July 1 - 4, 2021

July 1:

In the morning, Nick and I both had lessons (lunging). In the evening, we worked our horses on the riding arena during a sunset. Unfortunately, we didn't take any photos of it.

July 2:

Nick is in Switzerland. He is staying with my father and his girlfriend again. He successfully completed the Equigarde examination with a good grade. Since some practical days were canceled due to Corona, they are now being made up. This is the reason for his return. Besides that, Nick has a pretty full schedule: checking the mailbox, graduation barbecue for Equigarde, etc. Today, I had a lesson in the morning and gave two lessons. I'm melting! It's 32°C (90°F) and there's a hot wind blowing like a hairdryer. I don't even want to know how hot it is inside the caravan. I informed our boss that it's too hot for me and that I will only work in the morning and evening, depending on the heat. I'm not sure if it's really much better inside the caravan, well, I'm sweating anyway! Our cat Mia keeps me company.

July 3:

I actually managed to overcome my laziness. I was on the mat at 6:00 a.m. I would actually like to be an early riser if only I could manage it... It was a beautiful morning. My four-legged friend welcomed me panting, wagging its tail, and squeezing. As I later found out, it's not a friend, but a male. Anyway. This great guy spent about 3 hours with me and lay down by the awning as if he lived here. He watched me as I watered the ground with the hose. I do this so that the horses have a softer ground to trot on and so that they don't inhale all the dust. Then I worked with 4 horses. I'm sure they appreciated it in the fresh morning air. I like it when it gets hot during the day and I can be in the sweet freshness in a T-shirt. Then I started mucking out the horses. The stable management is sick. They asked me to teach 2 interns. So, I spent some time with the two of them, just like yesterday. Since I started so early, I had already worked for almost the whole day by 2:00 p.m. I called my friend Lea for a longer chat. Then I gathered my strength to sit in the car and go shopping. That was a lesson for me! The store is open until 10:00 p.m. on Saturdays, just like on weekdays. It was really crowded. I don't think I've ever dodged so many people with a shopping cart in my life! When you're always surrounded by so few people and then go back into the store, you almost feel like you have social phobia... Back at the stud farm, the horses whinnied at me to say, "Hey, we want to go out" - they lined up at the gate. Since our shyest girl is thawing and becoming more confident and follows her new chick right away, I couldn't refuse them and let them out again, just like almost every day - before the groceries were in the fridge. I was quite busy with mucking out since almost all of them are in heat. It's like a female dog in heat or a female cat in estrus. Then they pee in tiny portions everywhere. In the evening, I talked to Nick on the phone. He had a very exciting day at school, including the topic of breeding/reproduction. He told me about the latest findings and projects from Avenches, which are leading. Nick can blog about this himself if he wants to.

July 4:

Today, I overcame myself again and got up early to avoid the heat as much as possible. Today, I saddled our sensitive Cremello mare for the first time. Yesterday, I put the saddle on her a few times, and today, I really tightened the girth and everything, just like with a riding horse. It went well, she was very relaxed. I also had a lesson in the morning. It was a cinematic scene: I wanted to mount the stallion from the fence - which he is used to... I don't know why, but he got scared and started moving sideways, backwards, etc. So, I kissed the ground before I even sat on the horse. When we caught him again and were in the middle of the lesson, the intern rushed across the gravel on the forecourt! She arrived on Friday, and since she doesn't like it here, she is leaving again. While the noise of the suitcase made the stallion gallop and jump wildly across the riding arena, the unfriendly lady didn't think of stopping pulling the suitcase for a moment, maybe to calm the horse down. She stubbornly continued until she finally stood in front of the car. Since the stallion was hopping big holes in the sand, I had to fill them with a rake for another 10 minutes. I definitely won't miss her. Despite these two show acts, it was a very good lesson. He is highly trained and a great teacher for me. It was helpful to feel the levade, so that I can take this feeling with me for a good collected upward canter, as if he were almost cantering in place. In the evening, I went to eat pizza with a rider and 2 interns who also live here on the stud farm. When I came back, I cleaned Sarina's eyes. They are quite inflamed from the many flies, so I put a mask on her during the day. Fly's nose hasn't completely healed yet, but it seems to be doing well. Then the dog came by and ate my leftovers. I forgot to close the Tupperware with the pasta and put it in the fridge. They had dried out a bit. I kept them in case he came. Anyway, he enjoyed eating them. As a thank you, he marked the awning. Nick is coming back around midnight. I'm looking forward to him being here again.