Jody Strand Clinic - Getting There

I arrived home from Tulsa Tuesday just before noon. The clinic started Saturday morning at 8 am at a facility about a half hour down the back roads from my farm. That meant there would be no Mickey D's on the way to grab a bite. I had to get up even earlier if I wanted to eat.

Considering how far behind on sleep I already was, I'm not really sure why I got it into my head that I needed to attend this clinic. I think it had to do with the fact Jody Strand had done a clinic for Daffodil the year before and I'd missed that one. I think it's the first time ever that I missed a Daffodil clinic other than the one done of showing sport horses in hand. (a clinic I now regret not attending.) Folks had said a lot of nice things about the Jody Strand clinic so I guess I wanted to see for myself.

Then there was the fact that last year my friend, Crystal Baker, spent a month at Jody Strand's training facility. She wanted to update her western pleasure skills for the Arabian show ring. She came home raving about Jody Strand. Crystal is like me. She is a tough critic and a kind hand. If she liked Jody Strand that much he was probably the kind of trainer I would like.

Also I really wanted some added input on Legs. Both Angie and Richard thought he was going well but I still wasn't happy. I was having trouble getting the horse to commit to the bridle and carry himself. I thought an outside opinion might be helpful in determining just what the issue was. I've learned from times past that those fresh eyes can see things those of us close to the situation miss.

I'd been mulling over attending this clinic long before I went to nationals. From the time they had confirmed Jody Strand would be returning for a second year, I had wanted to take a horse. The only reason I hadn't signed one up was my trip to Tulsa. I wasn't sure what that would cost me in the end and I didn't want to short myself. I left the clinic on my "wish list."

I figured if they still had a slot available when I returned, then it was probably meant to be. To be honest I really tested this theory. I didn't even call to see if they had room for me until Thursday night and then I only took one space but asked about two. I was told the clinic was full after my one horse was accepted. There were a couple slots at the end of the last day that could be filled if necessary. The guy running the clinic was hoping that would not be necessary. Me, I was hoping I could take a second horse.

I have always been a light sleeper and rarely am I able to sleep during the day. Even though my tail was dragging, I was not doing much napping during the day and only getting eight hours at night. I was getting in a power nap here and there during the day but certainly not enough for me to catch up on my much needed lost sleep.

I did, however, feel better during the day than I had during the drive home. I think that sense of "better" lulled me into thinking I was back to normal. Looking back, I was far from normal by the weekend.

Another thing I had not considered was how tired my horse might be. I was dragging so much I really hadn't thought about my horse along those same lines. I knew he was safe in his stall and happy to be home. I guess in my head it meant that he was fine. I'd checked to see how he was doing but more along the lines of how all the horses were doing.......not looking at him differently like a horse that had just completed a long, stressful trip. It just hadn't occurred to me that Legs might not be recovered by the weekend.

Looking back I don't remember what I had done those fourteen years ago when Dandy and I arrived home. I think I'd given him a couple of days of stall rest before turning him out with other horses. I don't remember Dandy showing me any telling signs that he was exhausted.

That trip to Albuquerque had been nearly one thousand miles shorter than my trip home from Tulsa. I guess I just didn't realize there was that much difference in the distance between the two trips or that my horse would be more affected by the additional distance. Before the weekend was over I'd have a new perspective on this.

To be continued..............

A Cold Cold Morning



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