Hey all!!

I am sorry I haven't posted in a while! It seems like it has been a busy week. So..... I rode Abraixo today and it was exactly what we both needed. I don't have any pictures : ( sorry but I plan on riding him a lot more so pictures will come!! So, Julianna has ridden him the last 3 times and he has this problem where when you get him saddled up, he already begins to get nervous, then when you put the bridle in his mouth, his head is so high and eyes wide that he looks like he may bolt or something. The last few times Julianna rode him, he gets very nervous when you try to get on him so he either backs up quickly or can't stop moving. So, today, I saddled him up; he really needs to be talked to a lot and just reassured it seems, so I put his bridle on and took him to the arena to lunge him for awhile. He really does so well with me, it makes me proud of all the groundwork I have done with him and how much trust I have earned! Then, after lunging him for awhile, he had really calmed down from the saddle and bridle so I did a little groundwork with him, then decided I would work with him on getting on him without him getting anxious. It worked wonderfully!! After a few times of him backing up and me reassuring him and calming him down, I got on him without a step forward or back, and his head low and calm. It was so nice to see work pay off!! I know it may seem simple, but he has apparently had this problem for a long time because I was told he used to have back issues, so I think he is afraid it may hurt him when someone gets on. Anyway, that was an awesome accomplishment. I have to tell you all about this chicken, Pato Pallo. Oh my gosh, so she (we found out it was a girl!) is the one-legged chicken here that I posted a picture of awhile ago. So, about a week and a half ago, the vet was here and her dog attacked Pato, but it didnt seem like it did much damage, Pato just seemed in shock. UNTIL the next day, when Bernd noticed the chicken could not use her good foot, which obviously is not good news. The family thought it best to just keep her inside for awhile to see if she recovers. Well, she didn't. She just kept getting weaker and weaker. So, Bernd decided to take her to the vet to possibly put her to sleep since this isn't a very good life for a one-legged chicken such as herself. I said my goodbyes and was very sad. Bernd came back later that afternoon, and lo and behold, WITH PATO!! The vet and Bernd decided to take x-rays of Patos leg to see if it was somehow fractured with the incident. Well, the next day we got a call from the vet that the good leg was indeed broken! So, Pato went into surgery wednesday morning and came back that night. Only 40 euro for chicken surgery, imagine that! The pictures I have posted are what Pato has to be in for the next 3 WEEKS, and the other pictures are of me riding Besado, my lesson horse. Poor chicken, but, Bernd says if it can give her the chance to a good life, then he will do what it takes. Julianna and I were trying to come up with some sort of harness that could suspend her to allow the leg to heal, like a Jumpin' Johnny for little kids but for a little chicken, but Bernd did a pretty good job. Can you believe this! How nice of Bernd to give this little chicken such a shot at life. So, that is the most recent news I can think of. Julianna and I did some fencing today to allow parts of the pasture to grow up, its getting colder and colder still and has been freezing at night when there is no cloud cover. We went to town today to buy corn and Gerste, this other type of grain, and Bernd let me drive his older land rover and it was SOOOO nice to drive! I miss it so much. Other than that, Julianna and I are leaving for 3 days beginning on Sunday to start our island trip. We are staying at one monestary and one hostel, and renting a VW Golf for 30 euro for 3 days! Great deal. I am housesitting just at night for Stephy the trainer from Thursday to Monday so that will be a nice change. I am in need of a break from here just for a little while, so the trip will be perfect. I booked my flight to Dublin on January 6th and will arrive at my hosts on the 8th. I wanted to arrive a couple days early to sight-see and stay with couchsurfers or hostels to have a little fun before I begin working. Sorry this is such a long blog! I forgot how much I wanted to tell all of you. Thank you guys for the emails and comments, I try to respond as quickly as I can! I hope you all are surviving the crazy weather I have heard about, holy moly I am glad I am in Spain! The weather has been amazing lately, a very warm 65 degrees with plenty of sun. I know, sorry! Not to rub it in or anything! Much love to you all!! Liebe gruesse- that means goodbye with love to friends and family in German!

Brrrr its getting colder!!

The newbies! Hiko on Quiredo on the left and Fransisca on Besado on the right

I dont quite remember the people's names but Tongo the gelding on the left, Cherokee the stud on the right!

