Monday is always a difficult day to blog. I mean, it’s the horses day off almost everywhere in the world isn’t it? I have had Monday or part of Monday off for almost my whole life, it’s a ‘do nothing’ day. But then do nothing usually just means do no barn chores, show entries, paperwork, accounting, telephoning and picking up shopping doesn’t count. Even riding sometimes sneaks into a Monday without my noticing.
In the barns, the trunks that came back from Florida were unpacked and put away, paddock fencing gets fixed, the tack room gets a good clean as does the viewing lounge, the feed room and the arena. There is always a list as long as your arm of things to be done in any stable, it’s not just here, it’s every barn I have ever worked in. There are never enough days in the week or hours in the day around horses, perhaps that’s why it is never boring.
Show entries, Balsam Hall riders show schedule, how are we all getting to the shows. who is going to be working on show days, what shows do certain horses get entered for…it’s started. While Anne Marie and Selena are in Florida I am a bit oblivious to ‘showing’ in the winter, but as soon as Anne Marie is home, even before Rolex, there is a great deal of show organizing gets done. There are usually at least 25 horses in the barn and it seems that every year more of them want to go to all different levels of shows and events. We are an eclectic bunch and between us we cover a lot of territory across southern Ontario and down the Eastern seaboard with a few swings through Quebec and over to Kentucky. NOT including Selena and Woody who travel the world.
I spend a good part of each Monday cuddling with my dogs. Dogs and horses just go together, they compliment each other. I know I am lucky to have both in my life. Then there is the inevitable barn cat. Do any of them ever catch mice? I know ours is absolutely useless. She is far better at being everyone’s pet. She likes to meet and greet everyone who arrives but don’t expect her to chase those nasty vermin, she is far too much of a lady.
I was taking a good look at Rummy today. He is a little underweight from his long haul home and the excitement of being at The Fork for a week. I might give him a course of RegenerEQ. I find it settles the digestion and helps them gain weight while in work. He is already on Biotic 8 and he gets Gastra FX before he is ridden to help eliminate the rise in stomach acid when you put the bit in his mouth. He is glossy and carrying a lovely topline so I am quite happy that we have him on the correct feed, Trimax from Purina Agribrands. I am going to add some boiled Flax seed and spring grass to bring him up into show condition.
This is Rummy yesterday enjoying a hack with Anne Marie
