day out at the riding stable

As we are still waiting to see what happens with the UNESCO cause, as I wait for the Lake house garden to return to some semblance of normality after all the earthworks, and as the riverside house works progress so slowly, here is something more cheerful to put up:The local riding stable that I so love held a beautiful family day, where the youngsters showed off their skills. As usual, the atmosphere was very gentle and relaxed, everyone came out with their kids and grannies, beer and sausages were aplenty, the girls dressed up the horses - and themselves - in amazing 'four elements' costumes and performed to music.

This is what small-town living can also be about: everyone knows everyone, we watch the kids growing up, and the community supports their members' efforts. The town hall might be a bain in our lives, but at the everyday level the sun shines and the living is friendly and easy.

half term pleasures

The family are here again - so I am again indulging in giving the children the opportunities that our little Southern Bohemian paradise offers. So little Anna and I (and a couple more Krumlov Brits), led by Sarka from Stable Pohoda, went for a fabulous late-afternoon horse ride in the snowy landscape, a great excitement for Anna as we didn't get home till the dark, the horses picking their way through the deep snow underfoot. Moments to stick in the child's memory - the sharp frosty air, the glistening snow in the pinkish sunset, the showers of powdery snow from branches overhead when riding among trees. And the total silence save for the soft crunch of the horses' hooves.
And then the daily tuition at the Lipno ski school, delivering fantastic value: the instructors here are brilliant, speak fluent English and really know how to get the best out of the children - Anna is now confidently skiing any hill on offer, and her 6yr old brother surprised us yesterday by showing perfectly relaxed turns and bombing down the red run with such joy that I couldn't believe my eyes!
Oh - and one more thing - we grown ups took a day discovering another 'local' resort, Karlstift, just over the Austrian border. Small, but just great for a single day out - 2 reds, one black, and one blue. Challenging enough yet almost empty of people. Highly recommended for those visitors to Krumlov who find the Lipno resort a little too easy or busy.

Winter ride

I haven't been blogging for a while (will fill you in on what's been going on, soon) but for now I'd love to share with you a beautiful, if a bit intrepid, day trip in the snow. The weather wasn't all that good, bit of snowfall among the bits of sunshine - but hey, who minds. Starting in Krumlov at dawn, we rode 60 kms (that's the distance by road, I don't know how many overland, but quite enough!), getting soaked through, then spending a wonderful warm lunch at a pub, with garlic soup, and tea with rum. Dry again, we rode back through woods and over fields. What a balm for the soul. Come and join us sometime! :-)

St Hubert's Hunt

For the Brits, this kind of 'hunt' is nothing like you might imagine. Here it's another of those typically laid-back Czech occasions for a fun afternoon out.
In the stunning setting of the Cerveny Dvur parkland, on a lovely Autumn day, today's programme consisted of an easy but entertaining parcour in front of our audience,
followed by a 'hunt' where we raced off, following the 'fox' through the hectares and hectares of the park, weaving fast through the magical landscape of majestic, ancient trees. Meanwhile the audience, not able to watch the horses, entertained itself by campfires and songs to guitars.
Lastly, and again for the audience's benefit, we did a relay race, and then a final blast of a mad gallop to capture the prize of a fox tail pinned high up in the finishing arch.
The prize fox tail did go to our stable, but that was the part of the event that perhaps received the least notice. Because the Czechs just love any excuse for being outdoors, really. Competition? Ambition? Forget it. Who cares who 'wins', the main thing is the sun's shining, families and friends get to meet up, and everyone's having a good time.

As I was riding, I couldn't take any photos, so I begged a few from the onlookers. I might get some more - meanwhile this as a taster.

Fox-hunting, Czech style

This Saturday I'll be taking part in a fox-hunt. Except here the fox is a rider in mask, as you can see. All round the countryside the local stables are organising these fun hunts, and riders come to most of them, if the dates don't clash. Which they strictly speaking should, as the hunts are in celebration of St Hubert, the patron saint of hunters. But then, if all the stables did their hunts on the Saint's name-day, we'd all lose out, so, in an appropriately Bohemian way, we just stagger the events and do it as we please.
So on Saturday it's our lovely stable Pohoda's turn. The hunt will happen in the vast, beautiful parkland grounds of Cerveny Dvur, an ex-Rozmberk hunting chateau near Cesky Krumlov which has for many years been serving as a drugs and alcohol dependency clinic. So the only rule for the riders and the onlookers is 'do not bring alcohol'. But (how else?) there'll be sausages and bonfire and hot tea, so who cares.

We've been going there on and off to practise the jumps in the past couple of weeks, so fingers crossed our stable wins!
Hope I shall get some photos from friends - if I do, I shall post them here and tell you how we did.

visitors

Although the reconstructions of Lake house are progressing slowly, the house already lives and serves its purpose, which is to be a haven and a retreat for us and all our family and friends - including the four-legged ones. And so this weekend five of us and five horses travelled over and stayed the night. As to the human visitors, it was great to see that they didn't mind the spartan conditions (loo only in a garden cazzy, water from pump, sleeping amongst the builders' tools and bags of lime etc...) They had a swim in the lake, so who needs a bath? And as usual, the wonderful ride each way - some 25kms over virgin ground - 'virgin' because we always try to find a different route which includes getting lost in the woods and such adventures.
Well, the builders are coming back this week again - but in a way I almost regret making the house more conventional :-) Well, it needs to be repaired, can't leave it to rot away! And so the future bathroom and other bits of civilisation that are part of reconstruction, seem to be inevitable.

Summer camp, Czech style

Our little Anna is coming for the second year to the Summer camp, organised by the wonderful riding stable we so love. Am I right in thinking that only the Czechs could be so relaxed about letting the children have a real experience of living in totally close proximity to the animals, in very basic tents and facilities but fully engaged in the daily care of the horses, learning to ride but also just letting go and being free to enjoy nature, the Summer and all the fun that goes with it?Actually, it's not just the kids that get given a fabulous time as you know from my previous posts. Only this evening 6 of us adults with 9 horses (3 foals that simply came along with us) went for a five hour ride, ending at 11pm - which meant a moonlight ride home. What an experience, one of a total trust with the horse, as you, the rider, see nothing of the terrain you ride, simply let the horse fly across the fields and try not to be in its way. And as to mad trots through totally dark forest paths, where you see absolutely nothing at all, just have to bend right down to the animal's neck so you don't get decapitated by overhead branches - well, I would love to know which other stable would allow such a ride and not get scared by some health and safety regulations! Thank god for sanity still prevailing - needless to say we all got home in one piece and much envigorated - best thing for one's health, I'd say.
Sorry no photo, understandably.

Riding stable recommendation: www.stajpohoda.cz

to the Lake house on horseback

It's a 50+km round trip Krumlov- Olsina, but my goodness, was it worth it. The beauty of riding in this country is that you can go anywhere, no-one hassles you about 'private' this and that.
No fences, no gates, no 'keep to the bridleway' lark, just sheer open country to enjoy for the riders and the horses both.
And such a relaxed and friendly stable; wild gallops over the vast meadows, nothing like the boring trekking you get as tourists in the UK, I'm afraid to say.
Riding home tired, watching the sunset from the horseback is another wonder. I just HAD to share it with you.

That looks like fun

Lovely photos, Salamander - you really capture the Winter sunshine here and the joy of it after all those drab English winters. And as for the horse-drawn skiing, is that on snow or ice? And where do you do it?

Anyway while we are about it here is a snowy photo of mine.

Winter horse-rides in South Bohemia

Just thought I'd add a couple more - frustratingly, I'm not so good at getting the pics all nicely lined up. Oh well.