So I made it to Austria and back, and what a great trip it was! I took on the long journey to represent the Irish Working Horse Association at the AGM of FECTU, the European umbrella organisation for all working horse groups.
It was inspiring to meet working horse people from 8 other nations, and much time was spent exchanging thoughts, ideas and experiences. Of course, there was the AGM business to get through, but listening in to it gave me a good insight in what is going on in the European working horse scene.
It is ever so inspiring to see that there is a world beyond our little green island where people share similar interests, responsibilities, challenges and experiences. We were made very welcome by our Austrian hosts, and there was plenty of time to socialise, be entertained and have a good laugh!
Highlight of course was the horse-drawn sleigh ride through a winter forest to a traditional cottage in the hills where our meeting took place - couldn't have been more perfect!
There are more photos of my trip here: http://www.irishworkinghorseassociation.com/photos.html