Karam Kareem

10/09/2022

9/9/2022- Queen Elizabeth II https://tinyurl.com/yvcfra57

19/04/2022

February 13th was Mother’s Day in Norway this year. And totally coincidentally (or maybe the Universe planned it like this all along), this was the day that I finally returned to Egypt and met my babies again after nearly 2 years apart. Oh my God you guys, my heart was exploding with joy and love and happiness and all the good things.

(My fear of flying? By some miracle it was completely gone. My brain always used to tell me we would die in a horrific crash, but this time it was like «Right. We’re either seeing our dogs or we’ll die trying». Super weird, but very pleasant, to be in an airport without a galloping heart in your chest!

Every day since Covid broke out, I’d been dreaming and longing for the day that I’d set my foot on Egyptian earth, or rather SAND, again. Ever the dramatic artist (lol), I imagined I’d just stumble crying out of the plane and literally kiss the ground. Instead, I walked out into the black and dusty Cairo night at 2AM, and my body immediately went «Oh, we’re in our second home» and Arabic was just flowing from my mouth. It really felt like I’d never been away, like I was just driving home after running errands.

I was so curious if the dogs would remember me. They hadn't seen me for 1 year and 11 months, and although it would be nice if they did, I was prepared that they wouldn’t. (But I’ll admit I’d have been really deflated!) Again, it didn’t go as expected. Where in my dreams they had all come storming to me, in reality they just stared at me from afar.

I was like «It’s me; Mummy, I’m back!» and they circled suspiciously around me going «Really? Is it reeeeaaaallly you though? You’ve never been in this place before. You look familiar but we’re not sure». And then they came close enough to smell me and jumped/fell/clawed their way into my arms.

If nothing else good happens to me for the rest of my life, I’ll always remember the feeling of holding them in my arms again. I know exactly what they all feel like; the texture of their fur, how their bodies fit in the crook of my arm, where they have scars on their ears, the shapes of their skulls, the way they look at me.

(Stripyboy: «You’re my mum and you’re the bestest person on the planet ever.»

Tassen: «You’re my mum and I’m your favourite son and noone else but me should be getting attention or there will be consequences.»
Bruce: «You’re safe with me child, now scratch my belly.»
Sodfa: «Me me me me me me me me me me me me me MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!»

I’d also imagined that if they recognised me, they’d maybe be really needy and clingy. But it was the exact opposite, after we’d all said hello and I'd moved them from Sherif to my “cat place” that I rented last summer, they all laid down around me, just relaxing like wolves after a good deer meal. They seemed so secure, like «we’re back together and everything is as it should be».

I could only stay in Cairo for a week before going back to work, but we got a lot done. I had all the dogs vet-checked and had blood work done for those that have previously had autoimmune diseases. Mohammed had found some puppies by the road, some were already dead after getting hit by cars, and two of them got Parvo’s so a lot of time was spent treating them and doing vet visits. Unfortunately both passed away.

We also looked at a bunch of properties and found the perfect place to move the dogs to: A small house with a dreamy garden with grass and lots of shade. It’s in a quiet area, inside a small compound so even if one of them gets out, it can’t be hit by cars or poisoned as it’ll still be inside a gated area.

It has 3 small bedrooms (or shall we say, cat rooms) and we’ve put a fence in the garden so the cats get their own little backyard. Mohammed managed to catch all the cats that were in old Fluffyland by the pyramids, so they will now be re-vaccinated and released. Together with Maher we’ve been feeding them all this time, and we could have kept on doing that, but we figured it’s better to have all the animals in the same place and to prepare the tame cats for adoptions. (I have a feeling that a LOT of people will want to adopt the gorgeous Mr Mau!)

So, I left Cairo in February filled up with gratitude. That I was able to travel, that the dogs are happy with Uncle Mohammed and that I get photos and videos of them every day.
And that this unbearably awful winter is over. I got a lung virus (RS) that knocked me out for nearly 2 months and I had just changed jobs so I wasn’t entitled to any payment while being ill. But that totally paled compared to a huge health fright as well as severe illness in my near family. It’s deeply traumatic to see how quickly tragedies can happen, and how helpless we can be in the face of fate and life.

But I feel like the worst is over now. The moment I booked my flight ticket felt so liberating, like I was finally getting back some control and agency of my own life after being a slave to Covid restrictions for 2 years. And speaking of – shortly after I got home I got Covid, and even after 3 vaccination doses I was sick for 2 weeks. I’m really, really glad I live in a country where I was able to get vaccinated and not be exposed until I was well protected!

The darkness has finally passed, literally and figuratively. (Holy moly Norwegian winters are long!) I’m currently back in Cairo with Ulla, and although I have a lot of difficult things to work through, it`s beyond amazing. I’m so excited and hopeful for spring and future plans.

(Marte)

24/09/2021

Just an adorable baby alpaca, here to wish you a great weekend! 😍

Marte 🙂

23/09/2021

Hello you,

I hope you’re having a good Thursday night!

