The snow in 2013
Looking back, April 2013 was the time that the snow finally started to melt and the start of the eventing season got underway and this was the time my mare Printemps injured herself. Because of this she missed the whole season of 2013, but thanks to the advanced technology at Telgte Clinic, she recovered really well and she is now back on the track for the 2014 season.
This Telgte clinic is the biggest horse vet clinic I’ve ever seen and it has a feel of a human hospital. I take Printemps to the clinic once a month for a checkup. One day when I took her there I parked next to a big truck, which had a logo on the side and I discovered it belonged to none other than Ludger Beerbaum. They really do cater for the top horses here!
Printemps not looking too impressed outside the clinic
The 2013 winter in Germany was much tougher than what I was expecting. It stayed well below down -5 degrees every day and if fact it felt warm when the temperature sometimes got around 0 degrees. The funny thing is you just don’t feel too much difference between -5 or -10 … it’s just bloody cold!
However this winter we have been having some miracles. We haven’t had proper snow falls yet and the temperature sometimes rises up to 11-12 degrees during the day. It’s been absolutely beautiful weather. Mind you I don’t want to talk too highly about it as the German people tell me you cannot relax until Easter is over. It was really exciting to see the snow for the first 10 minutes last year, but I hope I won’t be seeing it again ever!
So far this winter has been more like this
Over the winter, the horses normally stay in their boxes all day and night apart from when they get out for exercise once a day. For a start this was a bit of a concern for me with Printemps because she was used to living in the paddock in Australia. But she actually seems prefers to be in her own box than anywhere else, happy to be snuggled in the straw and munching on her hay … a happy life.
That’s all for now
Daiki
