"Mag thinks he just woke up from a dream."

That's what my husband said just now, and I have to laugh.

MAG IS HOME!

And he keeps looking for me, and he's not as relaxed as he could be, but I keep leaning out of windows saying "Na Mag? I am here, this is my stall." And he leans over the gate, "Are you really there?"

***

I was up so late baking chocolate chip cookies for the barn, I was miserable when the alarm went off.

Then I thought, "MY HORSE! I AM GETTING A HORSE TODAY!" That's what it felt like, anyway. Christmas.

J accompanied me to the barn to help me pack up and drive home as I expected to ride with Christina in her Subaru Forrester that actually can haul a horse trailer (!!!).

We were late and hurried, and she was early and I was stressed, stripping my stall as fast as I could. I said hi to her as she arrived and she didn't look at me, and barely said anything. I said, "What, what is it?" She said, "I have to put my cat to sleep today."

She and I both burst into tears and hugged each other because that cat is her life. Her baby. She talks about it more than she talks about her Fjord mare.

I said, "NO! NO, NICKI!"J was standing right there and handed me a tissue.

She wanted every last minute with her cat but she'd promised me a ride home for Mag. Desperate, I asked J to clean Mag's paddock, pointing to the wheelbarrow section and the poop scoopers.

Then J cleaned out my tack locker, including the lock on the door, and put everything in the car. He did so much for me today, I'm grateful.

Then Bettina was there, and she said she was riding in the Subaru with Christina to comfort her and keep her company on this sad day.

I had to give Willy a goodbye and thank you letter that I'd written in English and German (but not Polish, my original plan!) and I had to pay Gabi 21E for bedding for the month in cash, since my online banking is not working at the moment.

She hugged me and looked very sad, actually, and said ,"Please come visit, come ride with us again."

Of course I will. I'm always in Wuppertal.

I said, "It was so nice here with you!" and then I hugged Willy too, "It was so nice here with you!" And when I gave him the envelope, I said, "It's not money." He laughed. It was a heart felt summation of how much I enjoyed our time together.

Indeed, as J and I walked into the barnyard this morning, he tipped a wheelbarrow of poop over and said, "Schon!" Like always. I said, "SCHON!" and laughed. J laughed too, he's heard me talk about Willy for 4 months now.

***

Betinna said, "Breathe. You won't help your horse today if you don't."

I wondered why she said that, it was the second time someone told me to relax today. I wasn't scared, really, I was excited. Mostly I was worried that Mag would have another horrible ordeal in a trailer, after all our pleasant training sessions.

I must have put him in that trailer 60 times in 4 months.

As we congregated around the back of the trailer, Mag eating his bucket happily, Tanja came out of her house with her husband Klaus and her two kids. She was the first person who was nice to me at this barn in November. Her Connemara Mia and Mag were both the babies of the barn. She, new to horses, was completely enthralled with the horsey lifestyle and they bought the house that is in the middle of the farm, as I've described before.

I looked at her 9 year old and said, "Have you seen the tadpoles in the hoof bath Jon?" (He was named after Jon Bon Jovi, no joke.)

He smiled sheepishly at me, "Yes I have."

Jon gripped his garden fence directly next to the horse trailer, to observe the potentially exciting loading of Mag.

Tanja hugged me and I tried not to cry. Her husband said, "Alles Gute" and I said thank you.


Mag went halfway into the trailer with me, hesitated, and then I talked him into it, "Come on Mag, it's fine!"

And then Christina shut the butt bar and he felt it and went "Oh this sucks so much" but didn't flip out. He just hates it.

I thought back on what Bettina has said to me 10 minutes earlier. She had said, "My Alexej has a real problem with trailers. I could not get him within 20 meters of a trailer before Christina started letting me work with him. Your horse Mag, he has a cute little problem with trailers, in contrast to Alex!"

I laughed, but thought, "Mag's problem is cute?" Does he ever arrive not soaked sweat? And does he ever arrive not shaking so badly the entire trailer is trembling?

After they shut the ramp they told me to exit the tiny door in front, made for elves, and poor Mag, my poor, poor Mag! He was frantic and I just kept saying, "It's OK" but for him that was a lie.

They left the upper rear doors open, for some reason, and I thought, well, if they don't fly off in the wind, Mag will appreciate at least being able to see out (there are no forward or side windows in this trailer).

So we led the way in our Prius, my man driving very very slowly. I'd asked Christina in advance and she said the trailer's top Autobahn speed is 80. 80!!! That's 50mph. Semis will be passing us.

And they did.

I kept praying, "Lord don't let him sweat another puddle!" It's heartbreaking.

