D-Day Begins........

 Part 1 of the Black Years
It is normal for me to awake in such intense pain that it is hard to think, let alone do anything, but the day the people from Florida came was unusually awful. With the way I had abused my body getting my farm and my Arabian horses ready, all the muscles in my body ached but my abdominal muscles were particularly sore and the nerve endings were screaming from irritation.

With the people not due until late afternoon, I took the time to perform my usual morning ritual for pain. There really was no way I could get right to work, even though that is what I would have preferred. Instead I had to take my morning medication and pile myself under a mound of blankets and wait for the drugs to kick in.

Because I had pushed myself well beyond my limits, I knew I could not hope for much relief but the added heat could only help my aching muscles. I gave myself the two hours that would normally get me to the point I could think about something other than how badly I hurt and hoped for the best. 

The mountain of throws and blankets I buried myself under did the best job they could under the circumstances. My pain was too intense to diminish but the blankets did restore warmth to my ravaged body. That in itself was enough of a relief that I was able to get to my feet so I could attack the day facing me.

Dave and Lindsay were doing the regular barn chores so everything would be presentable and I took care of the horses myself. My first line of business was to check the status of all my horses.

The usual culprits had stains to be addressed and I had a few with knots in their manes. With the people not due at the airport until noon, I figured I had at least until sometime after 2 before they could possibly get here factoring in the time it would take to pick up their luggage, rent a car and make the drive here.  That gave me some time to get things done right.

Since the weather was nice I decided I would turn out most of the horses. It would be easier for the people to get a good look at them outside than cooped up in their stalls. I couldn't put all of the stallions out but I could do a couple of them. The stallions are animated wherever they are so those in their stalls would still make an impression. With my electric fence now repaired I could put one stallion in the paddock in front of my house and geldings in the field next to him. Then I could put Legs in the round pen with his mares around him. Since he has grown up dealing with this, he is fine. The rest of the mares I split between the other two fields. All of this should give these folks a pretty good idea of what kinds of minds these horses have as well as their conformation and talent.

There were some muddy  spots in those fields or paddocks that always beckon the horses for a hearty roll. To counter against this I rinsed the horses that needed it and returned them to their stalls until they were dry. The warm morning quickly dried the horses except for the parts that collect water, under-belly, lower legs, and underneath their manes mostly but I thought those parts would dry quicker outside in the sun.

To keep the horses from rolling in the muddy areas,  I laid out piles of hay, spaced to not cause disputes, and turned the horses out. Because grass is sparse, the horses all think the hay is some kind of special treat and each is too worried he/ she will miss out if a claim is not immediately staked out over a favored pile. That pretty much saved me  from delighted ponies rolling and destroying all my hard work.

If any did roll it was hard to tell. Their coats were so slick and shiny and the day so warm, the mud must have dried immediately and the resulting dust quickly slid off. I didn't have to redo a single horse because of rolling outside although I did add more hay to assure they all stayed occupied munching hay until they were thoroughly dry.

Of course none of the grey mares had looked particularly clean when I checked them but Faye was the worst.  She just happened to be our queen for the day and she looked like she hadn't been cleaned up at all. I decided to deal with her thinking that would be my best shot at having her look good when our guests arrived.

Lots of the horses looked just fine so I had put those horses out while the other horses were drying. If I came across a horse with a tangled mane, I brushed it out before I turned that horse out. I checked my watch regularly gauging my progress against what I had left.

I thought I was making great progress until my cell phone rang. It was just after noon but my visitors weren't calling from the airport. They were just a few miles down the road. They wanted to know if it was ok if they arrived in about ten minutes.

To be continued.....

Are We Ready Yet?