I'm currently sat at 950 m above sea level, and it’s 3 degrees outside. Send help, I'm not ready for autumn 😭🥶

We’ve gotten some messages asking how to donate for the kittens, so this is just a quick post about that:

If you would like to donate towards the kittens or the other animals, the best way is to use Karianne’s Paypal:
[email protected]

And THANK YOU, I love you for helping

22/09/2021

We spent last weekend trying to save this poor tomcat.

A friend of Mohammed spotted him in downtown Cairo, and even though Egyptians see thin and injured animals every day, this cat was SO bad that he phoned up Mohammed and said «didn’t you use to work in a charity for animals…?»

By the time I saw the messages from Mohammed, he was already on the way to find the cat. I was totally prepared for him NOT to find it, the area it was in is HUGE and crowded. But amazingly, he found the cat curled up between a wall and a street full of cars. (And apparently there were also 3 puppies there, covered in ticks 😥)

By the time Mohammed had the cat, the vet clinics were closed, so he gave it fluids subcutaneously. It drank lots of water but only had a few licks of food. Mohammed did his best to clean its eyes, that were so full of pus the cat was practically blind.

To think about him trying to survive in a crowded area, with car horns and screaming kids and arguing men and street dogs, only garbage to eat, and barely access to water… oh my heart, I can’t take it.

The next morning they set out to one of Cairo’s best vet clinics, that typically enough didn’t open until 2 hours later than what they advertised on their social media. But I had predicted this, and didn’t let them start driving until I’d confirmed with one of the vets.

I sent the vet, whom I know well, both voice- and text messages saying if the cat is chronically ill, I want it put to sleep. Then I had to go on a bus ride in the mountains with no internet connection.

When I got back to civilization, I found lots of upset messages from Mohammed… Because although the vet had examined the cat and found severe infection and critically low body temperature (in spite of outside weather being mid-30s degrees celsius) , and although he agreed the cat was dying and that it should be euthanised… he refused to do it unless I re-confirmed.

Mohammed referred to the messages I’d sent, he said I was without internet connection, and that he was the one bringing the cat and that he would take full responsibility for telling me, but no. He was asked to leave and come back the next day (!).

Now, I would understand if this was a vet who didn’t know me. But I’ve used this vet office for years, and they know that
a) I’m very pro-euthanasia when it’s the best for the animals and
b) I value their opinion and follow their advice.

And he also had messages from me saying this very thing!

So - not knowing what to do, Mohammed had started going back to the stables area, to see if he could find an equine vet to euthanise. But most of them don’t have/use the right drugs (I’ve had vets telling me to euthanise horses by injecting penicillin into their vein), and very little experience finding tiny dehydrated cat veins, or injecting directly into the heart as you can do with small animals.

So, thinking it was the quickest and most humane solution, I phoned a different vet in the same area and made Mohammed turn around…

…. And he drove right onto the ringroad to go back, where he got stuck in a terrible traffic accident: a young boy on a motorbike selling vegetables had been brutally hit by a car.

To cut many hours of phone calls short:

The cat died quietly in its carrier while still sitting in traffic. And I was so relieved that he did, because it was 20 min before the last vet office was closing.

It would have been soooo amazing if we could have saved his life, and then watched him get fatter and fluffier week for week, and then be adopted abroad like the others, and we could all oooh and aaah over his photos lazing around in his new home.

But it was not to be.

Instead, we can be grateful that he died in a car, hopefully feeling relatively safe inside his crate, and I hope that he somehow felt that we wanted the best for him, that we cared.

Marte

PS. I messaged the vet that refused to euthanise, not accusing him of anything, I just asked if it was correct that he sent the cat away without even giving it fluids to feel better while he waited for my reply. This was Saturday and I still haven't reveived a reply.

20/09/2021

Happy Monday to you!

Every single time I post a cat, someone else unlikes the page. So... I guess I will just keep posting, until we have only 200 followers left that all like horses, dogs AND cats 😅

The universe has been sending a few rescues my way lately, I'm starting to think it's a push to make me get on that plane to Cairo (I actually have a job too, Universe, be patient!)

Yesterday Mohammed went to bury a cat we tried to save over the weekend, only to find 5 kittens thrown on a garbage heap. It hurts my chest to see their tiny bodies crawling around in these mounds of dirt and trash. The helplessness of baby animals, or injured/sick animals is the very hardest thing for me.

They have all survived the night, with the help of Mohammed and his relatives, and we are currently organising a vet check. It's so risky with these little ones, and anything could still happen at this point, so please send some good cat vibes their way! 🙏

Marte :)

14/09/2021

As someone who
- knows nothing about racehorses
But
- has seen lots of riders claim they're super experienced, yet get scared immediately when they sit on an Arabian,

I found this really educational and I'm also nodding in agreement!

Marte, very anxious rider who knows her limits 😅

“Why can’t I ride a Thoroughbred straight off the racetrack to try it before purchase? This is unfair!”

We get comments along the lines of this every single year when we are helping to rehome retiring racehorses. So, it’s time for another conversation about this.

First and foremost, a track broke horse is broke w/t/c but they will be racing fit, meaning unless you’re riding 5* event horses, they’re likely fitter than anything you’ve sat on. They’re also trained to run into the bridle, ridden with a “cross” or a “bridge” in the reins whilst on the racetrack. This is different from how most riders ride and there is a reason why exercise riders and jockeys are some of the fittest riders. It’s not an easy job.

