Boys has changed beds from woodshavings to golden straw, 2 weeks ago, Start eats it like it was gold.. but now his bloated belly has settled and I am happy I to stuck it. Not a drop has fallen from the sunny sky so the dust has to be avoided as much as possible. They can all look out through windows so plenty of fresh air but the problem is it is full of dustparticles at this time of the year. Halagador does not seem bothered but I have started to give Start and Donoso a natural treatment with a nebulizer mask in which they breathe 10 min of balsamic essencial herbs before work. It opens the lungs and smells divine!

After work I give them a water with dissolved respiratory product of eucalyptus, methol, thyme, etc to drink. And of course some apple, carrots or orange and obligatory fly protection = makes happy ahtlete horses!

Here one of my favourite mares I recommeded a breeder friend yesterday, she's around 163 cm tall now and one of very few deep red chestnut mares around, no white and a real movement lady! So if you are looking for quality mare for riding and breeding international PRE horses I would go for this girl. And being professionally selected of course she also has a attractive price.

Nr 574

Wow, what a week! Three days with English clients, on thursday I rode Halagador in the morning for mexican client then drove 600 km with England to see 3 of the selected 6 horses. Friday we saw two horses in the morning and then I took team UK to Barajas. They left with 3 selected candidates. Thank you so much to Sam, Jo and Nick for 3 great days!

I decided to drop in for a massage after 2 hours and 38 degrees of slow Madrid-friday-traffic. It turned out to be a good plan because in the evening although late I had energy to ride Donoso and Start, which was great as competition was coming up and I had not had time to ride during the week..

Saturday morning off to stables and fixi-fixi polish Donoso and his things and then arrived to Segovia in the afternoon. Just in time to get ready and do Donoso's second Prix St George. It was really really really hot and everything was double the work but this horse is such a star, 100% cooperative, always. You would never know he is a stallion, he doesn't say a word nor lifts an eyebrow. We got 60% and the changes are now better, he got most of them and forms are overall more fluid. Very proud of beautiful Donoso!

No pictures but here's a short clip before entering

Came home 20.30 looked at Start and realized no way did I have energy to ride him. Shit, I know he gets red hot chili pepper if I don't ride but I was to tired. And yep, not only did I have a hot horse but also a angy horse.. Start absolutely hate the flies, he kicked, bucked, fussed in warm-up and I felt that better cool him down that warm him up. We applied lots of fly repellent but it didn't help, Start was NOT happy as you can see..

Also he had his hat on for the first time ever, and he didn't like hat either.. Unfortunately it was absolutely necessary for the flies. So in I went with my angry hot horse and full of energy to do his second Int I. He did many beautiful forms and did not misbehave, he was abit nervous so I talked him through it step by step and he does want to be a good boy. But he did invent a new move for the day.. a giraff head shake upwards.. that he performed as a protest to the hat and the very hated flies.. So in between a very good canter pirouette and after a good extended canter and before a great flying change, head went straight up in the air.. Not sure how he manages to get that move in and still do forms like nothing happened. Start; I am trying to perform here and these flies are so in my way! So of course judges did not like this extra activity and we got 58% but ok, next time I will have special fly cream repellent for Starti and we will talk about the hat!

Start doing his second Intermedia I in Segovia

Now I will catch up with emails and then the rest of the day off, have a great new week everyone! 

Here we are busy being hot! Yesterday all three boys worked out gloriously and today I signed up both Donoso and Start for a Segovia CDN** not this but next weekend, wiii here we go! As we are approaching August quickly there will be no more competitions as all spaniards go for holidays. I have already had mine in Sweden so I look forward to this competition adventure. Here we have sun and a little more sun and even though I love the heat I had to do something about the dryness. So I installed a humidifier (right word or?) and I can really recommend it, especially if you have allergy problems. This thing needs purified water (i.e not from the tap), fill it up and turn it on and voilá breathe without feeling that noseburn you get from sauna, no dry throat, no allergy, super!

Donoso, Halagador and Novedosa got new feet yesterday, Nova is a sweety and so easy to handle and she is up for whatever, the loveliest lady! Next week will be busy with clients, first England then followed by Mexico so most training has to be done this week.

Me and handsome Start yesterday before work out

I have been productive these last days, must be because it is lovely spring in the air!? Some help perhaps also from the DNA nutrition also, great!

It started with THE DENTIST and did no less than 4 fillings.. She anethesized my left side of face to 100% lameness and I could hardly blink with my left eye. But it worked because I did NOT feel anything! A italian client called in the afternoon but it was still impossible to talk so I excused myself the best I could. At 21.00 hours I felt alittle more normal. 

This is what was going on outside the clinic whilst I was waiting for my drillings...  ......... ............

After drillings success I was told my now my favourite dentist to take it EASY so I decided riding was not for today. Instead I went to see the three most beautiful PRE ladies in the world and gave them a loving brushing and deworming/ vaccination. Then I thought yoga must be a good idea to eliminate all this anastetics? Yoga teacher agreed, she is a sharp-eyed lady that is a master of seeing where you are in pain and knowing what you need, so much bodily-empathy, a little star! 

