Welcome to my other home, Papingo.
This is my second time in the Zagori region of Greece staying in the
mountain village of Megalo Papigo. It is
hard to imagine finding another place so perfectly setup for beauty or to find
better piece of mind. Of course your body won’t be overly rested – daily treks
up the hills and mountain hikes are part of everyday life!
I found Daphne and her business, White Pegasus, 4 and a half years ago as I approached
the end of my undergraduate degree. I
had one requirement at the time – leave the US and (preferably) go somewhere I
could put any of my Classics and history knowledge to use. Enter Greece (I’d
have loved any part of ancient Persia, Egypt, or Assyria but it’s funny how
politics can get in the way). I even got to teach a few people along the way!
Daphne offers trail rides to
tourists while also breeding her horses, training the foals and selling.
Along with meeting Daphne and her family, I was able to meet and live with other travelers! In 2010 I spent 3 months with Daphne and loved
every second – even when a horse and I would have minor disagreements. This time around I (semi) planned a 5 month
trip with the main event being going back to Papigo for the holidays and
staying to work with Daphne and her horses.
Along with that was the hope that I get to meet at least one other
HelpXer (or villager) who I can connect with.
Meet Daphne’s barn family (from both trips).
The Dogs:
(2010)Orage and Hioni were her
two pure-breed Great Pyrenees dogs. Hioni, the female, is a sweet dog who comes
off territorial at first. Orage is a big love-bug that will escape the confines
of the barn in any way possible. She breeds and sells the puppies. I miss them both!
(2014)Leon grandson to
Orage and the two are quite different! Leon is much more ‘cautious’ (read: he’s a
complete wuss) and doesn’t often stray from the farm. And Maya,
a spunky mix of golden retriever and Briard who loves the water and to chase
the cats. Leon and Maya will hopefully have puppies!
Hioni and Orage
Leon snoozing through the heat
Some barn cats
Three young orange tabby males and 'Mamacita', their mother. She is
friendly and will come up asking for attention but the boys only stay close for
food. I think they are still about the village but never at the barn.
(2014)One of the same barn cats, Mamacita, two grey/orange tabbies, and
little kitten Timmy! It is unclear which of the other cats (all female) is his
mother but I have made an adequate substitute (as did Clara before me).
3 male kittens - I am pretty sure the one with white now lives outside Daphne's kitchen and the kids call him "Dimitri"
Little Timmy Kitten!
Horses :
Hercules – the stallion,
resident body guard to the mares, and father to most of the herd. He is a
Haflinger. Herc has not changed much except to form a nasty habit of biting. He is still sweet and obedient under
saddle and requires careful handling in the fields while free – especially in
Spring!
The Mares have changed the
least in the last four years with a couple small exceptions.
Sissi – Part Haflinger and
Thoroughbred. A beautiful, well behaved but stubborn, mare that is the head
mare of the herd. Too pregnant for riding, Sissi gets a few months off.
(2014) Hopefully Sissi is pregnant and she has started up her bad habit
of rolling in the grass while someone is riding her
Dolly – Mostly a local breed
with some Arabian blood in her, she is more delicate but certainly no less
hardy! The oldest of all Daphne’s horses.
(2014) A little bit older, Dolly has officially been retired from
hauling about larger clients on trails. She has a sweet, small western-style
saddle for kids now! We hope it will help her legs to feel better as she has
been getting (extra) pissy and occasionally kicking out when we deal with her
front legs.
Paraskevoula – Being part
Lipizzaner gives her some spunk and being young helps, too! Always the
follower of the other mares.
(2014) Still at the bottom of the mare chain, Paraskevoula is almost
all white now. Still the most beautiful mover and runner in the herd, watching
her run excitedly is an absolute highlight.
A pregnant Paraskevoula from 4 years ago. Now she is all white with light 'freckles' of darker hair.
Casseopeia – 8 to 9 months
old, she is the filly of Paraskevoula and Hercules. Sweet, curious but not the brightest,
I find Cassie endearing and will miss her when she moves to a Greek island with
her new owner. She can always be counted on to greet you and keep you company
when out in the field with them.
Pegasus – the new namesake
of the company! He is Dolly and Hercules’ colt, about 1.5 months younger than
Cassie. Smaller and cheekier than his sister, he can also be counted on to
greet you. Just watch out he keeps his bites to himself! It is clear that it
will be a challenge to train manners into him. He will stay with the geldings
once Cassie moves away.
The Geldings:
Keravnos – My sweet spot.
keravnos was a surprise - Dolly was pregnant when Daphne bought her! The stallion is unknown but he certainly seems to have been black based on Keravnos' coloring. Young,
slight, sweet, but easily frightened.
(2014) Still "gun-shy" but vastly improved (I’d like to think it's in part from
my daily riding of him in 2010), he is a real lead horse now! He does require a
deft and confident rider upon him, though, else his gun-shy self comes
forward. He color has lightened and I
hope he does not turn all white.
He was much darker 4 years ago!
He is eating dinner here, hence his mouth looking a little funny!
Dionas – Also Dolly’s colt,
he is 2 years here and full of toddler attitude. He favors Hercules’ body type.
