It's officially ours now - nu är det klart med gården :)))

The farm is officially ours now. In our mind it has been ours for weeks now. Peter has been renovating it in his head for weeks now and a couple of weekends ago he worked all Saturday and Sunday on drawing the renovation plans. The reason the whole business took a bit longer was because we got more property with it. Initially the old owners only wanted to sell the houses. First we got all the pasture with it without discussing it and last week we asked for half an hektar more. Yesterday they called and excepted our offer. We so very much like the couple that's selling the house. They live on the neighbouring farm and it's the wife's parents farm we are buying. It has been a family farm for a very long time. They also told the realtor that they really wish we will buy it cause it feels so right with us. Next week we are gonna sign the contract. Everything takes so long time, but Peter is in England this week on a business trip then he needs to go to Stockholm and after that Birgitta - the woman who is selling it, is getting an operation on her foot. I guess one week more or less doesn't really matter anyway. So incredibly happy!!!

Sea Band mot graviditets illa mående

Jag lider av emetofobi sedan jag var liten. Att kräkas är nog det värsta jag vet. Jag kan verkligen få för mig att jag komma dö när jag måste kräka - nej, inte alls hysteriskt. Direkt efter första besöket hos barnmorska köpte jag sea bands. Eftersom jag var så fruktansvärd trött redan ville jag inte ta piller mot illamående som man skulle nog bli ännu tröttare av. Banden utöver tryck på Nei-Kuanpunkten och det tar bara några minuter och så verkar de. Jag var lite misstänksam i början men de få gångerna jag inte hade de på mig så spydde jag. Utom igår då hjälpte de inte.... Peter berättade en äckligt historia - som jag fortfarande inte vill tänka på, om vad han hade drömd om och tydligen triggade det mig jätte mycket. Jag kom inte ens från frukostbordet och spydde ner bordet och hela vägen in till toaletten - men ingenting på toan för då var jag redan klart. Sedan fick jag gå och lägger mig igen för jag var helt slut. Peter städade upp allting och tvättade alla mattor. När jag frågade honom imorse vad han hade drömt om inatt fick jag bara en misstänksam blick och kommentaren - det vågar jag inte berätta. Jag måste till jobbet snart och har inte tid att städa igen..... Hahaha, älskar min man!

Preparing for winter

Peter, Veronica and Markus, the heart and soul of the jumping competition. All three have put in late nights all week long to prepare and plan.                                                                                             Yesterday evening we picked up two loads of hay - 87 balls. Markus was so nice to volunteer to help cause naturally I'm not allowed to carry anything heavy. We are gonna make another hay drive on Friday evening. I'm so pleased and happy about feeding with hay again and not silage. Milva is doing much better on hay and I still think that silage is not good nor natural for horses. We never fed silage in Austria nor in Canada. When I tell people about it there they all shake their head and comment - why? That's cow food! Interestingly they don't have problems with laminitis, Cushing or colic. I definitely feel that I'm back on the right track again!

Jumping competition at RKF

Pictures taken by Ann-Sofie Taleman   https://picasaweb.google.com/webadmin.RKF/20140927Hopptavling20140927?authkey=Gv1sRgCLLnvsCk85n9lQE#slideshow/6063858346888181666                                           This weekend we had a jumping competition at the local riding club where Peter is chairman. Saturday was for the ponies and Sunday for horses. I didn't see much of the ponies on Saturday cause I was mostly in the cafeteria. Sunday I saw a glimpse of the horses in the afternoon and I watched the whole 1,30m class. I was impressed by a few riders but mostly it made my stomach ache and I felt for the horses. It's probably a good thing I didn't get to see the pony class on Saturday. What I really missed was the laughter. Isn't it supposed to be fun to compete? I mean that's what everyone else is saying, especially when kids are competing? I didn't hear much laughter at all though. Another big question that popped up in my head was, why do people take their - not even close to be ready to compete - horses out on an event? If your horse jumps with all four feet straight up in the air at every single fence and you need to ride with the sharpest bit on the marked, maybe you should rethink your situation?  Otherwise it was a really fun weekend. I got to talk to a lot of the other club members and the female part of them was happy to share their pregnancy and birth stories with me. I got lots of valuable tips which I really appreciated. 

Rider vs. Parasite

Years ago I was watching a woman riding her horse over fences.  Each time the horse landed after a fence, he threw his head up and bolted.  The rider would then jerk the horse around in a small circle, pulling his head around until it nearly touched her boot at which point she would smack him with her riding crop and proceed to make several circuits of the arena at a brisk trot while see-sawing the reins so violently the horse’s head wagged back and forth.  

