The world is filled to the brim with beginnings. Some too small for us to even see and others so big that we don’t even notice them. But everywhere, and everywhen, new beginnings are constantly coming into being.
But be that as it may, not all beginnings hold equal power and that’s just the way of things. For example, the inexplicable rebirth of a person once the hour hits midnight on December 31st, often manifests itself in our minds as the point in time when the old us, a weathered cocoon of regrets, suddenly sprouts wings and flies off towards the sky. In reality, however, this new beginning rarely has the strength to keep from being thrown out with the christmas tree, some time around mid January.
Other beginnings, meanwhile, are strong enough to power entire dreams. And it is beginnings such as these that fuel the love and passion that emanates from everything that we do here at Château de Fontaine. As such, every year around this time, the whole Château holds its breath in anticipation of an array of wonderful new beginnings, as we impatiently wait for this year’s foals to arrive.
One must remember, however, that what is for us a new beginning, is in fact the very first beginning for these newborn foals. And the thing about firsts is that they tend to be a little…well, clumsy. In this case, clever as it may be, it is also well known that simply naming the building that will house these first beginnings “Stable”, is in no way enough to make the process any less clumsy.
With this in mind, the first months of the new year sees everyone at the Château working hard to ensure the world that the foals will be greeted by is as accommodating as possible:
The surrogate mares make sure to be well rested (as much as this is possible given the circumstances), well fed, and that anyone in their vicinity is well behaved, irrespective of whether or not a reminder is strictly necessary. Meanwhile, the stable workers toil to make sure that there is always a bed of fresh, warm straw at the ready, that the stables are clean and pristine, and that the fields are ready for when the foals take their first step into the unroofed world.
All in all, this is another busy time for everyone here at Château de Fontaine, full of preparations and anticipation. But luckily it’s the kind of ‘busy’ we gladly welcome, as it brings with it the knowledge that new life, love and laughter, lies just beyond the horizon. We look very much forward to introducing all of the new muzzles that will soon be joining the family.