Perhaps we found our new stable
Darlings,
as you know: We're searching for a new stables ... and perhaps we've found it yesterday.
The search for the stable kept Andy and me occupied in the last two days - and it was rather interesting and we learned something by it. Actually the first thing we learned: The Talhof isn't as expansive as we thought. Well, it's certainly not "cheap", but compared to another stable we were visiting which wants € 410,00 every months for rather dark and small boxes, a lousy old hall with no light and no space (Robin would only need three or four steps in galopp for being through the entire hall) the Talhof really is "normal" in price. While visiting this other stable Andy and I were all the time wondering what kind of service is included in this price - perhaps a "special one", done personally by the rather young and arrogant trainer there? One doesn't know, but for one thing we're sure: None of us would be interested in that.
Besides I could hardly stand watching how they ride there (and the coaching I wouldn't like to listen to every day either) - while we were there two young ladies were working their horses in the hall. The one, looking like the Queen of all dressage places, was riding a not too bad bay, only she obviously didn't notice that he was doing the old "On the forefront is war and from behind no soldiers are coming" trick. He pedaled with his forelegs, but with his hindlegs he was digging through the hall as if he'd got glue on them.
The other horse was even worse - a rather bony, very big paint who became longer and longer with every minute the lady in his saddle tried to get him collected. And the trainer always shouted: "Make him short, collect him!" Her only reaction to it was pulling at the rains ...
No, this isn't what I want to watch every day. Besides I'm absolutely not interested in having an ambitious young trainer around. Robin's become too good for that. He would see how he works with Andy and then he'd try to get him for himself - and someone who can live with his pupils riding like the two in the hall did certainly couldn't handle Robin.
The next stable we saw was something for people who like it "rustic": Nice, bright, big boxes, the horses all looking rather well, but except of that a stable where chaos rules. Just when you come in, you're greeted by some old, rusty equipment. The fences around the meadows look as if the farmer would have taken what he'd just had on hand to put them up, parts of the stable are not plastered and probably never will. One certainly need wellington boots there in winter - and sorry, I like it a bit rustic, but not so much.
The next place was nice - really idyllic landscape, old, but nice stables with big boxes, a big and bright new hall, a lot of meadows. I liked it there - until we met the wife of the owner or better said: Until we didn't meet her. After twice ringing at her door ("Hello, lady, here are customers who want to get you a horse and some money for it!") she opened a window, but only for telling us (up from the second floor) she just hasn't got any time and we shall come again tomorrow. Well, if I want to deal with an unfriendly and moody owner, I can just remain at the Talhof, thank you very much.
Stable No.4 then was the Martinshof - just have a look here:
http://www.martinshofschmid.de/index.html
It's around 15 minutes to drive from home in a very nice little village with a lot of beautiful landscape around - and it's really a nice place. I'd like to have Robin there and Andy would be delighted (a friend of hers is already there). Only problem: Robin is a wind sucker - and there's a lady in the stables who made a big fuss about a wind sucker last year. Therefore the owner doesn't know if he can give his free box to another wind sucker. He wants to talk with his people first - and so we're waiting to hear from him.
Well, if we don't hear, we'll have another option: The Sonnenhof. It's a breeding stable with five or six breeding mares who usually get covered at the Birkhof. Therefore I know the owner. It's a good man and his daughters who're mostly running the place now are okay. The stable isn't too great to look at and the outdoors is a bit ... well, one needs around 20 minutes to come into a wood. Yet they've got two halls and nice boxes. It would do for some time, until we find the stable of our dreams (or perhaps until things on the Talhof come back to running smoothly again).
So we'll see where we go with our sweetheart. However, I have to admit that I feel rather "odd" about leaving the Talhof. On the one hand: I wanted to go even before the situation became so difficult. I want a new start somewhere, I want to have a more peacefull place. On the other hand it's actually not my style to kick someone who's already down - and Margit is down. Since Klaus left, everything at the Talhof seems to go wrong. And in the last two months a lot of horses and people are gone - my friend Claudia with her two ponies Carry Me and Emi, Antje with her Black Forrest mare Ricke (and I'd always thought Antje were kind of "married" to the Talhof - she was there for ages!), Anne with her Doctor Schiwago (I couldn't say I'd miss her too much - she's a rather arrogant millionars daughter and always thought she'd be special because her father has put some money into the Talhof), another girl with an Iceland pony. And today I learned the "exodus" goes on: Ina and her Hillari are gone today, next week the shire with Tina will leave ... and then Robin and I'll leave and that makes 8 horses in only two months! And except of one new horse all the boxes are empty now. We learned on our search that people are talking about the Talhof - whereever we went, we were asked what is happening there and everybody knows already, that Margit is in trouble. I pity her for it, but I understand that people don't want to put their horses there - I mean, after what happened to Robin last week and with her still not having apologized ...
