Week 2

welcome to week 2.

This one was a blur. Remember the three horses that showed up? Yeah, and we leased two more. So now we've got ten horses for three grooms. Woo...

This past week was horse exercising every day. Many rounds, four per day at least. Manuel and I did the tacking and cleaning, Elizabeth and Georgette ride. We've managed to start feeding by 7 each day, and finish the riding well in advanc of feeding dinner at 4.

Morning routines, since I can't remember if I elaborated and don't feel like looking, are dumping the feed from small buckets set out the night before into their stalls, picking stalls, dumping two buckets per horse out and refilling them with water, raking/sweeping the isle, medications if necessary, setting out tack to ride, cleaning/dusting/organizing the tack/sitting area, and beginning to tack horses. Then it's hand horses off to riders, get the next set ready, and turn out the ones that aren't currently working in our single paddock. Horses get 30 min to an hour alone in the turnout. When they're done being ridden and turned out, they get their legs washed, stand until dry, and anyone who did major school jumping gets either poltuced or alcoholed, feet packed with some red pastey stuff and wrapped with standing wraps. I'm trusted to know how to do this, so I feel a little happy. Sometimes elizabeth will have me come to the ring and set jumps when she is schooling over them, which is so far the most I've gotten to watch and learn by listening to what she says and observing her.

Back at the barn, Manuel is a hoot. I'm learning all the little things to make life easier when the show starts. For instance, if you've got a moment, go through the barn and put poop piles under the buckets so they don't get torn apart and are easier to pick later. Rubbing alcohol erases sweat stains. As soon as a bit comes out of a mouth, rinse it in water so they don't get dry and crusted. Small buckets and leather soap are located in each of the two grooming stalls under the bridle hooks to clean all tack when it's done being used. Bridles after they're off their last horse, saddles after the last horses. End of the day is putting all tack away, cleaning up the grooming area, washing and putting away boots (everyone gets galloping boots and bell boots to go out and to be ridden), and general straightening up and locking everything in the trunks.

At this point, we're basically finished cleaning and putting away. Feeding is about 4pm, no earler but will be later when showing runs late. Most supplements are fed in the night, unless it's both a morning and evening supplement. I got officially put in charge of food, supplements, and medications, but everyone's kinda helping out. Stalls get picked, horses get hay if needed, and water too. Then once their feed is in their buckets (dumped from individual buckets dosed out in the feed room), the small buckets come back and get their morning feed and supplements and get stacked away. Blankets get put on if necessary, then we go home by 5. At this point, I'll take a shower, go out to dinner or make it at home, and sleep by about 8 or 9.

Extra tasks i took on this week were a trip to the farrier when Lennon threw a shoe (immediately after he threw it in the paddock on his first day off) and a trip to the vet yesterday for Chique for a sore back. Vet and farrier are about a 10 minute walk across the grounds. The shoe was easy... tack it back on, no foul. Chique ended up getting 4-6 shots in her spine.... ewwwwww.... and some shots to be given subq. for 5 days. My job.

I got put in charge of 3 horses: Lennon, Anton, and one of the leased ones named Wildcat. Lennon is a pushy gelding who has been there, done that in the hunter ring. He likes to walk through cross ties and has the thickest longest tail here. He's thicker, more pony-shaped in a nice way of saying chunkey. Anton is owned by a girl named Alexa who does the childrens' hunters, and just started riding with Elizabeth in October, so this is her first show with her. Anton is a chicken, to put it nicely, and will spook onto you if you're leading him and he sees anything unnatural. He's not mean, but just scared. Wildcat is a gorgeous jumper with the biggest feet. He's appparently horribly uncomfortable to ride, but is cool to jump. He's also sweet and apparently used to being new places, but needs to be led (not ridden) to the ring, so I get to walk him up each day. He also wears a hairnet over his nose to keep out dust.

Overall this week was a bit of a blur. Fast paced, much of the same every day. I got the joyous task of dumping and refilling water buckets each morning. Not exactly going to jump for joy for the next 6 weeks, but oh well. Got homesick earlier than I've ever gotten when away from home... took a total of a week and a bit, and I usually last much longer. I think it's watching the riding, and the horses, and missing doing it myself, and missing my horses. When you're around them so much all the time, it's hard not to remember what you left behind. I miss my horses and my friends much much more and much much sooner than I expected, but the shows start wednesday so as busy as I've been, it'll get much busier and I won't have time to remember.