We decided on Irish cob horses, because they are traditional working horses. They are accustomed to pulling carriages and travelling through the countryside, and have a very gentle and calm character. Our horses were bred in England, and came to us through the horse dealers Füssinger and the Hubertushof Stable in Mennwangen. There the horses – and we – received an excellent training according to Monty Roberts, so that we did not encounter any problems as we taught them to pull the carriage. But our time until the departure was very limited, so we were very grateful that Odilie O’Connell and Walter Tepel were able to help us out. Mr. Lauding, who has trained hundreds of horses, helped out during the time Maria needed an emergency operation.

Paddy is definitely the boss. He demonstrates this by lying right in the middle of the feed once he’s done eating. On the way to the meadows he rushes forward and straight to the place with the juiciest grass. He expresses his hunger or joy to see us by neighing loud and high enough to make any opera diva jealous.

Mark on the other hand is more the quiet type, walking slowly but steadily. In the wintertime he grows a most attractive moustache, always a hit with the ladies. He also knows how to pull just enough to make us believe he’s really working hard. If it were up to him, he would stroll alongside his buddy all day long, saving his strength for the steep parts.

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Maria Schlegel, born in 1978, massage- and med. balneotherapist
Markus Schlegel, born in 1976, boatbuilder

After working on different biodynamic farms and markets over a period of 4 years, we sailed off to explore the European coastlines and the Caribbean Sea aboard our small sailboat.

It was during this voyage that we experienced first-hand the whole range of side-effects of the globalized, industrialized agriculture. Standardized, tasteless foods, tragic refugee treks, monocultures and greenhouses covering entire regions, polluted drinking water, overfished and polluted oceans – all of this served as a daily reminder that we need to raise awareness for the many existing alternatives.

Find out more about our sailing voyages on our sailing blog.

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After our dear Francois, a stray dog from the Caribbean, was run over by a car in Tarragona, we decided to take in another dog. From the animal shelter we took Fiona, a playful and clever Lady of mixed breed. She keeps us busy, makes us laugh, and protects us with her deep, growling bark. At least as long as she is safe and sound on the carriage, because in actual fact she is not as brave as she makes out to be – but her confidence is growing from day to day!