Nevertheless it's kind of sad. I liked the Talhof and I will miss at least some people there. On the other hand: Andy comes with us - and despite of all little trouble we sometimes have together, she's good for Robin. She loves him, she works greatly with him and he enjoys being with us. Besides I think it will probably become a bit easier with Andy when we're away from the Talhof. She's there under too much influence from a group of people I can't stand - rather arrogant, cocky young things who think they know everything about riding and can therefore feel "better" than people who don't ride so well. I think when Andy is away from this group, she'll become a bit more modest and easier to handle sometimes.
Besides the Talhof depresses me. I miss Klaus - every time I'm at the Talhof, I expect him to come around and to hear his laughter. And I can't stand how Margit is dealing with the kids, especially with her 15 year old son. She really seems to expect that Philipp (the boy) takes over from his father - and Philipp tries, but it's so damn hard work and he actually doesn't want to become a farmer, but wants to be a professional rider. Yet his mother's and grandfather's influence on him is strong - and therefore Philipp now believes all the stuff they're telling him: That the family is better off without Klaus who always cheated on "poor" Margit (actually he did only once - and knowing Margit I understand him rather well) and who treated the poor darling so badly (actually I often thought that she treats him badly. She was always nagging at him and obviously never saw how hard and how well he worked. Besides she was always very jealous - Klaus only needed to talk to another woman and Margit was already almost having a fit). Philipp is now totally angry with his father and not speaking to him anymore. And Klaus sits alone 800 km away from home, doing his new job and feeling lousy - he's homesick, he worries about his kids and even about Margit (who definitely drinks too much since he's gone) and what will become from the farm he worked 18 year for? It's so sad to watch this all and to be so helpless! It really depresses me.
I'd like to go to the Birkhof next week, only I can't. The friend who promised to drive Robin is sick and in a hospital in the moment. We'll have to wait until he's fit again .... and that means: At least one week more at the Talhof. I'll be glad when it's finally over.
as you know: We're searching for a new stables ... and perhaps we've found it yesterday.
The search for the stable kept Andy and me occupied in the last two days - and it was rather interesting and we learned something by it. Actually the first thing we learned: The Talhof isn't as expansive as we thought. Well, it's certainly not "cheap", but compared to another stable we were visiting which wants € 410,00 every months for rather dark and small boxes, a lousy old hall with no light and no space (Robin would only need three or four steps in galopp for being through the entire hall) the Talhof really is "normal" in price. While visiting this other stable Andy and I were all the time wondering what kind of service is included in this price - perhaps a "special one", done personally by the rather young and arrogant trainer there? One doesn't know, but for one thing we're sure: None of us would be interested in that.
Besides I could hardly stand watching how they ride there (and the coaching I wouldn't like to listen to every day either) - while we were there two young ladies were working their horses in the hall. The one, looking like the Queen of all dressage places, was riding a not too bad bay, only she obviously didn't notice that he was doing the old "On the forefront is war and from behind no soldiers are coming" trick. He pedaled with his forelegs, but with his hindlegs he was digging through the hall as if he'd got glue on them.
The other horse was even worse - a rather bony, very big paint who became longer and longer with every minute the lady in his saddle tried to get him collected. And the trainer always shouted: "Make him short, collect him!" Her only reaction to it was pulling at the rains ...
No, this isn't what I want to watch every day. Besides I'm absolutely not interested in having an ambitious young trainer around. Robin's become too good for that. He would see how he works with Andy and then he'd try to get him for himself - and someone who can live with his pupils riding like the two in the hall did certainly couldn't handle Robin.
The next stable we saw was something for people who like it "rustic": Nice, bright, big boxes, the horses all looking rather well, but except of that a stable where chaos rules. Just when you come in, you're greeted by some old, rusty equipment. The fences around the meadows look as if the farmer would have taken what he'd just had on hand to put them up, parts of the stable are not plastered and probably never will. One certainly need wellington boots there in winter - and sorry, I like it a bit rustic, but not so much.
