Help with our dog and horses mid-May 2025 (ten days requested - precise dates flexible within 12-25th range) in the beautiful and tranquil Pyreneean countryside

About this assignment

We are Anne and Crosbie, English early semi-retirees to the south of France. We would like to explore a bit more of France and the rest of the world, and would prefer to have our dog and horses looked after in their own home while we're away. We're looking for conscientious sitters, experienced with dogs, who like horses and are happy to be in a secluded rural location.

What responsibilities are required of the house sitter

We would like help with three horses and one Dalmatian dog for a week to ten days in May (dates are flexible)

General info

Responsibilities would primarily revolve around the animals - our dog and horses. In the summer some watering of garden pots and plants would be needed. Otherwise, the house and location are here to enjoy! We have cycles available to loan.

We have one Dalmatian dog called Freki. She is friendly and an easy house dog. She would need to be fed and exercised daily during the stay.

We also have three horses: two small ponies and one large draft horse. In the summer these would just need to be observed each day, their automatic water checked an paddocks cleared. (More intensive management and mucking out would be required in deep winter - this would be briefed at the time for winter breaks.) They are all kind and gentle horses, although no specific handling would be required.
Friends and neighbours who know our animals would be on call (as well as the vets).

What are the good features of the property and location

Nestled in a secluded valley in this beautiful and unspoilt part of the French Pyrenees, La Maison Blanche is just the spot if you're looking for somewhere peaceful to unwind with the animals. This warm, comfortable home is located between the market town of Boulogne-sur-Gesse and its pretty neighbour, Castelnau-Magnoac, renowned for its history as the founding base for the French resistance in the second world war. If you want to read, paint or just relax, the house provides the perfect environment. It is bounded by fields, hills and streams and there are endless lanes and tracks to walk. There is a network of irrigation canals nearby which provide shady summer walks.

Our home is a converted 19th century farmhouse with a double aspect kitchen dining room with both wood burning and electric ovens and other modern kitchen fittings, and a large comfortable sitting room. There are four bedrooms upstairs and a sitter would have a choice of aspect (front or back countryside!).

The mountains are just an hour away for more serious explorers, as is the local wine regions and numerous caves and castles.

What does the house sitter need to consider before applying for this assignment

- Are you happy to be alone in a relatively remote rural spot?
- Do you like and are you experienced with dogs?
- Do you like and are unafraid of horses?
- Do you enjoy walking?
-Do you have your own transport (bicycles can be loaned) nearest supermarkets are 7km and 12km away.
- Please note, we're in deepest South West France and our nearest airports are Toulouse, Lourdes and Pau. Train stations are Tarbes, Lannemezan and St Gaudens.

Can I bring my own pets?

Yes
Restrictions: Sitter's own sociable (single) dog may be allowed, but would require an earlier arrival to introduce to ours. Please note dogs are not allowed on the furniture or in the bedrooms. The garden can be secured.

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