So while 70% of Spain are getting ready to march out from where they are towards their holidays I am just staying, thinking phew it is so great I don't 'have to' go away! I am lucky to have the freedom to able to take a holiday in my normal day to day, I go and do other stuff just around the corner for one day, sit in the sun, go for a swim, I can take a day off and go to Madrid and then ping I am energized and happy to get back to my routine again. My work gives me change in routine when a visitor arrives or I need to do a new specific-horse-search. Like this routine doesn't become leathal but I know it can. Perhaps it is the farm and the nature, animals and earth that I need and love so much and that grounds me because I do love a normal day just as it is for me. I have visitors booked in for next month so I am now busy with preparations. I focus on all clients at the same time but the ones that are visiting have to have preference naturally. I am only one person but I am learning how to focus which is a good thing when you have to have many irons in the fire!

Today we had a holiday from the scorching sun, the heat dropped drastically and a refreshing rainy thunderstorm swept over us and now the arena was  p e f e c t  and I was so happy riding my horses under the fullmoon with bats flying over my head this evening. Simple pleasure yes but I enjoy so much! Greatful. 
Beautiful Dilaila is sold to Sweden if she continues her confirmed pregnancy with Quinto! So perhaps she will be travelling with 'Nero' that is staying with me for a month before he also leaves for Sweden. He is such a wonderful PRE and lovely representative for the race, he's the type that is nowadays is very hard to find and I just hope more breeders will keep on breeding this type that is not only pure pleasure to ride and handle but also looks like a spanish horse, here he is! 

https://youtu.be/o8C64x_XPpY 

So to all of you getting ready for your holiday go safe make your heart laugh, have fun, be happy and then be containgeous with your feel-good vibe when you come back! 

Having summer schedule here and working out boys in the late evenings it's hot hot hot! Quinto is now doing his tempi threes and D and S is doing gymnastics and top line workouts. Good boys. I have been to view more horses, one new selected but most did not fulfill the quality/health criterias unfortunately. 

I enclose a link here to my uncle vet who has dedicated over 30 years to the development of high performance athlete horses, he is what I call a no-ego professional, 100% dedicated to his work with the horses' health as the only and genuine interest. 
Blog swedish veterinarian Per Spångfors; www.spangfors.com 

 

And right now Margareta in Sweden is (and if she is not she should!) celebrating that this wonderful advanced PSG PRE is now hers!! Thank you so much for great teamwork to vet. Jorge, trainer Javier, farrier Paco and everyone else that has helped Margareta to make her dream come true!!!!

Its like an oven out there and I am working full on, when working alot in this heat  its easy to overdo it. But this weekend I will take some time for rehabilitation and slowing down, trying to get into semi/holiday mood watching Falsterbo Horse show in Sweden on FEItv and drinking ice lemonades with mint and stay cool! Boys are working but more light work and living outside when temps are cool. Abit disappointed I cant go to my favourite competition of the year with Donoso and Start in Segovia,.  but hopefully I will be able to do some competitions this autumn, I just don't feel strong enough. The outdoor guys got all hooves fixed again yesterday, the stable is being summer cleaned and I have bought new outdoor feeders from Stubbs England, made for recycling old cartires and cant be tipped over, great ones!

Here a writeup regards my latest byrocratic experiences as a non/spanish PRE breeder and competition rider in Spain, perhaps this info can be helpful to others. 

Breeding; My horses are bred by my swedish stud Yeguada Vikinga PRE currently located in Spain. When I move to Spain from Sweden I was advised to keep my registered stud with the swedish identity and have documentation issued via swedish association ANCCE Suecia. No problem for me as I always have had excellent and efficient service from them, though all fees are double when your stud is registered as an international farm but never mind. At the moment of issuing international travel documents for my filly I was told that this horse did not exist in the spanish official system, nor department of agriculture. Nor in any official department,. So my swedish logical mind froze and my lifted eyebrows got stuck,.    As it turned out ANNCE had not entered any of my foals born from 2013 and onwards into the official database, they only existed in their own studbook database. I was not informed there was a problem and this meant the horses could not legally move one meter from the farm. The reason was the problem of corresponding data to official system database. My horses born in Spain were registered with spanish microchips and under the swedish registered PRE stud. The microchips of a PRE bred by international PRE stud and a PRE bred in Spain are different. 

