Still alive
Dears,
perhaps you wondered already why you didn't hear neither from apisa_b nor me. The explanation is rather simple: Dear apisa_b and her larva are with me in the moment. They arrived on Tuesday and now they probably have already gotten enough from stables and horses for the next three months.
It started already on Tuesday. The both arrived after eight hours of traveling with the train, I picked them up at our main station and then we went immediately to the stables to see Robin. He was delighted about such nice visitors and we didn't stay much longer as one hour or so.
On Wednesday it became harder: In the morning we went to the stables and this time we weren't only busy with Robin, but with Debbie too. We'd got her - our famous, very cute Welsh Cob pony - for Larva's first riding lesson with my friend Renate (the trainer in this case). It was great fun to watch and I think Larva was having fun by riding too. In the afternoon we went to the city where apisa_b and her daughter were doing a little sight seeing and shopping while I (I'm really not good in running around all the time) read a book in a coffee shop.
Yesterday it was almost all about horses and my guests became a real good impression what keeping a horse means. It started rather harmless: Around 10:00 h we arrived at the stables, watched how Renate worked with her chestnut, then we groomed Robin. By doing so I thought already that he's got a very round belly once again and was joking, that I'd get a rebuke when coming with him to the Birkhof in two weeks because he's too fat.
Then we were doing a nice stroll with him - first with Larva in his saddle, then with apisa_b. Robin was as good as always and very cuddly.
On our way home my cell phone was ringing - it was our stable owner Margit: "I'm just driving along the meadow. Linus and Gino are here - on the same meadow. The both are beating each other. Could you go down and separate them? Thanks!"
Before I really thought about, she was gone - and I was running through the yard down to the meadow. The gentlemen in question, though both geldings, are for a reason "solists" and not going out with the entire lot: They always beat other horses. Besides they're rather aggressive with humans too.
Luckily Philipp, the son of the stable owner, had already noticed that the both were together on one meadow and trashing around. He'd got Gino, so I only needed to keep Linus for a moment until he was out with Gino and got him back in to his box.
However, I was already a bit irritated. Neither Gino nor Linus belong to me and neither Gino's nor Linus' owner are real friends of mine. So I really don't know why I should be responsible for separating the two of them (by the way: It's rather dangerous to go between two aggressive horses). And I actually find it rather strange that Margit as the owner of the stable drives away when seeing that two horses are trashing around.
Well, I didn't think much about. I got Robin back in his box, then my guests and I went to the zoo. Around seven in the evening we came home to my place and intended to cook our dinner. Yet my cell phone was ringing again. This time it was Marissa, a nice girl from the stable who owns one of Robin's neighbours. She asked me if I could come to the stable again - there would be a problem with Robin.
And then she explained: She came to the stables in the evening and wanted to get her horse a bit of mash (mash is a mixture from bran and linseed. It becomes mixed with cooking water and needs to macerate for around 10 - 20 minutes until one can feed it). Only she didn't have any mash left in her barrel. The lid of it was open and the mash - between six and eight kilogram - was gone. Marissa became rather angry and wanted to know who'd taken her mash. So she was asking around and learned, that Robin had been out of his box in the morning. Don't ask me how he managed to open his door (probably Andy had forgotten to put one of the bars shoot - but there are three bars! Even with one open he shouldn't be able to get out), but after looking at him Marissa was sure that he'd eaten the mash - his belly was big and hard and there were odd sounds in his bowels.
I called the vet, we hopped in the car and drove to the Talhof again. We arrived with the vet, she checked Robin - and it was clear: He'd really eaten all the mash. So he got an injection and a medicament and afterwards I lunged him for almost one hour.
Robin made it through - luckily he's very healthy and has good a very stable digestion system. After the vet and the work he was okay again and so I got him back in his box, called our stable owner (she was just going for her weekly evening with her lady friends and no, she couldn't come around to the stables, but promised me to look after him later. Besides she hadn't known that he'd been out of his box - she'd been late in the morning. Her old father had been the first on the yard) and then started to think about what could have happened - and became almost sick.
Feeding such a portion of mash can kill a horse. If it wouldn't have been the extremely healthy Robin with his great digestion, but Caletto who's always in trouble with his digestion and had a big surgery two years before - he wouldn't have survived it for sure.
And to think that it was only Marissa's attention which helped us out and that the owner of the stable, the lady who's responsible for my horse, didn't even notice him being out and that her idiot of a father didn't tell a word about! It's irresponsible and outrageous and I'm only glad that I've already planned for leaving this stable.
So this morning it was of course the stables again - looking after our patient. Luckily he was very cheerful - I think the only thing he doesn't like in the moment is the fact that he won't get any oat for three days. Besides of that he looks fine, hates the medicament I hate to give him and was doing well at the lunge ... or better said: He didn't feed poor apisa_b. She wanted to learn lunging - and Robin, old lout he is, immediately noticed how inexperienced she is. So he played his good old "I think I don't understand your commands" game again and played a bit with her. Andy took over then - and it was really funny: As soon as Andy took the lunge, Robin looked and started to work eagerly. He knows exactly with whom he can play and with whom he can't.
