Well, this is all very exciting – apparently I am now going to be a “blogger” and being of the “B.C.” (before computers) group, this is all very daunting but exciting, all at the same time.
Perhaps the best way to start my blogging adventure is to start by telling you about myself and why I feel the need to blog in the first place.
I grew up on farms as my dad was pig farmer for most of my young life. My dad was a real ‘man-of-the-land’ – he loved what he did. He was a very good farmer because he was a very practical man and needless to say, I picked up his traits and knowledge of farming over the years. My fondest memories are of me riding on my dad’s shoulders, going down to the rain gauge to measure how much rain had fallen. Strangely, we lived in an area, north of South Africa, where it barely rained at all so I now think that going down to the rain gauge was more of a ritual enjoyed between my dad and me.
Anyway, needless to say, we grew surrounded by animals. From piglets to goats to farm cats to chickens and of course, our trusty dogs. I have always known dogs as ‘working dogs’ and although we loved our dogs dearly, they were ultimately working dogs so we never had a house full of dogs, sitting on chairs or lying in front the fire – our dogs lived outside and were very hardy animals.
It was just, therefore, a natural progression that when I eventually became an adult and acquired my first farm at the age of 24 years, I would run my farm the same as my dad did. Whilst growing up, I fell headlong into a relationship with horses and so it was a horse farm that I started in 1984. A farm I started by pure accident – I was in the right place at the right time. I started off my riding school with 14 assorted ponies and horses, 1 Rottweiler puppy and no riding equipment but being a very resourceful person (and very good at marketing), I run my little riding school for the first 6 months as an “organic” riding experience – in laymen’s terms – I offered riding lessons without saddles so that one could get the organic experience of riding!!! And believe it or not, but the idea sold and after 6 months and with the help of my sister and brother-in-law, I was finally in the financial position to buy riding equipment and could start giving lessons with saddles!! So my ‘organic' kind of riding lesson was a novel idea that actually paid off!
It was just, therefore, a natural progression that when I eventually became an adult and acquired my first farm at the age of 24 years, I would run my farm the same as my dad did. Whilst growing up, I fell headlong into a relationship with horses and so it was a horse farm that I started in 1984. A farm I started by pure accident – I was in the right place at the right time. I started off my riding school with 14 assorted ponies and horses, 1 Rottweiler puppy and no riding equipment but being a very resourceful person (and very good at marketing), I run my little riding school for the first 6 months as an “organic” riding experience – in laymen’s terms – I offered riding lessons without saddles so that one could get the organic experience of riding!!! And believe it or not, but the idea sold and after 6 months and with the help of my sister and brother-in-law, I was finally in the financial position to buy riding equipment and could start giving lessons with saddles!! So my ‘organic' kind of riding lesson was a novel idea that actually paid off!
Now as my riding school grew, so did my acquisition of dogs! As a little girl my mom always used to call me the “bum-dog magnet” because as I grew up, I would go around our neighbourhood finding any and all strays and would bring them home. In fact, I was so passionate about dogs that sometimes I would drag a dog home – a dog obviously not a stray – and ask if I could keep him. I was then reprimanded and told to let the dog go back to its rightful owner – you had to give me credit for trying in the first place!
