Contract signed

An hour ago J and I sat down with the barn owner in Wuppertal and signed a contract. I had a list, handwritten, of concerns and she eliminated them one by one, leaving me less panicky and almost completely excited.

We signed the contract, J having discussed lots of legal, landownership type things, since we lease some of our land and have the same red tape. And we've boarded horses/donkeys before and know how bad it can be. We truly sympathize with her issues ("the boarder just dribbled the hay all over the place, wasting it!") I asked Gabi, "Am I the only boarder you've had who has her own farm?" She said yes. This is the soft-spoken lady who showed up at my wedding with horses, and I hope she understands I get her circumstances. For the first time I really get it, cuz I've done that. 3 times.

How odd to board a horse while owning your own farm. Never thought that would happen. It turns out riding stables have some amenities that are important for training young horses. And a community. A community I enjoyed for 6 months in 2007 when I first arrived here, when I leased the TB mare. I have nothing but good memories of that barn, just some not so nice ones about the TB but she taught me a lot.

I'm not stupid, I know big barns are Zickenkreig (bitch war) hotspots . But I know some of these people are great. One lady (still there with her 33 year old horse!) bought me a safety vest because she was worried about me riding my bike from the barn at night. I can't wait to tell her I still have it.

So, Gabi knows Anna who bought Mara, and J, sensing my dread, asked her how Anna feels about Mara and Gabi said it's no problem, she seems to be doing fine. Gabi saw that J was doubtful and said to J, "Nobody should expect to get along great with every horse!" I was sitting there thinking how small the world is in Germany, how everyone knows everything.

I had to know.

"But do you know, I brought my horse to Wuppertal from America on a plane?" "No." Oh really!? How could she not, if everyone knows everything.

I said, "It was in the newspaper - how an American woman married a Wuppertal man and LEFT HER HORSE BEHIND in America! It was so awful to read that in the paper, knowing that as soon as we were married, I'd go fetch my horse!" She had no idea. 

I summed up - quarantine, costs (yikes), happy flight, and then Wuppertal where my horse started starving to death living with horses who wouldn't let him eat, but the day we brought him home, April 1, 2009, he literally lay down and went to sleep in our backyard. He knew, somehow, this was home. I kept my promise. I will have you in my backyard someday Baasha. All alone, he was utterly content, and then we got him a donkey, who was his queen until the end, and never touched him except to groom him. He gained and gained and looked great again.

I told her I need a local vet. She said who's yours? I said he's too far and she said, "Oh no, he comes here!" OK...and then she told us all vets are fine except for the one who has "Hofverbot" (forbidden on property) -  who acted unscrupulously (and Fuchua's colt died). Oh, it's Dr Geld (money)! He's S's vet, and was here a few times but omg money! I'll have to tell her the bridge story another time, where my vet and the firemen saved Baasha's life.

We got to see the two paddocks Mag would have - depending on how he behaves over the fence with 12 geldings, he will have either an adjacent paddock or one 10 feet away, larger, but less gravel. The gravel they use is awesome - no mud at all. It's not a fancy barn, but no mud! Indoor arena. Wading pool for the horses (really) and Mag's stall has an outdoor attached paddock. He won't have the freedom he's used to now, but he won't be there too long. We plan on 3 months. As much as possible I will let him loose in the various arenas to stretch his legs before asking him to work.

Why alone? Cuz Gabi feels that integration into a herd is too stressful to do for only a temporary time period, that it's not fair to her clients. I trust Gabi to know more than I do about integration.

Gosh I'm gonna miss looking out my window and seeing him, and never worrying about him, and having TOTAL CONTROL over his life. But I will be in Wuppertal 4 days per week, and since he's young and healthy, there is no reason for him to not do well there. After dense living conditions in Poland, and at the dealer's in Germany.

Bellis is going to have to be alone for another stint of her life, but she did it after Baasha died, after Ezra left, and after Mara left.

The entire time we were in the Stuebchen (little kitchen/sitting area that all German barns have) she had her pinto mare tied up outside in the rain. That's the horse that was at my wedding. Finally when we were done I said, "Hey, that's good patience training!" and I hope she knows how much I mean it - lots of Germans think it's cruel to leave a horse tied. Then I saw the hooves and, "J, look, the cut-out hoof!" Truly, the mare had her quarter area removed completely, just like Mag had in August on all 4, at least one side per hoof. Gabi said, "It's the hollow walls, I'd never experienced it until this year, but 10 of my 13 horses have it." The mare shifted painfully, she's still suffering! Mag is finally better, but I'd never seen hollow walls before either and I never want to again. How very odd. Gabi said she has no idea what the cause was. With no idea, we have no way of knowing how to prevent it. 

Sunday is the day of the dead, and I've had candles lit every evening for those I miss, including Baasha who died in November. That very day Gabi is coming to get Mag, and for payment, she asked that I simply bake her a cake. If we can get Mag into the trailer without stressing him, I'll bake her two.

Sorry to cut into your pleasure time Mag but work is a part of life, and one day you'll know it.