The next place was nice - really idyllic landscape, old, but nice stables with big boxes, a big and bright new hall, a lot of meadows. I liked it there - until we met the wife of the owner or better said: Until we didn't meet her. After twice ringing at her door ("Hello, lady, here are customers who want to get you a horse and some money for it!") she opened a window, but only for telling us (up from the second floor) she just hasn't got any time and we shall come again tomorrow. Well, if I want to deal with an unfriendly and moody owner, I can just remain at the Talhof, thank you very much.
Stable No.4 then was the Martinshof - just have a look here:
http://www.martinshofschmid.de/index.html
It's around 15 minutes to drive from home in a very nice little village with a lot of beautiful landscape around - and it's really a nice place. I'd like to have Robin there and Andy would be delighted (a friend of hers is already there). Only problem: Robin is a wind sucker - and there's a lady in the stables who made a big fuss about a wind sucker last year. Therefore the owner doesn't know if he can give his free box to another wind sucker. He wants to talk with his people first - and so we're waiting to hear from him.
Well, if we don't hear, we'll have another option: The Sonnenhof. It's a breeding stable with five or six breeding mares who usually get covered at the Birkhof. Therefore I know the owner. It's a good man and his daughters who're mostly running the place now are okay. The stable isn't too great to look at and the outdoors is a bit ... well, one needs around 20 minutes to come into a wood. Yet they've got two halls and nice boxes. It would do for some time, until we find the stable of our dreams (or perhaps until things on the Talhof come back to running smoothly again).
So we'll see where we go with our sweetheart. However, I have to admit that I feel rather "odd" about leaving the Talhof. On the one hand: I wanted to go even before the situation became so difficult. I want a new start somewhere, I want to have a more peacefull place. On the other hand it's actually not my style to kick someone who's already down - and Margit is down. Since Klaus left, everything at the Talhof seems to go wrong. And in the last two months a lot of horses and people are gone - my friend Claudia with her two ponies Carry Me and Emi, Antje with her Black Forrest mare Ricke (and I'd always thought Antje were kind of "married" to the Talhof - she was there for ages!), Anne with her Doctor Schiwago (I couldn't say I'd miss her too much - she's a rather arrogant millionars daughter and always thought she'd be special because her father has put some money into the Talhof), another girl with an Iceland pony. And today I learned the "exodus" goes on: Ina and her Hillari are gone today, next week the shire with Tina will leave ... and then Robin and I'll leave and that makes 8 horses in only two months! And except of one new horse all the boxes are empty now. We learned on our search that people are talking about the Talhof - whereever we went, we were asked what is happening there and everybody knows already, that Margit is in trouble. I pity her for it, but I understand that people don't want to put their horses there - I mean, after what happened to Robin last week and with her still not having apologized ...
Nevertheless it's kind of sad. I liked the Talhof and I will miss at least some people there. On the other hand: Andy comes with us - and despite of all little trouble we sometimes have together, she's good for Robin. She loves him, she works greatly with him and he enjoys being with us. Besides I think it will probably become a bit easier with Andy when we're away from the Talhof. She's there under too much influence from a group of people I can't stand - rather arrogant, cocky young things who think they know everything about riding and can therefore feel "better" than people who don't ride so well. I think when Andy is away from this group, she'll become a bit more modest and easier to handle sometimes.
Besides the Talhof depresses me. I miss Klaus - every time I'm at the Talhof, I expect him to come around and to hear his laughter. And I can't stand how Margit is dealing with the kids, especially with her 15 year old son. She really seems to expect that Philipp (the boy) takes over from his father - and Philipp tries, but it's so damn hard work and he actually doesn't want to become a farmer, but wants to be a professional rider. Yet his mother's and grandfather's influence on him is strong - and therefore Philipp now believes all the stuff they're telling him: That the family is better off without Klaus who always cheated on "poor" Margit (actually he did only once - and knowing Margit I understand him rather well) and who treated the poor darling so badly (actually I often thought that she treats him badly. She was always nagging at him and obviously never saw how hard and how well he worked. Besides she was always very jealous - Klaus only needed to talk to another woman and Margit was already almost having a fit). Philipp is now totally angry with his father and not speaking to him anymore. And Klaus sits alone 800 km away from home, doing his new job and feeling lousy - he's homesick, he worries about his kids and even about Margit (who definitely drinks too much since he's gone) and what will become from the farm he worked 18 year for? It's so sad to watch this all and to be so helpless! It really depresses me.
I'd like to go to the Birkhof next week, only I can't. The friend who promised to drive Robin is sick and in a hospital in the moment. We'll have to wait until he's fit again .... and that means: At least one week more at the Talhof. I'll be glad when it's finally over.