After the horse had received this “training,” the woman once again rode him to the fence; he jumped it willingly but upon landing, threw his head up violently and bolted.  The woman screamed at the horse and went back into her “training” mode.  She yelled something to her companion who was watching from the ground, about the new, stronger bit not working.  Then she proceeded to jerk mercilessly on the horse’s mouth while spurring him relentlessly. 

It baffled me that this obviously kind horse continued to willingly approach and jump the fence while receiving this treatment from his rider.  It further baffled me that the problem, which was clear to me after the second jump, seemed to completely elude the self-proclaimed trainer and her companion:  each time the horse landed, the rider lost her balance and snatched him in the mouth.  The horse was trying to escape the pain she was inflicting on him by her incompetent riding.  She had failed to develop an independent seat, and her horse was suffering for it.

I wish I had been brave enough then to speak out in defense of the horse but I was young and lacked the confidence needed to approach this intimidating woman.  I watched her ride toward the fence and yet again make the same mistake, then punish the horse for her incompetence.  “Go get the martingale!” she yelled to her companion, “I’ll make him keep his head down!”  My stomach churned and I whispered a prayer for the horse before turning back to my work.

That woman was not a rider, she was a parasite.  A parasite, by definition is something that attaches itself to a host and harms it.  The parasite is completely oblivious to (or perhaps just doesn’t care about) the harm it is causing the host.  It only takes but never gives.  There is not a reciprocal relationship; the parasite is the only one that gets any benefit.

Parasites come in many forms:

Captain Cram and Jam – holds the reins as tightly as possible while relentlessly kicking and spurring the horse in an effort to “get him in frame”

Inspector Gadget – this person is always looking for the next great training gadget to force her horse to do what she hasn’t prepared him (or perhaps herself) to do.  Training staples include harsh bits, a martingale (or training fork), draw reins and side reins

See-sawer/plane flagger/goat milker –these are the individuals whose hands never stop moving – jerking up, jerking down, to the side, etc. These are easy to recognize as they are the ones riding the horse with the gapping open mouth, chin tucked in chest (usually preceded by nose pointing at the sky), and/or head wagging from side-to-side.   These parasites tend to flock to “magic bits” selecting increasingly harsh bits as their horse’s mouth becomes scarred and deadened.

The Know-it-all – Usually this is the person who either has had a few lessons and won a couple ribbons and therefore is a self-proclaimed trainer or can take the form of a person who has decades of experience with horses but has yet to learn anything

The Blissfully Ignorant Weekender – this person takes old Frank out of the pasture once or twice a summer and sits crookedly in the saddle for a 4 hour trail ride on an out-of-shape horse.  

Conversely, a true rider is not afraid to do the work it takes to become a good rider.  She puts in the years of work it takes to develop an independent seat, she seeks to understand the horse, when a “behavioral issue” arises, she first looks at herself for a cause, then considers the possibility of a physical issue with the horse and lastly looks for an actual behavior that needs to be modified.  A true rider wants to build a relationship with the horse; she works to ensure the horse is happy to do his work.  She also works to understand the horse’s physical capabilities and to ensure the horse is physically able to do the work it is being asked to do.  She doesn’t rely on training gadgets as she understands 99% of the time such devices serve only 3 purposes:

1.  Cover up bad riding
2.  Cover up holes in training
3.  Force a horse that is not mentally and/or physically prepared to do the work it is being asked to do.

So, ask yourself the tough question:  are you a parasite or a rider? The next time you run into a “behavior problem” with your horse consider the whole picture:  is it something you are doing (sitting off balance, a poor cue, bouncing hands, etc.)?  Is your horse in pain?  Have you physically and mentally prepared your horse to do what you are asking him to do? Are you trying to ride above your level?  Are you riding more horse than you can handle? 

I’m not claiming to be perfect. I’ve made (and continue to make) mistakes, I’ve subjected horses to unfair training practices; I’ve blamed horses for my shortcomings.  BUT in more than 25 years I have never stopped learning. I keep an open mind and am always working to improve my techniques, looking for ways to teach the horse in a way she understands, and always working to keep my horse comfortable, happy, and glad to do her work.