(2014) Now firmly into his teenage years, Dionas is one of the most
beautifully built horses I’ve ridden. Certainly he is not the easiest horse to
deal with but is quite tolerant and behaved under saddle. Along with Keravnos,
he is my favorite to ride. Even though we’ve had some disagreements this time
around.
This is Sarah and Dionas. Sarah had a very lovely smelling orange in hand and Dionas wanted her to share!
Navarhos – the foal of Sissi
and Hercules, here he is a yearling. Already well built in shape and easy to
handle and just about bomb-proof.
(2014) Navarhos is also in his teenage years and requires a very
certain touch. Stubborn as his mother (and almost as food oriented) no other
horse tests my patience like him. Sadly afraid of the dogs in the village
(namely the cow dogs) he is still learning his balance and is fun and can be
challenging to ride.
Nav as a yearling - his mane and tail have changed the most. He favors his father in build and color but is Sissi's through and through!
Karras – Not belonging to
Daphne directly, Karras is a local working horse who has been “donated” for
Daphne to use as a trail horse. He has a sweet temperament to humans but is
always egging Hercules on around the mares. Karras is no longer with Daphne but
instead roams the mountains; he is often seen just outside the barn and
whatever field our horses are in.
Aladin – A new addition
about 2 years ago, Aladin is currently the only horse in the herd without any
blood connections. Taller and leaner
than Daph’s horses, he is spunky and quirky. None of us has him figured out,
really. I’ve been told he is the most fun to ride but have not done so
personally.
Atlas – The son of Sissi and
Hercules and 3 years old, Atlas is a beautiful boy. Bright chestnut hair and a
lighter mane, he is taller than most. Daphne is still riding him and training
him but it is clear he is just as clever as his mother and brother, Navarhos.
This means that training him is tedious and must be done continuously but is
very much worth the work. I hope to ride him before I go.
Daphne with Atlas during a ride
Apache – the youngest of the
geldings (2 years), he is the son of Paraskevoula and Hercules. He is also the first
boy Paraskevoula has ever had. Sweet and
still too young for a saddle, Apache is calm tempered and a beautiful mix of
his parents’ body types.
Bella and Ria, the two resident goats are both pregnant and will hopefully have their kids soon! Daphne had 22 goats last year and these are the remaining ones. Ria was bottle fed and is very human oriented. Think of her as a dog-goat.
Bella, Leon, and Ria enjoying naps in the sunshine
To help you get a feel for daily life at White Pegasus, this is a
typical day. Horses and goats are fed at 8 in the
morning. Overnight the horses stay in the barn. They are separated by an
electric fence (geldings on one side, mares, Herc, and foals on the
other). They have to be haltered and
tied up before being fed. The morning is simple: feed, release, clean stalls
and barn. Every other day walk the foals around and work on their commands;
sometimes taking the older horses and reminding them of the basics, too!
During the day the horses are free to roam the mountain and graze; the goats are often let loose with the herd and are collected for their grain at 11am. Other times the goats get free reign in the feed room and hang out in the barn all day. Of
course there are places the horses are not allowed to go (in the village, gardens
etc) but they are tricky and must be checked on and sometimes moved. This is
where Sissi’s cleverness becomes a burden.
Navarhos must also be watched very carefully. Often the
herds (boys and girls) stay in the same area but they are also known to go in
opposite directions which means lots of hiking!
The time we bring them in for dinner changes – we try to keep them out
as late as possible with daylight so they can graze. Dinner time includes
brushing, foot care, and mane care.
In the event of trail rides we need extra time to brush, saddle, and
bridle. Rides are in the morning
(starting at 10:00am) or in the afternoon (in which case they have dinner right
after). Horses that are not ridden on the trail wait for us in the barn. Currently there are 8 ride-able horses –
Hercules, the mares, Dionas, Keravnos, Navarhos, and Aladin. Sometimes 9, when
Daphne takes out Atlas. Sometimes we ride with the clients and other times we
walk beside them – all depends on how they feel. I was happy to be here for the
holidays this year as there are a lot of rides!
Surely you understand why I dislike leaving?! Here are some photos of the amazing people I have met and come to love here.
Some locals. Giannis is in the foreground, Dimitri (Daphne's husband) is playing backgammon and "Big" Giannis is at the head of the table
The kids at Christmas - Nefeli (almost 7) and Athos (will be 5 this year)
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| Clara learning to drive her first car! She was at Daphne's when I arrived last December |
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| Belinda and Orage. A Czech/Aussie who was with me in March 2010 |
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| Natalie, Ali, and Blake. We arrived in January 2010 together! Natalie and I with the horses and Ali and Blake worked at the hotel and taverna |
Belinda, Rachael, and Blake. Rachael is from the London area and Blake is from Toronto (2010)
Belinda and Sissi's foal from Spring 2010, Isis (or Isida)
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| Saying goodbye to Daphne in 2010:( |
Katerina, a local girl from the village. I met her on her 11th birthday in 2010 but this time around we spend a lot more time together on weekends! We went ice skating with Clara and her brother in Ioannina.
Sarah, from Germany, who was with me just before I left for the Peloponnese!
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