Hey everyone, how are ya?! I am still doing well here in Mallorca. The weather has still been beautiful during the days, but it is definitely getting colder at night. I feel like I am being somewhat of a baby because it is only getting down to about 40 degrees at night here so far, and I know home is getting WAY colder than that!! I had a wonderful birthday; we had a huge bbq with about 20 people and delicious, abundant food. There was three different kinds of cakes and loads of meats and salads, it was really awesome. I haven't done anything really new lately, although the veterinarian came on Tuesday night and gave all the horses vaccinations. Apparently here in Europe, after they have vaccines, they are not allowed to be ridden or worked for two days, so Julianna and I have been keeping ourselves busy cleaning and doing other things. Last night we had a couple arrive and they seem really nice, and are interested in riding horses but are both beginners, the husband WAY more apprehensive with the horses than the wife. Today we gave them each a lesson and just took it really easy on the horses so that they didn't sweat. I guess the main concern with the vaccines and working the horses is that if they sweat, the vaccine will flow to quickly through their body and deactivate... weird but that's what they do here! The vet is kind of different, and seems like she is just in it to get through, not so much that she enjoys what she is doing, but to each their own I suppose. I included a couple pictures of the couple here that we gave lessons to, as well as another couple that is keeping their stallion and gelding here so they can go on excursions for a few days while the weather is nice. The stallion has made quite an impact here with the mares as well as the geldings : ) None of the horses seem to know quite what to do with this screaming horse in their stall area. Anyway, I can't think of anything else new. Abraixo is doing great, Julianna rode him a few days back because I am still too chicken... he did really well though but she did say he is a little more difficult to ride than she had expected. He requires a lot of leg pressure and english-style hands (which I am not confident yet with my own), and has a bad habit of bending to the outside with circles, which can feel a little out of control. BUT I am going to ride him next week so I will totally take pictures!! I guess tomorrow Julianna and I are going on an excursion with the couple with the stallion and gelding so that should be awesome! I should seriously learn their names before we go... : ) I will upload more new pics soon! XOXO love and miss everyone!

Okay everyone, try copying and pasting these into your browser:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1zyxaIsel0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCM3P4FBC70
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axxn8mgrTHM
 I tried to post the videos directly on my blog, but for some reason it wouldn't work so I used youtube. I know they are all kind of short and not the best quality but it gives you an idea of how BEAUTIFUL and AWESOME Abraixo is!!
 

I think I will see how much it is to ship Abraixo to the US!! : ) By the way, MY BIRTHDAY IS TOMORROW!!

 Hallo (German for hello)!! I hope my videos work for everyone, and I am sorry about Steffy talking in the background! She didn't realize we were recording a video, but oh well. I am also going to see if I can get some other videos of me riding Besado, so when I have my next lesson I will see what I can do. How is everyone? It is siesta now, or in other words, our break after lunch that we have every day until about 4 so this is my time I can post on my blog. The weather has changed for the better, and today was so nice. It always gets windy about noon but the sun is shining and the mosquitoes are semi minimal, so today is good! It is Bernds birthday today, so we had cake for breakfast and will have a good dinner. We went to a Mallorcan sushi place last night and it was SOOOOO good!!! It was very similar to sushi at home, but included frog legs, odd looking schnitzel sausage type things, and other different stuff. Tomorrow for my birthday, we are having a big barbecue with some of the guests here, and I get the day off so I think I will go to the beach if the weather permits! There are some really sweet guests here, Sasha and Karina, and they invited Julianna and I to the market in Campos tomorrow morning, so that will be awesome I think. Anyway, all is good here although I do miss home : ( but not enough to be headin' back!

Hola!

Hi everyone!! Sorry it has been a little bit since I have posted, it has been a busy week and now another one beginning already! These pictures are from yesterday; Steffy the horse trainer took me to San Salvador which is a monastery that is SO beautiful. Try to enlarge the pictures so you can see the view from where I was. It was so amazing to be able to see for miles upon miles. Then, we went to Felonix ( I think I am spelling that correctly) and sat by the water and ate gelato : ) YUMMY! It was so nice of her because after our outing, she invited me over to dinner and we had the most DELICIOUS food! Today, the weather has been very, very windy with rain every so often and about 55 degrees. There is a new girl here, Julianna from Germany, and it is so nice to have company and help with all the daily chores. She is also a very good rider so she will be a great asset to this place. Now, we are just waiting for dinner then bedtime. I am working with Abraxious on a daily basis and am really developing an awesome relationship with him. I think my camera can do a video, so I am going to see if Julianna will videotape me while I am working with him and I will see how to post it on my blog. Still have yet to ride him, but am getting so much closer every day! On Saturday, there was a girl Melanie here from Switzerland, so Julianna, Melanie and I went out on a trail ride, but before we could even get one mile, the mosquitoes were SOOOOOOOOO bad that we had to turn around. Poor Mel had such a bad reaction to the bites that she had hives and welts all over. I have about 30 bites on my legs (they bite you through your breeches!!!) and about 15 on my arms. It was horrible, but at least we tried to get out and do something fun. Other than that, everything is still good here. I can't explain how happy I am to have good company... it was getting a little difficult to be alone so much other than with the horses and donkeys : ) I will try to take some pictures of me working with Abraxious and others and will see what I can do about the video. I miss all of you!!!!!!! Ciao!

