A life in tune with nature and animals
Nature and animals have always been the most fundamental part of my life. I grew up in the countryside, surrounded by nature. My family had a dog since I was born and I got my first own dog at the age of 7. Even before I started school, I was sitting on horseback. My regular learning with horses began at the age of 7.
My interest in nature and animals and what a “good life” is, later also shaped my professional life and led me to spend many years researching animal behaviour and the question “What is a good life”. My work has taken me to the steppes of Central Asia as well as to cities such as London, Munich, Berlin and Hamburg. Throughout all this time, animals have always been my teachers, coaches and guides mentally, physically and in some ways also spiritually.
A life outside the box
I have often lived my own life as a kind of self-experiment, because in our current society there was no direct path to what I wanted and needed. Conventional life plans and pathways simply never worked for me and so life has led me through many adventures, pitfalls, ups and downs along winding paths.
In order to back up my experiences and thus found solutions with a profound theoretical foundation, I completed three years of training in coaching at the “Centre for Equine assisted experiential learning” and two years of full-time training at the “Samuel Hahnemann School” in Berlin.
The horses
Pagalu and Targhaj have been my companions for many years.
Pagalu
Pagalu is 27 years old and has been at my side for 25 years. Her life experience gives her a lot of balance and calmness. This gives even people without any previous experience with horses a feeling of security and trust. In the herd, she is a strong, high-ranking personality whose authority is not questioned by other horses. As a thoroughbred Arabian, she is highly sensitive to the environment as well as the moods and inner states of the humans she encounters.
Targhaj
Targhaj belongs to the Tersker breed, an extremely rare breed in Germany that originates from Russia. Her parents were both born in Russian state studs, raised there and later exported. Like other horse breeds that are still reared in steppe regions today, Terskers have a very strong character of their own, a high level of intelligence and a high degree of sensitivity and awareness of their surroundings. Blind submission, silent acceptance or mindless obedience are not among their typical characteristics. Targhaj is full of energy, often has unconventional ideas for a horse and enjoys getting to know and exploring new things, skills and people. For me, she represents a genuine and relaxed way of approaching and mastering life.