Our typical day goes something like this:
Wake before the alarm and crack one eye open. It will be pitch black dark whether it is 1:00 am or 8:00 am. Check the phone and decide whether it is time to get up.
Eat breakfast and check the weather. It is 21 degrees now, but will go up to 22 at 4:00 pm. Therefore I plan my morning to include the 37 minutes it takes to put on the long underwear, regular polar fleece layer, winter coat, insulated vest (or maybe the battery heated vest), big long coat, and Mountain horse insulated pants. Keep in mind I have to take it mostly off to ride (while standing in the 23 degree tack room) and then get it all back on after the ride and before my sweat starts to freeze. There is an art to getting it on and off in the apartment at the right moment so you don't bake.
Go to the barn and groom Claude for a lunge. Since he isn't getting any turn out other than a two hour slot in a muddy dry lot, we are trying the lunging as a bit more movement. Seems to help.
Put Claude back in the stall for hay and finish breakfast.
Come back in an hour or so for our lesson. Remember to put the Bit Butter tube down your pants to thaw before you need it. Get on and walk for 15 minutes before the lesson time. Freeze for first ten minutes, steam for last ten. Claude rarely sweats. Either the cold dry air is sucking it right off him or our improved riding is making him so relaxed and efficient he doesn't break a sweat.
Untack Claude. But Back on Track boots on. Andrew usually takes him for a hand graze while I clean tack. They have warm water at the sink but no tack hook.... After graze time scoop special lunch food and put Claude back in the stall.
Watch Gerd ride his own horse. Andrew is taking a lunge lesson twice a week.
Go back to the apartment for lunch. It is usually 2:00 ish. Collapse on the bed and decide about a nap. I am usually sore and tired from one horse. Watch my video from the morning lesson.
In the late afternoon we grocery shop....or go to the tack store for all the little things we need. (We are on a first name basis with Inge and Petra at Equiva. I think we went 4 times the first week.)
Go back to the barn and graze Claude again for a bit. Watch sunset at 4:30. (Andrew said he will stop complaining about only getting three horses worked before 10:30 am at home....)
The view out our window around 4:30 .... excuse me around 16:30.
Eat dinner or go out. Anna will be here through Christmas so we have gone out many nights. Many Christmas Markets, or just dinner.
Spend time figuring out when next days lesson will be. Try to find a time that works around the 400 children on their lesson plan, and the 99 other horses (really, they have 100 horses here).
I am drafting notes in my head about what we are actually working on. The videos don't do justice to how he is feeling better every day. Those notes will come soon.
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