At the beginning of May, after quite some months we went visit our old mare Althea, for which we decided a retirement with horse life, fields, herd and peace.
Take this decision wasn’t easy for us, however it wasn’t easy for her too.
All her life she had a role, she was partner of a human being, she was trained every day, she accomplished important things, from jumping competitions to prove herself for Nicoló’s diplomas at Ecole de Légèreté. Every time she trained she was giving everything, she would go over her limits to show how good she could do. Unfortunately, around the age of 20y she had an injury which caused her to not work for 6 months, and after that she wasn’t perfectly fit anymore. She got artrosis on the injured leg and her movements weren’t "clean" and smooth anymore.
However, she still had a lot to say and to teach, and the destiny wanted that she was the horse for me at the time. Not too easy to ride I have to say, I felt she was a master on anything I wanted to do, and I had to learn from her, and be sure and aware of myself rather than think of training her. Moreover, she has quiet a character, she would get mad at me if I was getting tense or trying to push some time, and she was also a fire horse, lots of energy and lots of expectations too. The first times riding this big powerful mare I was a bit hesitant, all this power under me, wow it was something to get used to it! But above all she was a mare who wants to do for you, brave (even if hot), safe to ride.
My main goal with her was relaxation and get off her head all the expectations when energy was going up along the training. She taught me all lateral movements, how to perform them correctly in walk and trot. Canter wasn’t really easy for her because of her leg so I minimised the work in cater to transition, neck extension, travers, and collected canter, but no lateral movements. Pity for me but very good for her.
I also learned the work in collection with her, school walk, spanish walk, piaffe and passage. In all this, I was only focused on relaxation. She would get very hot in a tense way which would compromise at times the exercises.
I had the privilege to ride her for 3y, every day, and care only to keep her strong and healthy. I was warming up only with bit work in hand with side movements in walk and trot, lots of stretching, lots of running for me! Giving her herbs and roots to help her with her artrosis and muscle condition. I also applied the Bemer blanket on her in the last year with very nice results. The first year was a bit of a struggle because she was often limping a little bit and sometimes more than other times. With light work, bit work in hand and herbal treatment, I managed to get her with nice movements, more fluid. Along the 3y every now and then she would be a bit lame, so then I would intensify her treatments, applying external treatment to the leg and giving her rest. We went also to Italy together to the clinic of Philippe Karl, where the first year she also joined one day after I trained her at home, I was very proud of seeing her there with Nicoló in her beauty, even though she wasn’t at her top. The second and third year instead we went only to watch Nicoló and Karisma, and me and her were watching and training off the arena. Also this was an incredible experience for me, she would get very hot being outside of home and especially away from Karisma even if just of some meters, however she showed me that the work we did at home created something special between us so I could manage her emotions and work together.
However, the time arrived around August 2023, when here left shoulder disappeared, apparently a muscle atrophy, not very sure. We decided to avoid the clinic, further checks and so on, and give her at the age of 24 a nice pension horse life.
We brought her to Hoeve de Vrijheid, close to the Belgium border, where Chantal, a great woman, is taking care of horses in the herd.
Althea had a pretty rough winter time, where she got a lot of support from Chantal and energy healing from another incredible woman, who treats all my horses, Anne Marie van Bolhuis. With their guidance, Althea went through acceptance of her new life, of letting go of all the expectations, and a big detox. Moreover, she learned how to be within a horse herd, rather than a human herd, and get the support and the peace needed from the other horses.
When we went to visit, she was resting with her friend, she allowed me to halter her, and she follow me gently. She had a lot of old fair to be removed, she had lost some weight and muscles. We brushed her and went for a walk outside. After over an hour of being together we brought her inside the herd again. I walked inside and remove the halter and I expected her to just walk away. But she did not. She stayed closed. So, Nicoló started to walk in front and called her "come on Althea let's go", she followed him, and I followed her. The herd was eating further at the grass. When we all 3 arrived at the starting of the grass, she stopped, she looked at him and she walked towards me, few mt away, she sniffed me as well, and then she walked away to her herd. I found that moment so intense. Words can hardly explained.
We were back to her a week later, when she saw me from far, she started to walk to me straight away and put her nose on my chest. Tears came to my eyes. She was happy to see us, she was much more shiny and rounder than the week before, do not know why. She got a great bath and I played a little bit with her in liberty, she was following me everywhere. She never did this before, she would always run away when in freedom. Not this time, not today.
She showed us incredible love and affection, in her new way to be her, to be more horse like, with much softer eyes and ways to interact, with an incredible aura around her of power and love.
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