When we are selling them directly from the racetrack, they can only be jogged on the concrete outside of the barns to assess soundness. The only place to ride is the racetrack. You need have a license to ride as an exercise rider to ride on the racetrack. Allowing inexperienced riders who haven’t learned how to safely ride racehorses out onto a busy track with lots of other horses — some of which will be working past at fast speeds — dangerous. Unnecessary. Doesn’t give you any real clue of how the horse will be at their new job or once you start training. Want the best chance to trial ride OTTBs? Go work hard and get your gallop license.

Now, when they’re not at the racetrack but haven’t been restarted, the same still applies. You’re buying a green horse and getting a greatly reduced price because of it. If you want the bells and whistles of being able to try the horses and decide if it is suitable for you based on how it feels, then pay more and get something that has been restarted. It is not fair to the horse to have their first introduction to a new career to be several random riders, many of which will over sell their skill, getting on them and putting them through their paces, sometimes having unreasonable expectations. This is how you very quickly ruin and sour horses. It is also high risk to the owners because they could be letting people on their horses who will create new issues.

You can get a very good idea of soundness and overall health from watching the horse move and from a vet check. You can get an idea of how the horse goes through its paces by watching a qualified track rider or trainer ride it, if they’re willing to do this for you (I do this for the videos of a lot of mine). In fact, that will give you a better idea of what the horse is like than someone without the experience of knowing what a horse straight off the racetrack feels like getting on and trying to figure out what buttons the horse has.

It isn’t rude. It isn’t sneaky or hiding anything. It’s called making decisions for the well-being of the horse and overall safety of everyone involved. With started horses with more experience, we still have people lie about ability, come out and try the horse and create dangerous situations. With a race fit horse, this could be catastrophic. It also, bottom line, isn’t fair to any super green horse to make their intro to their new job by essentially making them a carousel and playing musical riders, with no real idea of experience level until the person is on the horse.

Just like I wouldn’t want to let people try unbroke horses or horses who’ve only had a handful of rides, I don’t want people ruining our race fit prospects and this is how many trainers feel. A gallop license is the only real tangible proof of showing you’re qualified to get on, unless you have mutual connections to vouch for you. If you do not have one, you have no right to try to complain or pressure people into letting you onto a horse that is being sold as a prospect.

Extend your budget and get something restarted (or offer over asking to give an incentive for the horse to be restarted so you can try it) or learn how to look at prospects from the ground and assess their suitability for your discipline. I’m of the mind that most people who are qualified, prepared and ready to take on the training of an OTTB should be able to assess from the ground. If this isn’t what you want, all the power to you but instead of having the expectation that you’re entitled to a trial ride when it is a risk to the horse and the owner, be considerate and realize that you have unusual expectations that very well may not be met.

This is a normal practice for ex racehorses. I’ve sat on HUNDREDS, if not over a thousand at this point, of thoroughbreds on and off of the track. I can count on one hand the number I’ve actually tried before buying and all of those except for one I only “tried” because I galloped while working at the track. The horse you meet at the track when they’re race fit, on high grain diets and have minimal or no turnout is not the one you’ll meet in the new lifestyle anyways, so basing your entire impression of them off of what they’re like as a racehorse isn’t overly accurate.

If you want to buy an OTTB that is not restarted, respect the practice of how they are sold, the risks involved for horse and owner and the lowered price point you get because of this. If it isn’t for you, that’s fine but the entitlement of some people really needs to stop.

Pictured: my mare who was difficult at the track, difficult to restart initially and a total lamb now. I never sat on her until after she had an entire winter off of racing. We assessed her initially off of watching her jog and she’s now one of my nicest horses.

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

See more of my posts & work here:

Training help, tutorials and behind the scenes: http://Patreon.com/sdequus

Free training resources, my blog & more: http://milestoneequestrian.ca

Shop my product line of anatomical bridles and equestrian apparel: http://amoreequestrian.ca/pages/milestone

09/09/2021

Yes yes YESSSSSSS!

It's the best week ever as

1) Gingergull and Tigergutt are FINALLY traveling to the UK to their forever home and

2) Anna Louise has found the super perfect home for Janine after her first adopter stopped replying (I hope you are ok if you are reading this

08/09/2021

Hello you!

I don’t know about your country, but where I am, summer is definitely over, and I hope you had a good one! I have been working like crazyyy, but now with fall here things are calm enough that I can do other things than work and sleep!

Although I’m still in Norway, things are happening in Cairo. One of them is that I’ve rented a small piece of property, where Mohammed Sobhi is currently looking after the cats that haven’t been adopted out yet (in addition to a starving nearby mumdog and her babies).

Here we have Toby (white) and Yansoon (grey), who are observing his every move. Mostly because of the daily wetmeat lunch, but also for the cuddles and attention. Toby is the shyest cat I have ever met, it took FIVE YEARS to tame him enough to stroke him, so it’s so fun to see him following Mohammed around everywhere!

(I hope they will still recognise me when I finally get there 😭)

Marte :)