As the sunshine’s through the skylight and I look back on the week that was. I cannot believe it has already been 3 weeks here in Holland. The time has flown by and so much has happened.

Monday was my first day back after having the weekend off to Amsterdam. It was an okay day overall. We were working in a team of two as our third person was off sick. Trainer came and gave us a hand in the morning which was really appreciated. Two people can get all the horses out and stables cleaned in time but it makes for a very hard and fast morning. We the spent the morning catching up on some stuff we didn’t get done before coffee then we each worked a horse, brought in the horses, fed lunch, mucked, swept and put the horses out that go out during lunch break. In the afternoon we worked some more horses, mucked, fed hay, swept, and completed finish the day. The day was kept a bit simpler for us because we were working with only two people. After dinner we had some down time before feeding the evening feed. All in all it was not a bad day.

Tuesday started off a bit slow. We were a team of three but we just weren’t up to our normal work pace. We still got everything done on time though. After coffee I got a lesson in free working. This was neat to experience but it is going to take some getting used to. It is not something that is done a lot back home. Also, I lunged a horse, cleaned the stable of the young horses, helped feed lunch, bring horses in, and put horses out for lunch. In the afternoon I lunged one of my horses and then did a free work session with another. I was feeling a bit unsure about free work in the morning but I like it a bit more after getting to spend some time working with it by myself. After we mucked and fed we completed finish the day and were in by six. This gave us some more down time before feeding night feed. After feeding we relaxed before heading for bed.

Wednesday was a really good day! We were back to our normal speed and had all the morning chores done y 930am. This gave us some time to groom a horse of ours and get some extra cleaning done that had not been addressed in a couple of days. After coffee I groomed two of my horses and lunged one of them as well. Then we mucked, brought the horses in, feed lunch, swept, put horses out and came in for lunch. In the afternoon I had a lunge lesson with one of my horses that went really well. I am slowly getting the idea of the barns style of lunging. It is working really well for me which is really exciting. After my lesson I lunged another horse, mucked, help bring horses, fed, rode one horse, and helped with finish the day. After, we had dinner before some down time before bed. We have a new feeding schedule that means you only have to feed two times a day two days of the week. This meant I had this night off.

Thursday was an awesome day. We were done early with the morning chores which meant we could get some other stuff done before coffee. After coffee I got one of my horses rebraided and did some extra cleaning in the mare stable. Then it was time to muck, bring horses in, sweep, and feed lunch. After our lunch break I gave one of my horses some extra love and attention and gave another an extra grooming. After, I lunged one of my horses; it is amazing to see how much stronger she is getting with regular work. After, I helped with finish the day, sweeping and mucking. Then I rode one of my horses in a lesson and they were a rock star! Due to the timing of my lesson I wasn’t able to help with feeding and bringing horses in but was able to help with finishing the day. I had a little bit of time left before six so I gave the two breeding mares a brushing. After giving them a brushing it was six. I had some time before dinner so I quickly jumped into the shower. It was so nice to get all cleaned up after a busy day of grooming. After dinner the manager and I went to Action to pick up some things and have a look around. I didn’t have to feed tonight because I switched with one of the others who is going away for the weekend. After we got back from action is was down time before heading to bed.

Friday was a day off for me. I was awake by seven though. I spent my morning doing some computer work, laundry, and some cleaning of my room. The spider webs had gotten out of control! It makes me wonder where the spiders are (gulp!). After cleaning I read for a bit and did some homework for the course. Then it was time for lunch. The owners bought us some croquets from the snack bar. In the end I ate way too much but that is okay every once and a while haha. After lunch I read some more, had a nap, finished my video of Freya (which took three times to load onto YouTube correctly),and I uploaded all my pictures from Amsterdam and put them on Facebook.  Tonight was Pizza night for dinner. We live really close the German boarder so they went to a really good German Pizza joint. After dinner I did the cleaning I needed to do then we sat and chatted for a bit at the table before heading for bed.

Saturday was a good day. We were able to get some extra cleaning done before coffee. We were all in the cleaning mood so we spent the morning getting some extra cleaning done around the yard. One of my jobs entailed jumping on the stuff in the dumpsters to make more room for stuff and clean around the dumpsters a bit After I mucked, swept, helped bring horses in and feed lunch. All in all it was a good morning. After lunch we put the afternoon round of horses out. I then lunged three of my horses before we mucked, swept, fed hay, brought horses in, and completed the finish the day for five. We then spent until six giving the breeding mares and young mares each a good grooming. There is something really satisfying about taking a really muddy horses and getting them all nice and clean again. After it was time for dinner. I had pizza left over from the night before so ate that instead of going out with the others. At seven o’clock I skyped with the family back home before helping with night feed and then having some down time before bed. My down time consisted of booking all of my hostels for my trip through Asia.  It was a very successful day!

Working with horses brings constant changes. No one day is the same and plans can change quickly. It is one of the many exciting things about working with horses. You never know what might happen!

Dream, Believe, Imagine Achieve,

Meredith Soer