The Redhead looking very red.
I always look forward to December....for me it typically means that the work load at my day job is a bit lighter, the ponies are all freshly clipped and we get to enjoy riding in cooler temperatures. I was rather envisioning that packing up all of Farrah's finery and assorted gear would happen in nice cool weather at a pace I could enjoy. Apparently the gods above want to make sure I am way off base, because that is not what has transpired this December.
I booked one Dressage TD gig at White Fences (14/15), but I didn't really worry as Farrah was scheduled to leave the 5th of December to join Sinead Halpin Eventing in Ocala. After a few phone emails and calls we realized Sinead will be at the USEA convention, and moved Farrah's trip to Ocala to the 9th. No problem, everything was still trucking along as I slowly wash and pack various items in the trailer so that nothing super important gets left behind.
I booked a clinic with Lisa Barry for my farm on December 8th. I was super excited to ride with Lisa and managed to fill the clinic with 12 rides! Then I get a phone call from a friend in Orlando, the TD that she hired can't come because they worked the same dates for the past two years and USEF requires show managers to vary their TD's, so by the way can you come to Clarcona to work 7/8? Now I have to miss my own clinic and there goes the weekend time I had set aside to finish packing for Farrah!
I was still feeling super organized on Wednesday, while working on a lovely property in south Florida (field biologist), when I got a phone call from Canada. Lee (a dressage rider and person interested in one of my young horses) called and had found out a friend was going to FL and oh, by the way, they could transport Connor back to Canada with them on the 15th. Could I possibly get the export papers together and arrange vetting and get him to Port Canaveral for a 6am departure on the 15th? I am pretty sure I answered "Sure, no problem" but in reality I was thinking "Wait, what and OMG! This will never happen in time."
My fantastic vet met me that night at 8pm to fill out USDA paperwork for a one way equine border crossing. Thankfully, Connor's coggins is less than six months old and with luck, his USDA paperwork will be back by Wednesday of next week. At this point, I was still wondering how on earth I am going to get a yearling from my farm in Plant City to Port Canaveral (or some close by farm) while working in Loxahatchee, not to mention I have yet to finish packing Farrah's stuff or laundering her blankets! I was already using some vacation time on Monday to deliver Farrah, and asking my non-horsey husband to load and deliver a baby who has trailered a whopping three times in his life seemed like a lot to ask! Once again, I totally lucked out in that one of my college aged boarders has a birthday the weekend of the 14/15 and is planning on going home to visit family. She also owns a truck and trailer and lives 20 minutes from the Port! Another college boarder at the farm dates a young man whose mother just happens to have a quarter horse breeding facility also near the Port, so not only does Connor have a ride to the east side of the state, he has overnight lodging! I am still not sure how we managed to pull all this together, but it actually looks like it might work!
Now all I have to do is finish packing the Redhead's gear, with a Christmas Parade tonight (daughter is singing on a float) and working the Clarcona show all day Saturday and Sunday, while missing out on my own clinic with Lisa. When we hit the road with Farrah around noon on Monday it will be short of a miracle if I don't leave something behind.
Somehow next week I need to find time to remind a yearling he does actually load in a trailer, after delivering the Redhead to Sinead. I get to work something like 20 straight days by working the White Fences show, so if you see me after the 15th and are wondering where the farm Christmas decorations are, I hope to get around to it before the New Year!
I am looking forward to meeting Sinead and crew, seeing friends at the Clarcona and White Fences shows, and as my daughter says, "GAME ON".
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