Next day some gardeing... I don't think I will ever be a green-fingered one, but I DID take care of this tree, poor lemontree has suffered the cold winter, he did have a blanket but I forgot the trunk.. So now I have bought a paste that will prevent bugs to get into it, I hope I can save him, it does not look so good..

Then the car needed a springclean, not my department.. So he was handed over to the ones that clean sales cars, looks like new, quite handsome actually!

This is Start after-work today, my new tactic to avoid any kind of paddock twists is to first let him do 20 min of walker, then a work-out and THEN the freedom. By the time he gets to paddock he is too tired to do any acrobatics and only rolls.

Starti

Every rider takes their dog along for the walk right?
Betty Boop 

Then I have spent all evening on email and talking to Swedish Equestrian Federation as I am wanting to sign up for a competition here with Donoso and Start. As it is international and I am swedish I need to compete for Sweden, something I happily do but there are some byrocracy around this. Will let you know if/how I manage, its a little short notice (enty expires this sunday...) 

Cheerio!

Landed hard in sofa with homemade strawberry milkshake, a big bag of sweedish sweets after a day of much communication, shopping, massage and training my three boys. Start is now doing 1 hour job with 30 min walk as a warm up and since last weekend we are also cantering and he is feeling better than ever!! Very happy about this as you can imagine. Then Donoso that got a walk and then canterwork after yesterdays trot work. Halagador got a special gym session with Pessoa and he looked awesome moving on the lounge in the end, his extended trot is spectacular and you can't hear him touch the ground. This week a swedish client is coming to view horses and hopefully find the one. Next we have Germany here, after that another Germany is booked and France is thinking about it. It is wonderful to meet all these people some new some again and some actually for finding horse nr 3! I want to take the oportunity to thank all our clients/collaborators for taking your horse buying/job seriously and unselfishly which is fundamental for everyone's sucess, after all when you sell/ buy a horse teamwork, consideration and mutual respect is the key. 

Now back to watching 'Something's gotta give' a lovely romantic comedy, if you haven't seen it you should!

Starti arriving to my hands a sunny day in January 2009

We're in springtime here! Today we had 18 degrees and smooth winds, incredible! I woke up to tend-to-body-morning, great to wake up knowing you only have to drive 10 min and then you have to lie down to be prepped for almost 2 hours, yum. Today was trotting premiere with Starti, we have walked and walked and trotted on lounge but today we did 10 min ridden trot and he was p e r f e c t felt like partytime, he was so happy to move and wanted to do his swingy passage, not hot just happy to be moving again! Love him lots, always gets me in a good and right mood. Then ice, hyal.acid, Zeropoint energy and Back on Track. Yesterday Donoso got a break from dressage, we were inspired by GHS and did cavaletti and some jumps, D gets it fast and we got some real nice ones, playtime!

Here Start and enjoying riding at dawn two years ago, the picture has changed alot since then, watching these pictures I get the feeling I had then and it has changed alot, to the better!

Start January 2010

..is much better! In fact he is a little too well and happy for the handwalking period.. I have gathered all the energy I have to the healing of this horse, I have been in stables several times a day to give him medical laser treatments, remove bandage, Nexcare ice bandage, massage, hot bandage, Amega Zeropoint wanding and to give him his medicine and Hyaluronic acid. I can't notice any lameness walking, nor is he swollen. Today with the wind blowing and rattling we had to WALK 30 min.. Start can really make your throat dry when he stops and tenses all his nerves and you know you will have to try real hard to convince him not to explode.. We managed 25 min with only a few jumps here and there, a little passage and then I said that's it, back to stables. Farrier came today so now they all have shiny new feet and Start got a remedial shoe to aleviate that part of the leg. He told me he had had a horse with a injury to the collateral medial ligament, it took that horse 8 months to get well. Ok I heard him and if my vet says one week I am probably going to give him two. But I am definitely thinking weeks, just watch me get this leg well. So now I am back now from the evening laser treatment and he likes all the attention and fuss but I do feel now he wants to move, that is his thing after all, that's what makes him happy.
My first ride with Start

Everyone worked out except Start that had a big swelling on left front uff!!!    I went straight into adrenalin sweat-rush. Yes the risk is always present as Starti behaves like a 3 year old colt in paddock, but he loves it SO much that I did not want to remove this happiness in his life. BUT, now he will be back in morning walker and only paddock only when I can watch over him personally. Actually they will all get the same routine, horse-mum need her nerves and precious horselegs to be 100%. So cold shower followed by Nexcare ice on for 1 hour, 15 ml Conquer (hyaluronicacid), Arnica, 1 tsp antiinflammatory. Then back to house to get lazer, Amega zeropoint wand and more Nexcare ice. At 22.30 I had the swelling down to half and he stood properly on leg and went to bed with Back on Track legpads. It's the first leasion I have had since Donoso had his bleeding inside the cross ligament in Sweden 2009. So I guess I should be greatful but sorry I am not, but I will when I see that leg perfect again. Love my silly Start.

Start's special moves