Here the report from the lady who came to get Dina & Boomer and who stayed several days...
Here the report of my visit to Eva, the foals and the dogs.
After a very early start of the day, in which we even had to de-ice the windscreen of the car, we arrived safely in Alicante, although we were delayed a litlle bit. Soon Eva and myself were on our way to see Dina. In preparation to her new life in Holland, Marilène and Sue have been taking Dina in the car with them to places with lots of people, so she can get used to family life. The love and dedication they have for all the dogs currently homed in Castalla is second to none. Without their efforts, Dina would have had a lot more trouble adapting to her new surroundings. I can't thank them enough for what they did.
I also was, needless to say, very curious about the foals! Having arrived, there was work to be done immediately, as Filly had managed to get into the paddock with Pretty Face, Altenero and Aston. It turned out Filly was fertile for the first time. Aston especially, but Black Pearl too, were reacting very stronly towards here, becoming increasinly more 'manly'.
The only option we had really, was to put Filly in a stable, away from the boys. This wasn't ideal, but keeping her in with the stallions was not an option. Eva later decided to create a space for the four youngest foals below in the fields, but this of course meant a lot of extra work. Mostly to prevent them from escaping to the fields with young grass.
We also visited Boomer, accompanied by the vet, so he could familiarize himself with my travelling companion. Boomer reacted very well towards the vet and came over to me too, shortly afterwards.
Just when we had decided to stay awake after all, the two 'manly' foals had another surprise for us in store! After having wrecked a lock on the door, they ventured out into the pasture.. It took us an hour and a half to catch them, bring them back and repare the door, so they wouldn't be able to escape again.
Over the weekend, we visited Dina and Boomer a second time and we also started work on the extra space for the four youngest foals.
From experience I know that taking care of 10 horses (9 foals and Chikiboy) is an enormous amount of work. But with all the extra hassle like diahrroea, fertility, hormonal and escaping horses and so on and so forth, this task really is too much of a burden on any one person. And new problems arise every day. Nonetheless, Eva has made me feel very welcome and was the perfect host. Eva, again, thank you so much!!
This is why I would like to make an urgent appeal to anyone capable of taking in one or more of the foals. Even if it's only temporary. She needs all the help she can get!
As I have been spending time with each of the foals, I will give a description of their characters and other specifics.
1. Filly This is Eva's Miracle Foal. Looking at the pictures taken of this mare at the start and how she looks today... Here eyes have completely healed and she looks fantastic. Such a big difference from when she was skin and bones...I think she will be growing in to a very beautiful horse and her character is amazing. She is very friendly and gentle, despite everything she has been through.
2. Minny Minny is a very friendly, happy-go-lucky little mare, who has already developed a mind of her own. I think she will be more suited to an experienced person.
3.Punkie A very gentle and outgoing colt. He loves getting attention, but is still a very 'unassuming' horse.
4.Brownie This little colt wants to try everything out... preferably with his mouth. He is very interested in his surroundings and the people in it. He is however, a very strong willed horse and will be most suited to an experienced person, who also needs to be strong willed. This because Brownie is a persistent horse, but he does it in a nice way. He likes a change of scenery and routine.
5.Cubanito This is a very 'wise' and down-to-earth stallion.
6.Black Pearl This stallion has a very typical spanish look as well as movements, as far as I was able to see. It's obvious he didn't have a good experience with people and will be in the background until he feels safe. When he does feel safe, he will give you his all. He did come over to me after the second time and I was able to touch him all over. He even came back a little later for more. Because of his sensitive nature, he will need an owner who is patient and understanding of this.
7.Pretty Face This is a very gentle and outgoing colt. He is very playful and interested in his surroundings. It is hard to tell at this stage what he will look like when he grows up, but it looks like he is going to be a beautiful horse.
8.Altanero This is a beautiful black colt. He is very playful but stable and down-to-earth. He will observe everything that 's going on around him.
9.Aston This is a very big colt for his age, with a strong back. Even though he is not the eldest of the foals, he does display the most stallion-like behaviour. This is a very down-to-earth colt, but also sensitive and honest. He loves getting attention.
What mostly caught my attention however is, even after everything these horses have been through, they are all open and friendly horses, very much interested in people and their surroundings. Even Black Pearl, initially needing a bit more time, came around quickly.
Everything is going +-... despite the heavy rain storm, despite the hail that came down .... everything was underwater in no time...the house included ...
And we're already so tired .... and do not need this ...
Ondertussen werkt het Comité verder om de aanvragen van de mensen die geïnteresseerd zijn om één van de veulens te adopteren/opvangen, even na te kijken. Meanwhile, the Committee checks the applications from people who are interested to adopt:or keep temporarely one of the foals.
The horses ...still had dry feet on these pictures and Chiki went to visit Black and Cuba after his grazinghours.
Black and Alta Nero are getting their beautiful black coat back after their wintercoat is falling of ...And what do they look healthy too... a beautiful shiny coat.
