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KFH:  1 September both Compact Schooling I and the One-Year-Schooling will start. My heart is with those who are going.

Karina: I was fortunate to share a house with you twice last year. I have the feeling you will do well and your horses Roman and Cody will be in the best of hands. The ‘Revolution’ is yours.

Kate: Your commitment is awe-inspiring. Your family will be on Lyo as well and I am sure it will be an unforgettable year for all of you.

Cecile: I was so happy to hear you will be there. Go for it girl! You CAN do it.

Jo: I know what you had to do to realize this dream.

Ross: I experienced your openness and enthusiam to all things new as a wonderful gift. Enjoy your year with Klaus!

Heather and Peggy: my dear friends from Australia – thank you again for your support during the very difficult past months. I know Danny, Ducati, Magnum, Saadi, Cracker, Fifi and Sunny will be eagerly waiting your return.

And to the students who will be going to the Compact Schoolings and whom I met last year: all the best, have a safe journey and keep a diary!

Andrew and I discussed the possibility of perhaps offering this blog to those students who would like to post a few (or regular) updates about their experiences. You are more than welcome to make use of this offer – after all, the hard work has already been done by Andrew in setting up the blog, and it would make a wonderful opportunity for readers to follow your journey. Just send your entry to smailATinternode.on.net (please replace ‘AT’ with ‘@’) and Andrew will post it for you.

What have I been up to during the past few months? I heard from Andrew that his latest posts brought forth many wonderful comments and discussions – alas, I was battling a nasty eye infection and was unable to do much without my contact lenses apart from taking Dubu for short walks around the cottage (yes, the blind leading the blind ha ha).

En route to Lyö: Vicki and Dubu with Faaborg in the background.

En route to Lyö: Vicki and Dubu with Faaborg in the background.

Things have improved now, at least for me. While Andrew is enjoying a bit of sunshine in Spain at the moment, I have been playing nurse for the dog who is really beginning to show his age now. Regular trips to a homeopathic vet an hour’s drive away have taken up much of my time, as has Anaiis, who I try to take out for walks at least once, if not twice a day. She began to show a change in behaviour a while ago, which we could not really understand initially. Unfortunately, it has become very obvious now that she is in pain and an experienced equine osteopath diagnosed problems in both sacro-iliac joints and in her left front foot. As a young horse she developed ringbone (in Holland this is called botwoekering, which can occur between the kroonrand and kootgewricht) in that foot, was treated, xrayed and considered sound to travel to Europe. But the foot has begun to be sensitive again, and new x-rays are to be taken next week to assess the damage.

Trying to find one’s way in equine treatments in a country one has not lived in since 1992 is by no means easy. Every horse owner has a different opinion about certain vets, clinics and treatments and in the end I just had to go with what I felt to be right. We have opted for a holistic clinic where they look at the entire horse and not just the diagnosed illness/problem. Hopefully she will improve and be in less pain soon.

As September draws nearer, the Dutch weather turns colder: the horses will now go out during the day (all horse flies have miraculously disappeared and the forest is ours again…) and be stabled at night. Anaiis has finally started to shed her Australian winter coat – she had better begin to grow it quickly to be ready for winter!

Vicki, Anaïs and Dubu

Vicki, Anaïs and Dubu

4 Responses to “Best wishes to Hempfling students!”

  1. Dear Vicky, good to hear from you. I would love to hear from you how you are getting along on the homeopathic path. Super for you to have a vet looking at the horse as a whole. If by any chance you would like to experience the NESSCAN you are welcome. I am asking as I have a feeling that Anaïs is also ‘struggling’ with the human part of all that has happened in the last couple of months. If that will surface at the vet’s I am not sure. But of course the choice is yours. Or for Dubu for that matter so you can get a clearer insight and perhaps make life even a little more comfortable for him. Wishing you all the best. Take care and warm greetings from Geerteke

    • Vicki says:

      Dear Geerteke
      Thank you for your message. You are right: animals may experience emotional and/or physical distress or even ailments which can be linked to issues their owners may be dealing with.

      However in Anaiis’ case, we noticed that she became stiff in her hindquarters after having been lunged in a yard in which the sand is quite deep. In hindsight, her physique was simply not strong enough after all the travelling to cope with this activity. So walking straight (as we do in the forest) is absolutely no problem and she is happy, relaxed and curious. But any type of circling is painful now (even at liberty in a 60x20m arena) and naturally she will show her discomfort. So I have stopped all work in the arena and picadero until full recovery.

      As far as Dubu is concerned, he is one of the few animals that I have ever had amongst the many that I have cared for in the past forty years or so, who will not take on or be influenced by ‘people problems’. Instead he gives more of what he already has: joy, love, playfullness (admittedly, the latter is decreasing with age) and will bring a smile to most peoples’ faces. In fact, he thrives when we take him anywhere: alert and curious, he comes with us visiting family and friends, shopping, and yes, he is even allowed to enter restaurants and pubs, something which was not permitted in Australia or Denmark. Our little man seems very happy in the Netherlands.

      I will keep you posted regarding our (homeopathic) veterinary journey.

  2. Hi Vicki,

    Once again thank you very much for your kind wishes.

    Will be thinking of you.

    Lots of Love
    Peggy.

  3. Nora Valk says:

    Gezellig dat jullie er waren. Binnenkort zullen de slofjes al van pas komen denk ik. However, wie weet krijgen we nog een Hollandse Indian summer!!! XX NORA