5th - 9th June - Passed!

I passed all the Equigarde exams! - I'm glad I don't have to fly to Switzerland again in 2 weeks for the make-up exams... :-)

Now there are 2 more practical days (to make up for due to Corona) in early July. I will probably only attend one. And then there's the graduation ceremony in August. To be able to run a boarding stable, I still need an internship of at least 3 months. But that's also taken care of with the current stay in Spain.

Although I didn't attend the Equigarde course with the intention of taking over a horse boarding stable, I am now glad to have the certificate. Just in case. You never know what the future holds.

By the way, I can highly recommend the Equigarde course to anyone interested! Great training in the horse industry! Very comprehensive and very practical. I think it would actually be good for any horse owner!

Otherwise, there's not too much news here at the stud farm. It's very hot here now. Up to 30 degrees. Our horses enjoy short showers throughout the day. Short because we also have to be a bit economical with the process water here. Sometimes we take a longer lunch break in this heat and start earlier in the morning and/or work later in the evening. It's a bit more comfortable for us and the horses.

Other than that, things are going well with the horses. The mare mentioned by Jenny now gets into the trailer without any problems and is now at the clinic in Madrid. We hope the operation goes smoothly and she will soon come back healthy!

Due to the absence of the rider, we have even more work/more horses to work with. But we don't let ourselves get stressed and prioritize the horses. Currently, the chestnut mare, which we have started riding, has the highest priority, as she will go to her new owner in Austria next week. We are currently working her 1-2 times a day so that the new owner can ride her as smoothly as possible.

The cats are also hot. During the day, they mostly lie somewhere under the car/caravan and sleep, and then they go on tour at night. Nala catches many mice and birds as always. At least she doesn't bring them into the caravan as often anymore...

We are grateful for the new/bigger water heater! With this heat, we are glad that we can now both take a shower every evening without any problems.

Unfortunately, Sarina is currently lame on the left hind leg. We currently don't know why, as she has no external injuries, nothing is swollen, and nothing is warm. Hopefully, it will get better soon...

Yesterday, the cows here ran somewhere and ran around the caravan. Result: a broken awning guyline and one tine of the pitchfork (plastic) less. No wonder, the way they chase the cows around here...

In general, we keep noticing that the way of dealing with animals here is different. New example: I am really anything but a fan of snakes. But if someone sees a snake here, they just chase after it and cut it into several pieces. I really don't understand such actions. But that's how it is here. Different countries, different customs...

I went shopping. Actually not that exciting. BUT: Bought all-purpose cleaner. Put it on the conveyor belt at the cash register. Apparently, the lid wasn't properly closed. All-purpose cleaner spilled on the cash register conveyor belt. The whole conveyor belt & several purchases full of all-purpose cleaner. Nice lady at the cash register tells me what to do. In Spanish! - I don't understand a word. Finally, I thought I understood that I should get a new bottle while she cleans up the mess. That's how we did it. Sometimes everyday things become a little adventure here! :-)