And our Boomer is doing great!A super sweet easy guy completely at home here and now bouncing around and playing and enjoying himself. He has never done anything wrong in the house, not even a little pee or whatever. And even though he doesn't know any Dutch .... he knows perfectly what I want from him ... our relationship is very intuitive! But I have a suspicion that he might be a bit deaf on one side .... I will have that investigated later on!
As you could read in January on the forum and the blog, BSS Horse Transport has welcomed an email from Irene regarding to the tranportation of the foals.
The website of the horses has been updated: now you can find information about their medical background, their horsenality, some key words to describe them.
I'm not doing any more work on the new paddock for the kids , as Filly's not in heat anymore. I'd rather spend my time on more pressing issues and will finish the grounds down at the riverbed next week.
Punkie Minny & Brownie
Aston & Pretty Face Brownie is growing up quick Minny Hmm ... smells nice
It is an adjustment .... an extra guest Hahaha...but he's adapting very well. De laatste handeling van buur Tony voor zijn vertrek naar huis.... The last act of neighbour Tony before his departure to the UK .... Giving Boomer together with me a nice wash ....
Is this really necessary? I'm a bit shy you know! Hmmm I smell really quite nice now.
Another knock out Am I pretty? Hmm that was actually quite nice!
I 'll keep it fairly short and hope for your understanding ....
I have flown to Amsterdam on Tuesday afternoon and yesterday I flew back from Düsseldorf with Boomer. A 23 hour round-a-bout Alicante-Amsterdam-Arnhem-Düsseldorf-Alicante ....
I have agreed with Benita that neither of us will talk about what happened between us. So therefor nobody has to ask about it. What counts for me is simply Boomer, no what, why or how!
But because I was not here, I now have even more things to do, both here at home with the works for the little ones down at their new location and with the preparation of the report to answer the pb's and other mails. Moreover, I now have to put in another 100% secure fencing to keep Boomer seperated from my dogs as I have nobody who can take Boomer. Then I also have to built him a shelter for the sun and rain. This morning, I simply let the dogs loose outside, in seperated groups.
I want to thank the ladies that helped me over the past two days ... Few would imitate their efforts !(Collect me, transportation, housing, resolving problems with Air Berlin, a smooth 600 km ride (300x2) to bring us to Düsseldorf, etc ...)
But the most important news is that I've seen Dinaand she is doing SUPER SUPER GOOD! She also came with us to keep Boomer company and bring us to the airport ... Dina is a SUPER WOMAN
Nou tot vanavond of morgen...ik moet echt verderwerken...zekers als je weet dat Chiki gisteren tijdens mijn afwezigheid ook eens de moeite heeft genomen om uit te breken en ik ook daar werk heb....of ging hij mij misschien zoeken ? Well until tonight or tomorrow ... I should really go to work now... especially when you know that during my absence yesterday Chiki also broke out so I even have more work here.... or was he searching for me ?
But I can not rest, not after all that happened yesterday upon arrival at the Tierheim in Kranenburg. I can not say anymore because Dino is still there .... First we need to get him out of there.
When picking up the fresh green for the horses it went wrong .... Last month it was my rear bumper ..... now my frontbumper... and now I can really no longer go onto the public road.
It is just one of those days where everything goes wrong and it is too much ....
I left the transport cage and the Bokker with Dina. Dina felt my mood very well .... quiet, but sad .... this was our goodbye without words, in silence ...
Why do I have to go?
Also one last visit with Boomer ... May I kiss your toes? A final training session One last look at his lovely face ....
Hopefully everything goes well at the airport tomorrow morning, I hope none of the dogs will be sick, I hope Boomer will not have to get out of the bench and that they all arrive well in Düsseldorf around 1:30 p.m. (transfer in Mallorca) where Benita will be waiting for them and will bring to the Tierheim Kranenburg and Boomer into her home.
Patience please...Boomer & Dina leave tonight and here it's really busy and emotionally heavy here. Additionally there is the extra work on the new place for the kids, etc. ... Completely crazy .... I have not slept more than 2-3 hours a night ....
So place have some patience with me ..... Within a day or two things will be getting better and I will respond to the mails and questions
Meanwhile, thumbs up for a good trip to Dusseldorf tomorrow morning for Dina and Boomer and the anonymous Bokker
Even if you can't / won't want to adopt any of these horses, maybe someone would be willing to keep a foal for some time until they find a permanent spot?
I'm looking very urgently for at least four seperate spots, one for each mare and a place for at least 2 guys (1 per family).
It will probably be much easier to find permanent homes for them if people can come to see and admire them. There are several people from the German forum that would like to see them first to know with what foal they would have a contact.
And when the time comes that I need to drop the adoption contract for them to find a good home, well so be it. I really can not ANYMORE neither physically nor mentally nor financially if I look to it honestly, ...
Even later, today Saturday, I must find a solution for Filly who is now locked in a stable... Several boys are now waking up now Filly suddenly is in heat and another day like today, I will not survive. Fences were destroyed and tonight some of them broke out ... It is now 4 a.m. and I hven't slept a minute yet and my heart rate is too high ...