Our horses are a gift and most of them give of themselves until it hurts and even then, keep on giving. Learning to ride in a balanced, independent seat without relying on training gadgets to achieve artificial results is the least we can do for our horses.  Pay attention to what your horse is telling you, and you both will benefit.  You will connect with your horse on the deepest level and, by being a rider rather than a parasite; you can add many sound and happy years with your horse!

Sex sanningar tagna från min teori att man spar pengar på att ha häst

Av Ulrika Pernler - Igår 16:44

Tänk så ofta man får höra hur dyrt det är att ha häst. Ja, det kan man tycka. Men vad man då inte har tänkt på är hur mycket pengar man faktiskt sparar på saker som man avstår ifrån. Enligt min teori så spar man faktiskt mer pengar på att ha häst än vad man hade gjort utan. Häng med! (och jag erkänner, detta är lite sett ur ett tjejperspektiv)

Man behöver aldrig lägga pengar på manikyr, nagellack eller behöver man ens ha naglar? 

Om naglarna någon enstaka gång växer en enda millimeter över fingerkanten så kantas de genast av en svart sorgrand som inte under några omständigheter går att skrubba bort. Om naglarna trots allt skulle krypa över fingerkanten utan att brytas av så kan det i och för sig vara en anledning att ha nagellack, Fast i så fall är det nog endast svart som täcker hästskiten. 

Man behöver inte spendera dyra pengar på utlandsresor eftersom det ändå inte finns någon som kan ta hand om ens dyrbara hästar så länge och om någon skulle erbjuda sig så skulle den säkert ändå inte göra det närmelsevis så bra som du själv. Så det vore dumt att chansa. De pengar man spar på en utlandssemester räcker lätt till en sprillans ny dressyrsadel! 

Man köper inte en massa inredningsprylar till hemmet eftersom man ändå aldrig är hemma. Avsaknaden av prydnader gör också att man spar tid på att damma och flytta runt såna grejor vilket kan vara väldigt tidskrävande. Dessutom spar man pengar på dyra städprylar som dammvippor och olika sprayer. Det är bara att köra dammsugaren rakt över hela huset, väggar, golv och tak. 

Man lägger inte massa pengar på radvis av dyra skor med klack eftersom man blivit trampad på tårna så många gånger av diverse hästar att den där knölen bakom stortån blivit så stor att det bara är Graningekängor som gäller. Sommar som vinter. Bara det gör att man spar ännu mer pengar eftersom man använder samma dojor året runt. 

Man lägger inte massa tid och pengar på att styla sin trädgård. Gräsmatta duger bra. Gärna ängsstil med högt gräs och diverse självspridande ogräs. Blir gräset någon gång så högt att man har svårt att ta sig fram till dörren så rider man över med hästen och låter den beta utanför huset ett par timmar. Har man tur så lämnar den en del gratis gödsel efter sig. Alla som varit på trädgårdshandeln vet hur mycket det kostar att köpa en säck konstgödsel. Dessutom känns det bra att bidra till ekosystemet med naturvänliga alternativ. 

Om man av nån outgrundlig anledning skulle vilja gifta sig så blir det en väldigt billig bröllopsfest eftersom det inte kommer att komma en enda gäst. De vänner som man hade innan man blev hästägare är sedan länge borta och de  vänner man har genom stallet kan inte komma för de ska på tävling eller så får deras häst kolik. Det är en välsignelse för människor som bjuder hundratals gäster på festen får betala av sitt bröllop resten av livet. Stackarna!

Jag vet inte hur många gånger jag sett uträkningar på vad det kostar att ha häst. Men nu är jag intresserad av att se en uträkning på vad man sparar istället. 

Den skulle förmodligen visa att vi hästmänniskor är rika. 

Kanske inte på pengar men på välmående.

 

Rofylld eftermiddag ved sjön

En gång når jag väl fram till höstens rike, långt bort från vårens oro, krav och hopp.
Jag plockar blommor i ett fruset dike, förlöst från vårens oro i min kropp.

I höstens rike kanske tanken drömmer om sol och värme under sommarns dar.
Det sägs att minnena som åren gömmer, ska bli det sista liv som lämnas kvar.

Men kanske färgerna vid dikesrenen gör hösten skimrande och rik och glad.
Och kanske ser man längre då när grenen förlorat sina gröna, täta blad.

Text: biskop Jan-Arvid Hellström

Preparing for renovation - the less charming side of the house

Faithful company in bed

Love my little munch! Now that I need to rest so much to avoid cramps and pain, Munch joins he in bed every time and clearly loves pus snuggle time.