The afternoon today we spent on the Birkhof, visiting my other friend Renate and her new mare. And now Larva is groggy and cuddling with her mom. She looks as if she'd sleep in soonly and therefore I'll end here. I hope you were all having nice days!
perhaps you wondered already why you didn't hear neither from apisa_b nor me. The explanation is rather simple: Dear apisa_b and her larva are with me in the moment. They arrived on Tuesday and now they probably have already gotten enough from stables and horses for the next three months.
It started already on Tuesday. The both arrived after eight hours of traveling with the train, I picked them up at our main station and then we went immediately to the stables to see Robin. He was delighted about such nice visitors and we didn't stay much longer as one hour or so.
On Wednesday it became harder: In the morning we went to the stables and this time we weren't only busy with Robin, but with Debbie too. We'd got her - our famous, very cute Welsh Cob pony - for Larva's first riding lesson with my friend Renate (the trainer in this case). It was great fun to watch and I think Larva was having fun by riding too. In the afternoon we went to the city where apisa_b and her daughter were doing a little sight seeing and shopping while I (I'm really not good in running around all the time) read a book in a coffee shop.
Yesterday it was almost all about horses and my guests became a real good impression what keeping a horse means. It started rather harmless: Around 10:00 h we arrived at the stables, watched how Renate worked with her chestnut, then we groomed Robin. By doing so I thought already that he's got a very round belly once again and was joking, that I'd get a rebuke when coming with him to the Birkhof in two weeks because he's too fat.
Then we were doing a nice stroll with him - first with Larva in his saddle, then with apisa_b. Robin was as good as always and very cuddly.
On our way home my cell phone was ringing - it was our stable owner Margit: "I'm just driving along the meadow. Linus and Gino are here - on the same meadow. The both are beating each other. Could you go down and separate them? Thanks!"
Before I really thought about, she was gone - and I was running through the yard down to the meadow. The gentlemen in question, though both geldings, are for a reason "solists" and not going out with the entire lot: They always beat other horses. Besides they're rather aggressive with humans too.
Luckily Philipp, the son of the stable owner, had already noticed that the both were together on one meadow and trashing around. He'd got Gino, so I only needed to keep Linus for a moment until he was out with Gino and got him back in to his box.
However, I was already a bit irritated. Neither Gino nor Linus belong to me and neither Gino's nor Linus' owner are real friends of mine. So I really don't know why I should be responsible for separating the two of them (by the way: It's rather dangerous to go between two aggressive horses). And I actually find it rather strange that Margit as the owner of the stable drives away when seeing that two horses are trashing around.
Well, I didn't think much about. I got Robin back in his box, then my guests and I went to the zoo. Around seven in the evening we came home to my place and intended to cook our dinner. Yet my cell phone was ringing again. This time it was Marissa, a nice girl from the stable who owns one of Robin's neighbours. She asked me if I could come to the stable again - there would be a problem with Robin.
And then she explained: She came to the stables in the evening and wanted to get her horse a bit of mash (mash is a mixture from bran and linseed. It becomes mixed with cooking water and needs to macerate for around 10 - 20 minutes until one can feed it). Only she didn't have any mash left in her barrel. The lid of it was open and the mash - between six and eight kilogram - was gone. Marissa became rather angry and wanted to know who'd taken her mash. So she was asking around and learned, that Robin had been out of his box in the morning. Don't ask me how he managed to open his door (probably Andy had forgotten to put one of the bars shoot - but there are three bars! Even with one open he shouldn't be able to get out), but after looking at him Marissa was sure that he'd eaten the mash - his belly was big and hard and there were odd sounds in his bowels.
I called the vet, we hopped in the car and drove to the Talhof again. We arrived with the vet, she checked Robin - and it was clear: He'd really eaten all the mash. So he got an injection and a medicament and afterwards I lunged him for almost one hour.
Robin made it through - luckily he's very healthy and has good a very stable digestion system. After the vet and the work he was okay again and so I got him back in his box, called our stable owner (she was just going for her weekly evening with her lady friends and no, she couldn't come around to the stables, but promised me to look after him later. Besides she hadn't known that he'd been out of his box - she'd been late in the morning. Her old father had been the first on the yard) and then started to think about what could have happened - and became almost sick.
Feeding such a portion of mash can kill a horse. If it wouldn't have been the extremely healthy Robin with his great digestion, but Caletto who's always in trouble with his digestion and had a big surgery two years before - he wouldn't have survived it for sure.
And to think that it was only Marissa's attention which helped us out and that the owner of the stable, the lady who's responsible for my horse, didn't even notice him being out and that her idiot of a father didn't tell a word about! It's irresponsible and outrageous and I'm only glad that I've already planned for leaving this stable.
So this morning it was of course the stables again - looking after our patient. Luckily he was very cheerful - I think the only thing he doesn't like in the moment is the fact that he won't get any oat for three days. Besides of that he looks fine, hates the medicament I hate to give him and was doing well at the lunge ... or better said: He didn't feed poor apisa_b. She wanted to learn lunging - and Robin, old lout he is, immediately noticed how inexperienced she is. So he played his good old "I think I don't understand your commands" game again and played a bit with her. Andy took over then - and it was really funny: As soon as Andy took the lunge, Robin looked and started to work eagerly. He knows exactly with whom he can play and with whom he can't.
The afternoon today we spent on the Birkhof, visiting my other friend Renate and her new mare. And now Larva is groggy and cuddling with her mom. She looks as if she'd sleep in soonly and therefore I'll end here. I hope you were all having nice days!