Working in Australia..continued

My first work experience in Australia, without any experience with horses.

My name is Merel.

I am excitedly heading to my first job, a coal village in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. The
area has one of the largest horse industries in the world and is also known for its vineyards and
coal mines. Without any knowledge about horses, but with great enthusiasm, I board the train. A
drive of about twelve hours and along the way I make a list in my notes of fun activities I can do
with small children.

I am picked up at the station by my new Irish colleague and housemate. Accommodation is
arranged by my employer and I stay in a house on one of the three farms, which is ideal for
feeding the horses in the morning. Once a week there is a dinner with all colleagues in which
everyone takes turns cooking for our team of 10 colleagues. During my first dinner I meet all my
colleagues and we have a small drink together. This was a lot of fun every week and a good
bonding experience.

Horse training
Before I started caring for the owner’s children, I first had to master working with the horses. It
was the busiest time of the year because the foaling season had started, which meant that all the
mares gave birth to their foals and had to get pregnant again for the next season. The horses
were prepared for sales over three months and I had to train and brush the horses every day. The
morning was all about feeding the horses and afterwards we had to take specific horses to the vet
for examination.

I still remember the first time I was sent out to the paddock alone to pick up a mare. I had just
learned how to put on a halter and I was very nervous, but I talked myself some courage. I
approached the horse carefully, first making sure she was used to my presence and gently
stroking her neck. When I was successful, I felt a great relief and took the horse to the vet. After a
few weeks of practice, I became very comfortable with the animals, but I always remained
cautious and was careful around them. I’m still a little intimidated by such a big and strong animal,
but I’ve also grown to love them and I love seeing that they love to be petted in certain places.

Nanny
After working with horses for a few weeks, it was time to take care of the owners children, they
have two girls aged one and a half and eight months. Because their children were very young,
communicating with them was sometimes a challenge. I often made fun plans with them, but
soon discovered that they rather make their own plans. I gradually learned to find the middle
ground, and it became easier when I started to developed a bond with them. They learned to trust
me and they taught me to be more patient.

Challenges
One thing I underestimated was the amount of work I would have to do. I knew in advance that I
would be working full-time, but it turned out to be more than I expected. In the first week I found
out that I had to work twelve days in a row, so every other weekend I had two days off. I didn’t
have much time for myself, and although I got used to it, it was hard for me. Looking back, I’m
proud of how I did and proved to myself that I could do it. Although I am proud, I have learned
that I no longer want this workload in my future job.

Over the months I was saving money for my travel period that I had planned after the horse ranch.
I stopped just before Christmas and booked a Christmas surf camp with a group of friends I had
made at the training farm. In the three months that I worked at the Horse Ranch, I received many
travel tips that I will talk about in my next blog.