Introduction
We are a middle-aged couple, half British, half German living in rural Bavaria. I teach and my husband works on archeological digs. We like the simple life-style, nature, travelling and animals. The last two don’t go very well together, and therefore we are looking for you! I have three ponies (one of them is at the horse stable in the neighbour village) and a border collie who comes along on our travels. This winter holiday we want to continue work on a derelict cottage in Ireland which we acquired and therefore we are looking for housesitters to spend the two weeks during the Christmas break in our normal day shoes! We’ve had house-sitters in the past, from the US, UK, Germany and even from Australia and the time we’ve spent together with them has been an enriching experience for us!
Home & location
The cottage is located in rural surroundings next to a small village and close to fields and forests with many beautiful walks. It as a large, completely private garden where a lot of time is spent during the warm summer months. But even in the winter we sometimes light a fire for a BBQ here. You will have a small but cosy bedroom upstairs and the kitchen, livingroom and both bathrooms at your disposal. The house is well-equipped with everything you need for a normal modern life-style, yet it is remote due to its location. You access our house on a gravel drive and in the off-chance of a lot of snow, you might be snowed in for a day (doesn’t happen often, though) The house is equipped with central heating and two wood-burners, so you won’t be cold. Despite its rural location, urban attractions like Nuremberg and Regensburg are only a half to one hour drive away. But there are also a lot of other beautiful small towns in easy driving distance. There are a lot of good traditional restaurants in the surrounding villages and towns. A car is necessary, the nearest train station is 10 km away and it’s hilly…if needed a car can be used, provided you have the necessary documents and driving experience. Supermarkets, other shops, hospital and doctors are also 8-10 km away. You are very welcome to bring your dog as log as he/she is okay with the ponies! Unfortunately we are both allergic to cats and cannot have them in the house, sorry!
Responsibilities
The ponies live in an open stable and paddock area next to the house. They will need hay in the mornings and evenings, Twiggy needs soaked pellets due to her lack of teeth with an extra portion of that at least once more sometime during the day - the more often she gets a portion of her broth, the happier she is…but times are not fixed for this. However, trips away for 24 hours are not possible - the ponies are fairly flexible as to what times they get their meals but I would like them to be checked upon three times a day. They can have their breakfast any time between 6 and 10 am and their dinner any time between 5 and 9 pm, and a quick meal for Twiggy in between, giving you plenty of hours to do things in between. They need to get mucked out daily and the manure is stored on a small truck. Twiggy needs a tablet (Cushing Syndrom) in the morning and in the evening and the hooves need to be picked every other day and some grooming once or twice a week would be great. The water bucket gets filled once a day from a big ibc container in the horses main paddock (they walk in and out of their stable freely) and this ibc container needs refilling once every fortnight via a hose from the house. oh yes, they like being talked to and being stroked as well! Although Twiggy is old, she is wide awake and has no inclination of dying yet. If there were any problems, we’d always be just a two hour flight away and one of us could come to check as we’ll be working on the cottage ruin for most of the given period. But I cannot see a need for that happening!
This listing can suit a couple, a small family or a single person, with horse experience, who either want a quiet time, time for themselves during the festive period, or use the Bavarian hideaway as a base to explore the area, or to work remotely.
You are very welcome to bring your dog as log as he/she is okay with the ponies! Unfortunately we are both allergic to cats and cannot have them in the house, sorry!
Riding is possible with appropriate, proven previous experience.