Yes we are melting. Yes it is humid. Yes the bugs are still not nice. Yes Remus has about ten fans on him most of the time. Some things never change. In a few months I will be bitching about cold and mud probably but for now, nope it is hot. I have a farmer’s tan that starts at my ankle and ends at my shorts (my feet are so white it is not even funny) and my arms are getting burned even with 60 sunscreen on. This sun here is not joking around.
Remus may be in the cool (relative cool) in the barn in front of fans but Mark and I worked outside a lot this weekend. And it was a bit warm. As in Sahara desert warm. HA.
But I digress. There was a show Friday night which I didn’t go to but we rode out to the one on Saturday. The facility is gorgeous but that is about all I know. because why? Oh they were charging a gate fee. I had found out earlier in the day it was a championship show and only had barrels and poles so I wasn’t going to haul in but thought it would be nice to maybe meet some people and look at some pretty horses. The lady at the gate was so rude. She was sitting by the gate and getting up huffing (Sorry I made you get out of your lawn chair)I said to Mark whoops I guess there is a charge (Nothing on their website or anywhere mind you). And neither Mark nor I had any cash at all on us. Whomp Whomp. So I said to the woman very nicely (I have to add that), Oh we are new to the area and just checking things out there is an entry fee? She snapped it was 5 dollars and I said oh I have no cash and she pretty much directed me to turn around there. Umm first off I just said I am new. I know we would have been there tops 20 minutes with me having Mark with me. Cut me some slack lady. I was not impressed.
First off I am never doing barrels and poles with my horse. Second we are just figuring out the places around here. Well I won’t be back to that particular organization. I am hoping the one on Friday nights is a bit nicer. If nothing else at least their website and Facebook page is up to date. The show on Saturday night had a great turn out too would have loved to stay but it put both me and Mark off how she acted. Like if you are volunteering to man the gate, you might want to have a personality or at least be friendly?
BUT ANYWAY then I was in a dither. I STILL HAD NOT RIDDEN MY HORSE. It was almost dark so we went home via Dairyqueen and got some ice cream (we never had dinner after working outside and I had to drown my sorrows in ice cream).
So Sunday morning even though it was hot already at 730 am I was determined to ride my horse. I tacked him up (side eye from Remus seriously when the tack came out) and then loaded lunge line, lunge whip, mounting block, etc. in the side by side and Remus and I moseyed out to the front field. The flies were bad but I sprayed him a lot and while we ride though they dive bombed us they didn’t really attach so win win?
I lunged him first (since I hadn’t climbed on him in a month? two months? who knows?) but he was a good boy. He is so fat he can’t really rebel too much but just in case I stuck him on the lunge line. Where you can see how wild he was. HA and how fat he is.
Then I put his bridle on, put my helmet on (DYING BY THEN FROM HEAT) and put my foot in the stirrup and climbed on. And he did nothing. We walked up and down the hills at first (it was shadier there) and he was pretty much whatever.
So wild (not) so skeptical (yes). He was so good we were on the buckle hacking around. I dug my phone out of my boot and snapped a few photos that all look alike. But I rode!!
After that I tucked my phone in my boot where it remained near my ankle the rest of the ride so no more photos while riding. Oops.
But we trotted up in the flat part and we even cantered a bit. HOWEVER I COULD NOT GET FAT BUCKSKIN to canter to the left. We cantered quite a bit to the right but I had no spurs and he knew it. Brat. He was very very good with the trotting and the cantering we did do. It was getting lethally hot by then so I decided to unclip the gate while on him (how that happened so easily I don’t know) then was going to walk him down the road. Two things happened then. NO, I didn’t fall off LOL! I would have opened with that! But the horseflies approached in droves by then (it was getting really hot) and as we walked down the road one our neighbors was doing something with metal that clanged every minute or so. Remus was sure an Iron Giant was out to get him so we decide to end that part of the hack pretty soon. He was very well mannered at turning back and letting me get off so even though he was looky he wasn’t stupid. Yay horse.
I was exhausted and so was he. He got a nice cool bath before being tucked into his stall in front of his zillion fans and I went inside to get in the a/c. BUT I RODE!! I also have a new barn to check out for lessons this week and hopefully will be signing up for lessons there after visiting them. It is a hunter jumper barn but I gotta take what I can find! 🙂
So not the weekend I expected but a good weekend (albeit exhausting weekend) nonetheless! Now to get on my horse again this week. I think next time I will go out even earlier. How was everyone else’s weekend??
