Tails From Provence
What happens when a horsemad Ould Wagon moves from Cork to Provence with 2 horses, 2 dogs and a Long Suffering Husband? Why, she gets a third dog, discovers Natural Horsemanship à la Française, starts writing short stories and then discovers a long-buried talent for art, of course…
La Sécheresse Continues
This fountain in the village square is fed by a natural spring, which pops up in the woods just above Reillanne.
After the big fountain, the water continues to smaller fountain lower down in the village, which is turned off at the moment.
From there, it flows on to the lavoir, where the villagers used to go to do their washing Back In The Day.
I notice that, while the authorities are at pains to point out that it’s ‘Eau non Controlé’ (the little plaque at the top left), the locals all know that it’s ‘Eau Potable’ – drinkable!
From the lavoir, it trickles away in a drain, which seems pretty silly, given the current water crisis! Although I know that someone is taking this run-off and watering their vegetable garden, so it’s not a total waste.
Every day, there is a steady stream of people to the fountain in the village square, as in the top photo. They fill bottles and containers of all shapes and sizes to use in their homes. Some houses are already without water, other people are just doing the civic thing and cutting back on the amount of tap water they are using. In addition to the ordinary folk, there’s also a slightly smaller stream of tractors and 4 x 4’s, towing or carrying water tanks, to fill up and bring back to their farms. Remy will be joining these soon to top up the two big cisterns at the side of the barn. They are down to the half way mark, and Georges does not want them to run dry. If that happens, none of the automatic waterers will work any more. Watering all the horses individually would be a nightmare. No no no… I don’t want that to happen!
FYI it takes about an hour to fill a 4000 litre tanker. Plenty of time to stop for a coffee and a chat in one of the cafés!
Just what you don’t want to see in the middle of a drought…
…and also…
Meet the Inmates Part 6 – Amante
I was almost finished my morning’s work. I just had to bring water down to The Girls (you will meet them later) who are once again living beside Aero and Flurry. I was checking that there was enough water in the tank on the Patrol when my phone rang. It was Alexandrine. The fly strips in Bubu and Galion’s shelter (yes, I have yet to introduce this pair, too) were broken, could I go up with a knife and cut them off? Yes, no problem. Indeed I had even noticed the broken strips lying on the ground when I was doing the feeds, but my butterfly brain had failed to retain the need to go back and sort them out afterwards.
I drove back up to the shelter and noticed that the electric fence at the back was sagging a bit. Better tighten that up, I thought. I got out of the Jeep and thought, strange, I can hear running water…. I went around to the back of the shelter, to be met with this sight.
Two heated automatic waterers. The one at the back looks like it should. The one at the front does not. Oh dear.
The water had gone this far
Thankfully, it had not been running very long. Less than an hour for sure. I would have heard the water running when I was doing the feeds.
Meet the culprit.
Innocent face
‘scuse me, Martine, there seems to be something wrong with my waterer
Mmm, muddy water is nice!
I whizzed as quick as I could down to the big shed and turned off the main stopcock so, right now, none of the automatic waterers are working. Remy is in the process of repairing the broken one. And possibly killing the culprit while he’s at it. They are right in the middle of lavender harvest, one of the tractors has broken down and now this. Gaaaaah. Bloody horses.
Anyhow, allow me to formally introduce Amante.
Amante is a five year old Criollo gelding, and he’s got the brand to prove it.
He’s less than 14.2 hands, I would say he’s more like 14 hands or 143 cm. His owner is a tall man, and seems a bit big on him, but apparently Criollos are hardy little horses. He was broken using Natural Horsemanship methods, and is really well trained. He’s one of those horses who just want to do the right thing all the time. He does have a nervous, reactive streak, though. He kicked his owner’s grand-daughter a couple of weeks ago when she moved suddenly behind him, reminding everyone that you can’t be too careful with kids around horses. Thankfully, she was fine. Just bruised.
Amante been here for a couple of months now, and he’ll stay until September. His owner has just bought a new house and will move his little horse when the paddock and field shelter are ready.
Amante means ‘loving’ in Spanish, and it’s true. This guy is a little dote – when he’s not disassembling stuff, that is.
Just Passing Through – Neros
I’m adding Just Passing Through as an occasional adjunct to the Meet the Inmates Series. This one is about a little pony called Neros, who was visiting last week. Neros has featured in this blog before. He came to Le Championnat de France with us the first year I went. In fact, he was the star of our team, and finished third in the Pony championships.
I hadn’t seen Girl and Boy for at least a year, so it was lovely to see them. They came to participate in a clinic that Oriane was running last week. They helped me muck out the stables every morning! Ah sure they’re lovely kids 😀
Girl rode Neros all the way from their home near Caseneuve to the farm at Nanse. That’s a loooong ride. About 20 – 25 km. It took her six hours. She’s a plucky kid on top of everything else…
Anyway this is about Neros… Neros ended up bunking in with Grisou and Caline while he was here, because we have NO space. There are bloody horses crammed in everywhere!
It’s always a risk when you put strange horses together, but these three got on great. Caline tried to boss Neros around at the start but he basically ignored her (Pipsqueak! You think you can chase me away from my hay?). I even saw him playing with Grisou one day – I think Grisou was delighted to have someone around who was interested on other things beside eating and sleeping.
Technical specifications : Neros is a Welsh mountain pony. He’s about 13 hands or 133 cms. He’s been in his current home for five and a half years and was in a Poney Club (like a riding school) before that. I don’t actually know his age but he has his own Facebook page if you want to have a look : Neros Facebook
He does lots of tricks, as you will see if you check out his page! All taught by his Girl. A talented horsewoman. I fully expect her to become part of an Equestrian Spectacle troupe someday.
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Tails From Provence 