The 10 days of antibiotics are over for Ilja, and he’s again a bit better. The infection on the lungs is gone, there is only one of the 2 nostril from which snot is running, he doesn’t cough anymore,… But he still has a lot of fluid running from his mouth. This shows the glands aren’t totally cured. And that is the biggest problem. Some more explanation about what he probably has: Because his glands are infected and swollen, they push on a nerve. This nerve normally makes sure the airway is closed when he eats, so the food will only get into the esophagus. Because this system doesn’t work, there can get food in his airway and lungs, which makes the chance on a chronic infection on the airways bigger. It could be that some kind of fungus is on the glands, or another sort of infection. For this an endoscopy is needed (looking with a small camera to his glands). With this, it would normally be clear what the problem is and how it can be cured. But if we understand it right there are 2 options. Firstly medications which will be put directly on the glands with the endoscopy. Secondly an operation which will remove the fungus curative.

So this means we are moving to the horse hospital. Everything is set for the big move tomorrow.. We go back in the direction of Genets, about 50km from here. A place where I stayed 2 weeks ago and met a lot of nice people. This week Cecile had a car from her mother, so we could drove there and arrange everything for the move. We payed a visit to the horse hospital and made an appointment for Ilja. It is still unclear whether he can leave the same day, or has to stay days or weeks…

Cecile, me and the 4 dogs will stay at the same charriotplace where I’ve been standing already for 2 weeks with my cart, this is on 5km from the hospital where Ilja will be. In the beginning we will sleep in a tent until we can get the cart. He is standing on a farm ready for the trip (the shaft is changed so it can be pulled by a tractor/camion instead of horses). Hopefully we can go and get the cart soon, because with 2 persons and 4 dogs in a small tent in the cold rainy Normandy won’t be enjoyable. For Wodan we made a meadow nearby where he can eat peacefully all that he wants.µ

For the moment I’m mostly terrified to get the horses in the trailer tomorrow. They have been driven by the previous owner in this way, but since they are with me it is the first time they don’t have to use their legs to transport. I hope they get in easily, because letting 1 ton horse do something it doesn’t want is not easy!!!!!

Anyway, we have with this misfortune a lot of luck to meet so many friendly, helpful people, who even live near by the horse hospital. We founded incredibly quick someone who wanted to move the horses, a meadow, a place for us, someone who will move the cart next week,… I want to thank everyone a lot who is helping us in this situation!!

The previous days we were standing peacefully on our meadows between the woods. Also fortunate to find a big meadow just on the moment we stopped, where we could stay this long in peace!