Fat Buckskin in a Little Suit 
One local and main annual show here got super aggressive in its social media posts, flyers and even tickets and calls to make general enquiries came with a fierce ALL HORSEBOXES AND TRAILERS WILL BE CHECKED ON THE GATE TO ENSURE ALL GUESTS PAY ADMISSION!!
Fair enough cos they can’t fork out the costs for holding and putting on a huge show like that and have everyone come in for free but it was the way they went about that put everyone’s nose bang of joint. Like the lady you thoughtlessly made to get up out of her lawn chair – just rude and unnecessary.
Morning of the show I was there early to help setup for the dog display team and funniest thing was seeing little rebels breaking the new law right under their nose.
A 7.5t horsebox rolled up at the main gates, two guys hammered on the back like border patrol officers “Open up please we need to check all horses and passengers!!”
Whilst they jumped in the back turning over hay-nets and inspecting buckets for sign of stowaways, about seven people tiptoed in, walked alongside the horsebox and right inside the main grounds.
I sent a text to friend laughing about it all,she sent it and they sent it and there were little streams of people just walking right in cos the stewards were too busy in the back of a single horse trailer seeing if maybe they’d squeezed another in somewhere.
I get that you can’t run a show without charging admission to cover the cost but just don’t be an arse about it and you’re far more likely to get everyone’s support.
Good for you on riding. Seems such a simple thing to most but when you’ve been away or maybe nervous on a newbie it’s not always that easy.
You did it. BOOOSH!!! Job Done 😀
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The heat right now is intense. I rode at 830 this morning and still nearly got heat stroke in the hour I rode. It won’t be too much longer though. August is the worst month. It’s downhill from here!
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Ooosh no. I had a hissy fit last week cos the temperature hit 19 degrees at one pint – NINETEEN!!!!
In Northern England that’s like being inside the inflamed bowel of Satan.
Fans on – doors open – dogs in small paddling pool outside to cope with the crippling heat.
In all seriousness whatever your heat tolerance and preference when you are literally sweating the second you get out of a freezing cold power shower you’re in a world of hurt.
I hose off and make lots of sheltered spots for horses they don’t like rugs anyway but sometimes I see others looking ready to drop in summer and fly sheets but it looks horrible 😦
We have a little minor fall out getting fly repellent on one but we get it over with quickly cos it’s gonna happen so the sooner we do it, the sooner I’ll let them out and turn on the nice water horse.
Must be awful for animals living in blazing heat 😦
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I realized you lived in England right? My husband’s parents and sister live there and it has been warm for them over there. I think horses do adjust to it but I am pretty sure Remus would like to move into our spare bedroom. He is a delicate flower HA!
Yes Remus has days when he doesnt want his fly mask on or fly spray. I am like really? Also the fly sheets are great but I have still not found ONE that doesn’t lather him up when it is so hot out. So often he stays up rather than out. One way to make sure he isn’t eating too much grass!! And you guys dont have much a/c over there stay cool!
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Aww bet your poor lad is cheesed off. I’m like a bear with sore arse in anything other rain, mud and drizzle 😦
Years ago we used to go picking wild garlic and stuff in woodland areas for a natural repellent. Vile smell it was putrid but we’d crush finely, dollop on a body brush, good one even layer on and out they went naked and stinking but never bothered in summer.
My husband was at one point fettling some simple hose pipe thing like an automatic drinks dispenser thing but it allowed more water and acted like a sprinkler but we had to move off later that year so it was never fitted.
Sure his plan was to run it from two water tanks round the back of the stables so it didn’t cost but I’ll ask him about later it might be something really simple you could set up too and keep Remus all nice and cool
That’s the beauty of being married to engineers they know how to build rockets out baling twine and marbles 😀
I’ll come back to you later.
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$5 to watch barrels and poles? NOPE. The attitude of the lady in the lawn chair would’ve turned me away, too. Hooray for riding and not dying! P also knows when I don’t have spurs on and takes full advantage. Good luck with the H/J barn!
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Ew, I wouldn’t go back there either. I don’t think any of our shows charge admission around here… Just the Big E, but that’s a huge fair as well. Maybe they should to offset some of the ridiculous feed we’re all paying to show up! I’m with you, not a big deal if it’s posted somewhere so you’re prepared. She could have at least been nice about it.
Glad you finally got to ride! Hope you can keep it up!
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The only time I ever pay to watch a horse show if it’s a charity horse show and I know the $ is going to a good cause, though sometimes I still slip in the groom’s entrance haha! Glad you were able to sneak a ride in!
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Hey congrats! You did the thing! Yeah I would’ve ditched the show too.
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yayyyy for riding tho 😉
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