My filly had to leave within 2 days I needed the travel documents cleared so I had to work to find a solution to this situation fast. I spoke to Pedro J. Azor, vice director of Libro Genealógico del PRE (studbook) and he told me to register a new spanish stud with my spanish details. Then my filly could enter the spanish department of agriculture, and I would be able to have her travel documents issued correctly. So I did. After registering the stud I had to have the ownership card of the filly sent to ANNCE. The CT card has to always and without exception arrive in their hands for change of ownership to happen so sending the actual card is obligatory. I paid ANCCE for their express service and for sending the card express as time was an issue. ANNCE recieved card next day, transferred filly to the new spanish stud and stareted to enter her in the official spanish system. I spoke to several official departments and clercs to confirm all would be ok, and all went well, on the friday I was able to issue travel documents and my filly was able to depart to her new destination.

So from now on my foals will have double citizenship, bred by Yeguada Vikinga PRE (SWE) - note the breeder of the foal is always the owner of the mare at the time of breeding, when the breeding certificate was issued. Yeguada Vikinga (ESP) will have the ownership to facilitate them into the spanish official database. 

Competition; The passports of your competing dressage/ jumping horses need to be validated with the RFHE if you are competing with a spanish license, I found out at our last competition as I got a fine! Apparently you need to leave your passports at the RFHE Federation Office one day and pick them up the next day,. And pay 85 Eur each. This validation apparently lasts for 4 years. 

Boys hopefully soon back on the arena!
         

All for now, have a great weekend!

Wow, severely hot here! 

Recently I have had the pleasure to attend new horse-friends from Southafrica and Sweden, we have viewed and testridden horses and they looked great! Hopefully some new happy matches are made, thanks for coming and keeping up a positive attitude despite our scorching 41 degrees!! 

I want to make a serious comment as it concerns my profession and the business in general. I got a message from a horseprofessional friend in Sweden sending me a picture of a imported horse asking me of the value of a horse. This is uncomfortable situation to me as I don't interfere in other people's business. So at first I just suggested we'd blame the angle of the picture and say it's was not favourable to the horse,. But my friend that had seen the horse live was obviously concerned and replied that we cannot blame the picture and told me the price, the age of the horse and from where it had been sold. It was obvious this client had paid about 3 times more than the real maket value. This is not the way to promote a horse race, do business and especially not how to treat a client. Nono. The movement and sales are important for the development of the iberian horse races. It's constructive that there are helpful people willing to offer horses of varied quality to new and suitable owners. But it's not ok to take advantage of peoples goodwill and eagerness to get a horse and treat them in this way, simply shameful. 

New Vikinga selection!

Qualified PSLusitano
 
 

Wow it's hot now! Just below 40 degree,. Working out in the evenings, luckily young boys and girls are in the shade of the big fresno trees. Boys are now in summer-school and has started their education. They now have their own private fields and you can already see how their personalities are starting to develop in a different way becoming their own. Tico give me that look-at-me-look and wants attention. He got a rash same type Donoso got last year from a plant not as bad but enough to need treatment on that pink nose. First round I had help from vet as he did not even let me look at it. Next day I decided to take the time necessary to convince him, it took me some hours of patience but this is good training and just what he needed. So next day after roundpen workout I showered him and he accepted me treating him straight away. Good work for that little new stallion mind! Third day nose was healed so that was fast, great. Tino is also doing basic roundpen work and handling, he has a different type of stallion character, he is very playful, fun and cute! 

Café now on his way, here embarking on his long journey to USA, wishing all the best for him and to his new owners in Florida!

  

And here is Kerstin Euforia's new mum, Fia will be in the hands of the best possible person that we had the pleasure to meet last week!

Kerstin with daddy-D.

   
Kerstin told me buying Fia was the most crazy thing she had ever done, I know exactly what she is talking about and,. she seemed very happy.
  