Welcome Mabon

Watching the last of these days disappear
feeling the air get colder
seeing the world get darker.
Memories of lying on the grass
of the sun warming my closed eyes.

Now, the warmth is gone
the sunshine is gone
the world has turned into something new
something colder, something darker
something different,

something Beautiful.

Pasture with a view

Future turn-out stable

This very old barn, approximately early 17 century, is gonna be our turn out stable. It actually belonged to another farm before "Laga skifte". Laga skifte is a law from 1827, where it was decided that small farms were moved out from the village to get a piece of land that was put together instead of having small acreages here and there. Farming would become more efficient then. To do so it was common to move whole farm buildings out of the village. Our farm stayed in the village though but the neighbour farm was removed farther away and left her little barn behind which is on our property now. You can see the removed farm from our land and in our pasture you still can find some remaining after it.  We found an old map from 1635 and you can see both farms on it. We are gonna start with the renovating of the stable this autumn/winter. The plan is to have two boxes, one tack room and the turnout stable in there. It's big enough for two horse and eventually one pony for the little one. We have 3 ha pasture right now but are gonna get a little bit more land with it from the old owner.

Nu har hösten kommit

Regn och blåst här idag. Får se lite senare om jag flyttar upp hästarna till lösdriften. Sjöhagen är bra för det finns massor av trä de kan hitta skydd under och dessutom har ingen häst betat där sedan juni, alltså finns det gott om bete där. Avvakta lite och bestämmer mig senare.

Magiska morgontimmar

Det ger verkligen ro i själen att hälsa på hästarna. Milva har nog aldrig haft det så bra som nu och då blir man bara ännu gladare när man ser sina hästar lyckliga. Imorse flyttade vi hästarna över till sjöhagen. Eftersom vi är de enda i stallet just nu kan vi välja mellan 8 hagar plus lösdriften, som vi hyr helt nu. Det går inte att ha en valack med Prim och vi vill själv kunna välja vilket sto vi vill ha in i vårs flock och just nu blir det ingen. Hästarna kommer bli kvar på lösdriften tills nästa sommar, efter vi har renoverat gården. Lösdriften kommer vi starter med nu under hösten, vintern - en Sanna hästmänniskans prioritering. Nej, det har nog mest att göra med att gården skall avstyckas först innan vi kan börja med renoveringar så då är det lika bra att börja med lösdriften så länge. Planen längre fram är sedan att vi skaffa oss en liten c- ponny, helst ett skimmelsto då som matchar Milva.

A house is made of walls and beams, a home is built with love and dreams.

Doctor's order - stable rest for me....

No work, no play and no stress... Lots of time to read and prepare for our little munchkin.

Autumn afternoon in the pasture

Waiting for them to poop to get a poop sample for worm testing.

En hage full av nordsvenskar

....precis utanför byn finns det en gård som föder upp nordsvenskar. Det är väl rund 20-30 hästar i olika hager. Mycket fina ich statliga är dem :))

How life can change aka living the dream

Many of you followed me through my ups and downs over the last few years. I met a lot of new friends through this blog, who originally only serves me as a diary, and I met a lot of new friends through Parelli all around the world. If I can give you one advice out there is to never ever give up on your dreams! Live life thoroughly and never settle for the second best or make compromises over what's close to your heart! I always dreamed of meeting the right guy, who rides, who makes me laugh, who loves me, whom I mean the world too, who wants and values the same things and who shares my interests. When I finally met him, I needed to turn 39 until I was ready for it and had to learn a lot  of lessons during that journey, everything turned around for me, every puzzle piece suddenly fitted together. I'm so grateful I didn't fell into the trap and settled for a second or third best choice. Even though it was so hard sometimes. The reward I got cannot be described in words. Now I'm gonna be a mum, and while writing this I still start to cry. I just never thought I would be one and now I'm half way through my pregnancy. The thought about what I could have missed scares me! On top of all that my life long dream about getting a farm is fulfilled as well. We are about to purchase the most beautiful farm you can imagine. The farmhouse is from 1850 and the barns from late 16 century beginning of 17 century. There is so much greatefullness and happiness inside me that I sometimes just have to stand still and close my eyes and breathe....

Bus i hagen

Family visit from Austria

Min älskade man på uteritt med styrelsen

Trakehner Horsemanship

Heimat kann man nicht vererben. Sie ist in meinem Kopf. Und sie ist in meiner Seele. Horst Bienek (*1930), dt. Schriftsteller