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Description
I am German, have lived in Bulgaria for 14 years now ( 7 in Sofia and 7 in the village - prior to Bulgaria I've lived in the USA (on and off), 9 years in Paris and 22 in Amsterdam), former Project Manager with large US company, since 10 years working as freelance translator. I started a small trail riding stable in my village 5 years ago with 3 horses and 3 ponies but due to the Corona crisis I have had to restructure at the end of 2021 and have sold the big horses.
Moving forward I will be focusing on pony riding for children and I am at the moment not sure if I will need the help of volunteers - I will have to see how things go here with this downsized stable. I may also occasionally need "farm-sitters" so that I can get away to visit family in Germany or just have a break. I am also working as translator and language tutor, so I could possibly need help with feeding of the ponies in the morning and evening ( we can take turns), bringing the 3 ponies out to grazing and back to stable in the evening, mucking out their stable/house paddock, exercising /grooming the ponies, possibly taking one or two of the older (small Shetland) ponies out on walks with children on pony-back. A 6-year old Welsh-B pony mare still requires more training (lunging,other ground work, taking her on walks)- she has been backed but needs more work. Any proof of experience in horseback riding or equestrian certificates would be great! If you can cook that would also be great - I love to cook and bake but sometimes simply lack the time due to translation projects I'm working on - we could then take turns in cooking :) . I currently have 7 dogs of which 4 are rescues, waiting to be adopted in western Europe - they love to be taken on walks and be groomed and of course get lots of attention (! :)) AND 1 cat as well...I used to be a performing singer/songwriter - no time for much of that anymore and I also live too remote...
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Travelers would experience life in a very small but nonetheless "international" Bulgarian village inhabited by ethnic Bulgarians, Roma as well as a few other foreigners ( UK, NL, GER).
Help
I need volunteers who enjoy working with ponies: grooming, lunging, taking for walks and lead the ponies with little riding guests on pony walks. Also help with riding lessons on the ponies or when kids come to do free riding on the ponies. These last two things have not happened in the past 4 years but I am really hoping that it will pick up this year! I would love to find a volunteer that is "petite" enough to ride my 6 year old Welsh-B pony "Della". So you should not be too tall and not weigh more than 60-65 kg to ride her. And of course, as mentioned above, help with feeding, watering, taking them out to their day field in the morning and bringing them back in at night.
Since I still have a number of rescue dogs here (4) AND am currently also preparing 11 dogs at a neighbors place for re-homing (6 pups, their mothers and 3 8-months old girls from last year) , I also need help taking all dogs out for walks, alone or together with me, help with drives to vet for vaccinations etc.. Especially the more furry dogs do need regular grooming.
Besides the work with the animals there are always things that need to be done on my little farm. Setting up new pastures for the ponies with electric fencing, trimming grass and weed below the electric fencing, lawn mowing and such.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT IN THE SUMMMER MONTHS JUNE, JULY, AUGUST, due to the heat in the daytime all outdoor activies are best done BEFORE 11:00 in the morning and AFTER 19:00. Thus best be prepared for early rises around 6 in the morning! :) You can then chill during the hot hours of the day - either in the garden by the little pool or in your cool room or in the kitchen :)
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
Bulgarian: Intermediate
Accommodation
Room in my house. In the summer or other seasons, weather permitting, I also have plenty of room for camping in a tent on my property.
What else ...
Buses do run from and to Chirpan, the closest little town ( 30 km), though not very often. The village is great for just relaxing when you're not working, or want to go hiking, mountain biking or fishing in one of several fishing lakes in the vicinitiy. Chirpan has a couple of museums, a brand new paleanthology museum and one for a famous Bulgarian writer (House Museum PK Yavorov). Ruins from Thracian and Roman times can be found in this area. Beautiful Plovdiv is at 50 km and Stara Zagora at 30 km distance.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Good wifi connection - need it for my work as translator and online language tutor as well :) There are several options as to where to set up the digi nomad office in the house,
Space for parking camper vans
The space would be outside my property but right next to it.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 2-4 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (15)
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Cultural exchange:
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Liza made sure we had everything we needed, although having two broken wrists, and took us out for lunch and to the market one day.
Furthermore, it was just lovely to spend time with all the cuddly dogs and the ponys. Liza made sure that we knew their (bad) habits and needs, so… read more
Lisa is passionate about animal welfare and she takes care with great care, attention and love of her ponies, her beautiful white horse and her dogs; most of which are rescued and without forgetting the black kitten that loves to walk.
Our… read more
The nature is incredible and the animals are super lovely.
Liza works really hard but she still always made sure that she had enough time to show me around and have a chat which was very nice!
The work was amazing since I was very free to decide what to do besides the… read more
Liza is a very trusting person and let me train her horses completely on my own. She is an insanely good cook and very caring. Liza really took great care of me and everything else.
She was also always available for… read more
From day one Liza made us feel very welcome and at home! she was trusting us completely with her horses. so on our second day we already took them out for riding through the woods. All of them were quite easy to handle and we had a lot of fun with them. Also… read more
I stayed with Liza from January to the end of March 2021 and I had an absolutely amazing time!!
The beautiful views surrounding the village are breath-taking and we had some really amazing rides around all of the trails.
Liza is really easy to live with and the room that I stayed in was more than comfortable. The work was… read more
I stayed with Liza for two weeks as my first Workaway. She was incredibly sweet and welcoming from the very start and always good company. She has many interesting stories from her crazy life to share!
The work is not difficult as a local boy does a lot of the feeding and mucking out. I… read more