As we arrived home I jumped out of my car and said, "NA MAG?" so he could hear my voice before I could get to him. (Na in German means, hey or what's up.)

Heh, as I'm typing this just now I heard him blow out of his nose while grazing our back yard. Such a nice sound!

Poor Mag. His face was covered in sweat, black rings around his eyes, and steam was pouring off his body. But there was no puddle!  He also had a dark halter mark on his nose from sweat.

He was trembling so much the entire trailer was shaking, *sigh*

I led him out and gave him to J immediately, and ran to the donkey who was standing at the gate.

I led Bellis to him and as he trembled, and he neighed a loud hello to her. She for some reason did not bray. She just touched his nose and they were together again.

I said, "I really want to just take the two of them to the pasture, so let's go!" Over the street is quicker than through our paddock, so J led Mag to the field, and I had Bellis with a piece of hay twine cuz I had no other lead rope at hand.

Bettina and Christina were just patient enough to accompany us to the gate and watch Mag and Bellis immediately start grazing, because the Spring grass is more important than anything else, even though Mag has not been allowed to run across a field in 4 months!

After paying Christina (70 Euros) we hugged and they repeated that I should visit.

***

MY HORSE IS HOME!

He's not settled, yet. He's looking for his routine, perhaps. There is no routine here, except for the next few days we'll be slowly acclimating Mag to grass again.

He got one hour today, and now they're in the back yard, paddock, shelter area to eat hay.

I kept looking out the window, and Mag would peer at me and nicker a frustrated sound, and I realized he was just too aroused to eat hay.

So I put hay in a net against the shed as I used to do, and from there he can both eat and look at the street and across the street to see the Friesian mare and the Icelandic mare. And finally he ate.

Bellis is cool, she's exerting her calming presence on Mag, that is why one buys a donkey, after all.

But every time I stick my head out of my house windows, he nickers to me, "Hey YOU!" and I reply, "No worries, I'm in here!"

I expect he'll calm down by tomorrow. But when J suggested I go for a ride today, I said he needs at least a day to settle down.

I really want them on the pasture, running around happily. But he's not grass-ready yet, so it will be a while, and then sadly, the pasture will be turned into a hay-making area, so no animal will be allowed on it. We'll have them on the perimeter grazing strips that border our hay field. Hopefully the grass will be long enough on the strips that they won't curse at me when I lock them away from the entire 5 acres.  Mag would normally be on the entire 5 acres all Winter with Bellis, but he was gone, so I'll give him a little time to run and adjust to grass, and then they'll be confined to 5-20 meter strips of grass on the edges.

For the next couple weeks though, I'm gonna let them on the big pasture until he's fully acclimated to grass, and until the lower, large grazing strip is lush. 

***

I keep going to the windows and saying HI MAG and he nickers to me and it makes me think he's missing his routine, or Willy. Certainly not being alone in a paddock every day.

I told him, "You look like an orphan!" because even though it has not rained in weeks, he found, probably, the spring in our pasture and rolled in it, coating himself. If anyone were to come visit I'd be embarrassed. He was a sparkling white horse the last 4 months with the blanket on.

I'm hoping tomorrow will be better for him, that he'll relax a little. I'm looking forward to taking him on his "first" walk of our neighborhood.

I'm so, so happy to have my horse at home. It hit me by surprise.

I miss Willy already, and the friendly people in Wuppertal, but I can see Mag anytime without a 35 minute drive.

I thank you readers for paying attention to our journey even when it was pedantic and repetitive.

I never realized after 20 years of boarding, that I could miss it. WTH.

I admit, part of my contentment was the realization that at any time, I could leave. I was not trapped with the sequim coated lady!

I left two containers of  chocolate chip cookies in the riders' lounge, with a note on the container, "Must be eaten in 1-2 days, or else."

Underneath the two containers, was another heart-felt letter to the people of this barn, thanking them individually for each act of patience and kindness. Ending with a thank you for those who only smiled, and that was enough. Those cookies tasted great, and I hope the boarders enjoy them ....well, not beyond 3 days when they'll turn to stone *lol*

***

I wonder what will happen next, but I'm not stressed about it.

I have to try to meet people in this area so I'm not always alone.

I have to realize time is on our side.


This photo is from tonight, Mag's first evening here:


He doesn't feel at home at all here yet. See the stress in his face?






He sees the Friesian across the street.



This is the look I get every time I poke out of a window or our front door.

I wish I could sleep with him tonight but I know that if I set up a tent in our paddock he'd tear it to pieces by morning.  I used to find horse camping the epitome of happiness, but then we bought this property, so every day simulates camping with my horse.

I thank you again for following this experience.