So last night we said goodbye under the stars, a totally calm Euforia walked out through the maindoor, took a bite of the ramp-mat and then bravely stepped up, not a step backwards, what a unique piece of horse she is, just what I always dreamt of breeding. When something like that goes out into the world from your hands it's a great satisfaction, mission completed, now I will take it in and feel happy about it.

So catch Kerstin, I pass you the the happiness!!

Euforia VIK 1 year and 2 months old, sold to Finland. 

Hej vad det går, as we say in swedish when we are tuned in and turned on, all day working full on non stop! New horses are selected for specific clients and clients are booked in for viewing visits. Had to hire a gardener and cleaning lady as there is just no time to do it.

Dilaila is dating Quinto this week and Donoso is not happy because his new bookings are frozen USA and EU which means no fun. He is full on inspired by his girls unfortunately (for him) his super swimmers are too effective so now we focus on work. Quinto is finally starting to look/feel like an athlete when he is moving, doing well! 'Coffee' our in transit boy has learned how to be a civilized guy outdoors and has advanced to a full size paddock Start has a glowing coat and in the most perfect shape ever, almost stressful I feel I have to compete, but when??!! 

And Euforia VIK is sold. Very greatful she has found a new owner that appreciates her outstanding quality and proud of my princess going out into the world representing Vikinga-family! But I will miss my 'Fia' !!    

EUFORIA VIK born 2014 by Donoso VII and Picara PM.

                        
  
Sire Calificado Donoso VII.
 
 
Dam Picara PM
 
 

Thunderstorms in Madrid and rain hurra!! This is such good news for our horses and fields! And today I got a new delicious delivery of fresh green oats on straw, best best quality, almost makes you want to make a salad for yourself. Boys are working out normal, outside when weather is good, inside when it's raining or too hot or outside during the night to avoid heat. I am glancing at competitions but I am still recovering from fatigue from last 2 months and I don't really feel up to that kind of story right now, I will most likely do a dressage tour in autumn, good to have a goal to aim at. The good news are that both my ladies are confirmed again with Donoso, jippie! Incedible everytime it works! Especially happy for Pica. Today was check-up day for Dilaila but she was not in foal so will have a second date with Quinto next week. 

ALD the beautiful bay from last post is now sold and more horses are selected on demand. I have to tend to many inquiries now so please bare with me if my reply is delayed or if it's little elaborate and straight to the point, sorry and thanks!

I have inquiries on Euforia and it makes me feel and think hard because she is the most fabulous filly and like this they don't just don't come alot. But I trust for the best option for her will happen, whatever this may be being sold or staying. 

Finaste 'Fia'.
 
Here are the rainy cool boys hanging out in their haybar today, not the most flattering angle of Tino's long nose but he's actually real handsome now, with his long hair and all. His brother has very thick mane but unfortunately he loves to scratch it off on the trees, grrrr. I have decided to start working the boys in the coming month by hand just to get basics into their system before their real training starts. Look forward to that now, they are ready and asking for action.

Wishing everyone a great weekend! 

   
And here is my tiny maple tree that was gift from the zen course I did last weekend. Tending to a new little life, sweet! 

I have the most beautiful sunset here, the birds are singing and it's lovely warm with the most gorgous orange light. I have the stable full of horses, twelve to be exact, but it feels like I have nothing to do. It feels empty and quiet. No little hungry noises greeting me, no intense feeding schedule, no waterbottles to fill and bring, no little wobbly girl that wants me to help her up, or down, or walk her outside. Viggo that was running playing all day long looks now lies down in the middle of arena and wait for me whilst I ride the horses. But this shall also pass. It was always going to take a moment to let go of something you loved truly. Thank you for all the compassionate messages from you all. I also recieved a message from Suzanne Powell, Zen instructor and writer http://suzannepowell.blogspot.com.es/ , that she was making arrangements for helping me with Gacela but unfortunately she got the message too late. 

Luckily I have my clients that need me and the herd to tend to and I always love to work. Today I have made new videos and sent of informations and here are some of the new horses coming up for sale.