can see, I'm already in love with him...

But now, more interesting maybe, his training:

I'm not rushing him because he is still very young. However, I don't want to bore him with the same exercises all the time either. So we're moving along as fast as he wants/is able to.

First I worked him on a little piece of land behind our garden. Mostly short sessions with more physical parts and brain work alternating within the sessions.

As brain work part, I taught him to step on a cut off tree stump.

Letting him figure it out (Photo credit my mum)

I let him pony mostly by my dad, or whoever rides my dad's horse (mostly my dad or myself). He's great to pony and again you would think someone taught him, but I'm certain he had never done it before.

Fayal on the tree stump (Photo credit my mum)

He's is very relaxed when it comes to big trucks or scary things in general, more relaxed than our older horses. But at the same time, he is very sensitive to what I'm telling him and I'm lucky and thankful, because nothing worse than riding a tank.
He is allowed to enter my space when we're in the barn unasked, because he is very respectful and will leave my space right away if I ask him to. He enjoys being in contact with people so much that he often tries to sneak into a stall with you while cleaning it, so he can be with you. I've never met a horse like that! My little princess Pacific in Canada enjoyed a good brush, but given the choice being in the field or being with people, I know what she will choose :-).

Basic lunging exercises, asking for a change in direction (Photo credit my mum)

Bending exercise, he is learning to give to applied pressure on the rein and it is our built in break. Bend all the way means 'STAND' and this hopefully keeps me in control and safe later when I'm on his back. (Photo credit my mum)

Slightly bend and what you can't see is I'm using a dressage whip to tap him where later my leg will apply pressure to teach him to go forward. (Photo credit my mum)

Leaning on his back and applying our 'break'. (Photo credit my mum)

See above (Photo credit my mum)

The first time on his back! He kept his cool. (Photo credit my mum)

In this picture you can see that Fayal is our tallest horse. He stands at 16hh right now and will continue to grow for a little while. (Photo credit Caro) 

Ponying Fayal on Aragon (Photo credit Caro)

Nuka loves going for rides, especially because we don't have to use a leash around here (Photo credit Caro)

That's us! :-)

Welcome to Germany!

We made it!
I didn't take any pictures that day because my camera was very far down in my backpack, but let me paint a picture for you here:

Me, sweaty with read dots on my face forming different patterns over time. Nuka, panting in her crate. And Matt, trying to keep his cool through it all.

We stood in line for a very long time to check all my things, including dog and bike. I was slightly disappointed because my expectations for a GERMAN airline are a bit higher than that. When we finally made it to the front of the line, the lady honestly asked me why we came so late, ahahahahah. Right! Oh well...breath in and out, breath in and out...and smile.

Anyway, I made it onto to the plane and was pulled aside by the stewardess because I had too many bags. She didn't want to take them from me, but to inform me for the next time I traveled. Thanks! Just to add slightly to my stress level. Well, moving on...and finding out that I would spend the next 10 hours next to an about three year old and a baby (just learned to walk).

Whatever, I popped three pills (one against nausea and two for going to sleep). It worked and I slept most of the time, only to wake up when the little one managed to dump the first cup of milk on his mum's lap or to receive a meal. All good...

Arriving at the airport, I collected my luggage and waited for Nuka and my bike. Nuka was brought quickly and I almost cried being so relieved to see her alive. My bike took a lot longer and we were informed that it most likely hadn't been on board. I didn't care, I just wanted to get Nuka out of her crate.
I was pushing two trolleys, because my luggage and the crate wouldn't fit. So, I kind of was the amusement in the downstairs area making my way to the Lufthansa desk to report my bike. They informed me that my bike was on its way. Alrighty then, all the way back...

I collected my bike and went to go through customs. When I entered the area, they looked at me like I was in the wrong place. Because I know Germans, I greeted them friendly and explained that I came through here because I brought my dog from Canada. They were really not interested and also had no clue what they were looking at when I handed them the papers. They decided against calling a vet to check out the dog or even establish the identity of the dog and waved me through in less than five minutes. One of the ladies was nice enough to push one of the trolleys out the door for me and when we stopped she informed me that there was dog pee on the floor. Nuka couldn't hold it any longer after 13 hours. Oh well, so I asked her if there was anything I could clean it up with. Her answer was: "You already pushed your trolley through it." Turned around and left. Cool, thanks!

Gotta love Germany!!! ...and my dad was late to pick me up.

But after that everything got better and so far Nuka and I are enjoying our time here. I went out and took some pictures of the area, the village, the dogs, and my new horse I bought.

So, this is for you, my Canadian friends :-)!

During our morning walk

This is the hill we used for tobogganing when we were kids. Maybe you can't see it, but is is super steep and ends with barbed wire. It was scary, but so much fun! We often did it during night, too, when only the moon was shining.

Standing in front of our house taking pictures down the street...

...straight ahead...

...and up the street. A typical German village I guess. And nope, not a lot of cars coming through.

Where our horses live. Part of the barn, right next to our house.

That's him! Fayal, my new fur baby. He is still very much baby and for now and still some time to come he will only be fed well and worked from the ground or be ponied along from one of the other horses. He needs to put on weight and muscles before he can carry a rider. He doesn't know anything and I have the pleasure of teaching him from the very start.

Aragon, my dad's horse.

Fayal and Rehle, my mum's horse.

Fayal and Rehle, there you can see nicely that he lacks muscles and weight.

Rehle and Aragon

All three horses, Nuka, and my dad.

Aragon and Rehle, Nuka and Nanda (my parent's dog), and my dad.

Fire wood

And now, the dogs! Nanda is a 1.5 year old rescue from Portugal. She is most likely a mix between a Doberman and a Galgo which is a type of Spanish greyhound (or something similar). She has an insane energy level and Nuka and Nanda really have the same mind set. There are not sooo many other dogs here and especially not young ones. Nanda is over the moon to have a new friend. Nanda knows how to open closed doors and if we don't get up early enough she checks in with us, standing int he middle of the room, willing us out of bed with her laser eyes. Yep, good times!

This is all walking distance from my parent's house. Even though statistically, there are soooo many people in Germany, I hardly ever meet any when I take Nuka out for a walk.

Nuka really enjoys this freedom! We almost never use a leash. I let her heal for the 30 meters until we reach the fields and forest and then it's all just running.

This is when I ask them to hold still for pictures. 

There they are, goofies!

And at it again...

Don't worry, Nuka is very gentle. Nanda, however, not so much and sometimes holds Nuka back on her collar or harness when I call her.