Woodfoot the chicken and Bird, my fave girl

Hi everyone! I dont have much time to write, but I wanted to put a couple pictures on here of Woodfoot who I have talked about before, Bird the mare who I love, and Chique, the rude one! Thank you for your comments Trish and Lindsay!!! I was so excited to see that you guys were able to see my blog and say hi! I hope Hailey and Hannah are doing great, Trish, as well as you! Lindsay, I hope the clinic is doing well and that you are enjoying delivering beautiful babies into this world! Miss everyone and will write more soon! : )

Random pictures and stuff : )

Hello all! I am doing good and all is well. I haven't been sleeping super well lately but I am trying to hang in there and take naps during Siesta (for those that don't know, Siesta is a 2-3 hour break after lunch and its MUCH NEEDED!!). I have included pictures of a bunch of different stuff like a Mallorcan market, the beach that Katie, her mom Kathy and I went to which was SO beautiful, the Scythe that we use to chop alfalfa for lunch, my view from my apartment where Woodfoot hangs out (that's the one-legged chicken that I am in love with), Siete the cat that sleeps with me every night, and last but certainly not least, Tiffy and Sampson the donks' that are so cute. I rode Abraxious for 10 minutes but chickened out because he is SOOOO much horse! He is the sweetest horse here though (other than my favorite girl, Bird- I will include pictures of her soon), and he has such a desire to be around people. I rode a horse today named Chique who is a very rude, intense horse but according to the trainer here, I am the only one who Chique seems to like... I don't know though, she is definitely different. Anyway, I hope all of you are great!! I miss home a lot but am appreciating every day that I am able to be here in Spain. If anyone wants to email me rather than leave comments or anything, it is sheaffer.m@gmail.com. Talk to you all soon!!!!

Lots of new stuff!

Abraxious the great!

Outdoor riding arena

Mallorcan sunset

'Foals' under 3 years old, Besado on right

Hi all!! I am having a great time here in Mallorca. It has been such a learning experience for me to ride SO differently than I am used to; the Spanish horses test you and you have to prove that you are capable of handling them or else they will totally take advantage of you! Everything is based around Dressage which I have never done any type of english riding so this is great experience! I had a horse lesson yesterday with a German instructor, Steffy, who is WONDERFUL. She is impressed with how I ride and handle Besado (pictured with the foals), so my next lesson is on Monday with Abraxious, who is a huge Andalusian gelding with LOTS of energy and apparently the toughest to ride. He will be my project for the next few months and it will definitely be interesting : ) The flies here are HORRIBLE so that takes a lot of patience and not losing your mind from the amount of them but overall, it is amazing here. The weather has been perfect, about 75 every day with gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. The food is GREAT and haven't disliked anything yet... Here are some pictures of the place and the horses!!! The water fountain is beautiful and those are the stalls in the back. There is also a picture with the apartments they rent out and I will add the one that I am staying in as soon as it becomes my permanent place. I don't have great internet or lots of free time so I will try to blog and email people as I can! Much love to everyone!

I am here in Mallorca!!!!!

So, I arrived on Monday at 1 pm, and here in Mallorca it's 7 hours ahead of WA so that has been quite an adjustment!!!! It is beautiful here, and such a change!! The way they do everything here is so different from home, especially regarding horse care. All I can say is that our horses in the states are SOOOO spoiled, as well as the people!!! We cut our own alfalfa here out in the field with a scythe, like what they use in murder-type movies or something, you should look it up... It is great here though, and there is a sweet girl named Katie from North Carolina here helping me get used to all the chores and such, so that has been a massive help. The pictures are of the place we are staying. Generally, we would stay at an apartment on the property where I am working, but they all got rented out, so Katie and I are staying at a gorgeous bed and breakfast down the road. Its amazing as you can tell from the pictures! We will be there till Friday and then come back to the finca (dont super know what that means yet, I think a farm type place that is rural) and I will post pictures then! I miss everyone but think this will be an awesome experience as well as work-outs!!

OH MAN!! Leaving today!!

I am leaving in 3 hours to my host family in Palma de Mallorca, Spain! I am so excited, although I really believe it will not hit me until I get there. I will post pictures ASAP! Here are a couple pictures from our last outing at Cowboys Dancehall. I rode the mechanical bull!! I am still sore. That is quite a workout! Okay everyone, wish me happy safe travels on the huge airplane I will be on!!

I cannot believe I am heading to Spain in 5 DAYS!!!!

It is basically blowing my mind that I am heading to Spain in just under a week!!! I just thought I would add a couple pictures of last weekends adventures! My friend and I went out to Cowboys Dancehall (it was awesome!), they have actual live bull-riding right next to the huge dancehall!!!!  We ALSO went to a ranch and herded cattle and went on a trail ride! It has been Tricia's dream to herd cattle, so I surprised her with a trip to a ranch about an hour and a half away. We both had a blast, and the cowboy offered me a job as a wrangler!!! Sadly, I refused but told him if I ended up in Texas at some point in the future I would possibly take him up on the offer : )  

In Austin, Texas!

So, I am visiting my good friend for two weeks before heading to Mallorca, Spain on October 17th. I am a little nervous due to the recent travel warnings about terrorism, but I have read into it pretty extensively and it seems that using common sense around densely populated areas and popular towns is what will keep me safe. Pretty crazy timing though!! I will write when I get to SPAIN!!!!!!

My first post!!

Hi all!! I was trying to find pictures of me on my computer so I could add one for my profile but all I found was a couple pictures from when I was in Mexico and last Halloween when I was Ariel, the mermaid. Anyway, hope you like the pictures and I am still trying to figure out how to add other pictures and design the layout so stick with me!