Easy Bake Oven

When I started this blog, the tagline was "How an almost thirty-year-old perceives her world as a first time horse owner..." Of course when I turned 30 I had to change that tagline. Tomorrow I have another birthday. If you've done your math and paid attention to my posts about Banee and I being the same age... and that she turned 31 in April.... yeah.

This week I'm getting ready for a show. Now that classes are done I am not teaching or in meetings, but I do have a play opening on the 24th so I'm still working, just not as much and more flexible hours than during the school terms. This means I can get out to the barn every day until the show and hopefully get some good work in. It has been so wet here that the outdoor is a lake, the fields are muddy messes. All of the standing water has created a mosquito population that is grotesque. We have also been experiencing humidity more native to late July. On top of that we have the least ventilated arena in the history of riding. There is NO ceiling vent and the only doors are on the North and South ends completely eliminating any chance of a cross-wind. No windows. So the only place I have to ride right now is in a sauna.

Tonight I noticed some dried blood on Junior's left hind leg that was not there yesterday. Not a ton, but enough that I investigated by hosing the leg until I could see the would, felt for heat and sensitivity, and watched him walk and jog to make sure he wasn't showing an lameness. It was not deep or large or swollen and it did not bleed after I hosed it off so I put on some Tri-Care.

The heat in the arena and his leg gave me an excuse to take it easy. We practiced a little showmanship and I was absolutely dripping. Junior didn't break a sweat, but I made sure he had fresh water and turned up his fan.

The best news of the day is that my friend who was my show mom at the show last fall is coming to the show on saturday to help me out! I am SOOOO relieved to have her there. She is AWESOME help and knows how to do everything to prep a horse. This will help me out so much I won't have any excuse for forgetting patterns! Oh I probably shouldn't have said that out loud....