And also for Asshie, already the most awake in the stud area, I now have to find a solution. Where can I put him for one month?No idea ... but 7 stallions is just too much now that they are all healthy and their legitimate powers emerge.
He who wants to keep one of the foals in the near future for a few months ... please let me know quickly so that I can notify the carrier so it's maybe possibly that a foal or two, can go if there is a place on the truc. It has to go fast now because it's not going well anymore.
I am convinced that the Bokker who is visiting here & to take Dina and Boomer back on Monday, will give a comprehensive account of the characters of the foals and an objective view.
Who can temporarily keep a foal? Put it on other forums, and please ask friends and family ....
I wanted to move some foals as quickly as possible and had also already called up some people to se where they could temporarily reside. But then somebody said: Why do you want to put them with someone else if you have more than 21 hectares and so room enough?
Alzo op één van de terreinen beneden begonnen met de werken...tuinhuisje leegmaken, terrein opkuisen, grond laten egaliseren en alle groen verwijderen... So we started with the works on one of the fields ... emptying the gazebo, cleaning the land, leveling the land and removing all the green ...
Filly is now in one of the stables and the stallions have become quiet again.
I picked up the Bokker at Alicante airport at 9:30 and then we went to visit Dina & Sue from the Protectora of Castalla
When we arrived home, the horses appeared to have destroyed the closure and Filly stood with Aston, Pretty Face and Alta Nero ... We had to replace all the bent poles and put Filly back with the little ones ...
At 3 pm my vet came to my home, took blood from Boomer, examined him and did all the necessary things...
It went very well ... no need to muzzle Boomer & he was pretty relaxed
At night there was the destruction of the wooden door and the outbreak of some foals.... .... Tiring day!
As Boomer is afraid of cars and doesn't like the bench yet , I thought of putting him, just before leaving home on monday morning, in the bench and to bring him as so to the airport. Now I've heared last night that Boomer has to get out of the bench at the airport so the bench can be scanned.
No matter how you turn it... it will simply be impossible. Boomie will already be very frightened by the people and the noise and when he comes out, I won't get him in again, may that be clear ... pffffffffff
And besides, I'm not going to put my hand inside the bench to put a a leash on or off. Boomer may have a heart of gold and be a very sweet boy, he will probably bite me agaain if he feels cornered and can't escape. And now my "frank" euch "euro" has fallen as the large crate-bench does not fit in my car ...
Boys why all these problems again ... I started to take Rescue Remedy myself so I would calm down too. I won't be sleeping much tonight... Time to fill in this blog then.
Boomer is getting better and better .... it is almost a normal house dog as long as you do not frighten him or force him to do new things. He even knows what a chew bone is now and enjoys it.
And his relationship with Tony is now based on trust.
His relationship to a bench is still not particularly well after 10 days: anything is possible as long as he can leave out his behindlegs
The horses are doing fine and are getting their daily dose of fresh barley and oats in the afternoon. A small and a big foal are still a bit sensitive to the fresh green but all are completely crazy about it. Currently I cut it off each time of one of the fields where it already has growth the highest.
The dogs are doing fine too: Boomer is adapting more and more and is eating now in the bench too... Step by step we will work it out
And we now walk without any lead
And Dina is fine too. Marilène gives us regular updates on her progress.
Currently we are busy organising their travel plans to fly them to Düsseldorf.A sweet lady is coming here next week to pick them up.
Also, the municipal water has now been connected and so we are one step closer for the award of the REGA-No. And more than a 100 m new pipelain has been laid.
I've spoken to Dr. Eric Laarakker during his consultation by phone, about the horses and I also presented the Boomer "case".
What can I say? All is well!
Haha, no, we just had a pleasant conversation about the progress of the horses, the new problems that have come up and how to treat it (with fresh garlic). Also the fact that my vet is interested in learning more about homeopathy, Boomer's disease and how to treat it (eg. parasitecompositum with good results) and then the sad fact that so many of the Dutch did a U-turn on their intention to adopt a horse. Like before, he took the time to talk to me and gave me good advice, for which I thank him!
I completely used up the parasitecompositum, only some boostcompositum and drainagedrops remains. Normally this should be sufficient. But he continues to advise me and I can always buy more if needed, but for now we are OK.
So, at last... the big day .... there are indeed problems with the implementation of the new law on the identification of horses and now we should not wait any longer for the award of the REGA number to chip the horses and get their passports. The five big boys are already have a chip, so I only had to get the four little ones one.
The nose bar was taken out and although I do not like such devices...the foals had no problems with it, were not difficult, no nothing ... just as if it was all normal .... and I m so happy they had no negative experience. Now I must say that my vet makes an effort of being really calm and so that everything would goe smoothly
Marjolijn was kind enough to visit Dino in Kranenburg and to take him out for a walk. Unfortunately she could not take him home and so this guy still looking for a (temporary) home.
Who can give this sweet little guy a chance?He really is unbelievable, yes really.
