Giving that Hemi a WORKOUT!

The truck had its maiden pull on Saturday, and it hauled again today, TWICE. I freaking LOVE it. It pulls "like buddah," just like Daun said it would. It honestly feels like you're not even pulling anything at all. It's truly a perfect workhorse, exactly what I've been needing. I made around $200 hauling a horse to and from a dressage show yesterday and today, AND I did it while on the clock cause my boss didn't feel like making a second trip back for him, lol. I need to get a picture of Patron all hooked up - it's been hooked up all weekend and I never even bothered to unhitch it.

Gogo had Saturday off, seeing as I really was too busy to even consider riding, and it worked out perfectly as her day off instead of today. She got to stay out for about 5 hours, but was pretty insistant that she wanted to come in by 11. Too bad, you stay out there! She sometimes doesn't believe in the great outdoors, I think, especially when it's a little muggy and a little buggy. I got to handwalk her once for 20 minutes, but never got to do her second handwalk or her groom. Instead, I trailered Harley all over god's creation and immediately rushed back home, left Patron and trailer in the driveway, finished feeding and doing PM chores, and while I had missed the Rolex coverage on TV, I did get to see the Superfilly tromp the boys in the Preakness! I have to say though, Mine That Bird is really for real. He had a terrible trip and had to come WAY wide around everyone - no zooming up the inside this time - and he was still second and closing really fast. Had the race been a hair longer, he would have beaten her. Amazing... a $9500 nobody gelding, who would have thought.

Once again today, I went out to the showgrounds and fetched good old Harley, who did a wonderful job trekking his mother around for her first real rated show in less than ideal footing - he's 19, a retired big time jumper with wonky suspensories, and he's just the sweetest thing ever. I ended up back at home at around 4:15, just in time to help feed and finish up chores before grooming Gogo and tossing her butt back on the trailer, the engine not even cool yet. We headed out again to the Larkin Bridle Trails, where it was gloomy, gray and chilly, and completely deserted. Our 10 minutes of walk warmup was interrupted by around ten million little shrieking adorable kids, all of which came sprinting at high speed en masse towards my thankfully sensible mare. The loudest and fastest of them, who I asked nicely to slow down, then went on to tell me how she rides horses AT A TROT, and she knows everything about them (my guess was she was about 8). When I said I was off for a two hour hack, she promptly told me, "Oh, I ride for two hours. I maybe even ride for MORE than two hours. I maybe ride for THREE. I ride maybe the biggest horse in the barn. I can TROT him. I ride him sometimes without a SADDLE. Or a BRIDLE. Or my HANDS." Sure you do. Cheeky kid.

The trail was, as always, gorgeous. It's getting greener and more lush as summer steadily creeps in, and the footing was great even though we had some really heavy rain early this morning. Gogo was great, but after all that time in the car, I was not. I was stiff and was posting so crookedly that it almost felt like it was Gogo that was uneven. A bit panicked, I got up in half seat, and then switched diagonals - phew, it's not her, it's just me posting violently over to the left. My back is completely out of alignment, and that isn't helping matters. We went on for 25 minutes of trot without meeting a single other soul, and then walked the rest of the way home. The ride ended up being more like 2:10, but that's all right. Except it kind of was twilight and pretttttty dark by the time we were done. Oh well, you do what you have to do get your conditioning in!

All that money I earned trailering horses is going to be put to good use this weekend - one of our boarders and I are going to have a mini-vaca on Friday and Saturday, and I CAN'T WAIT. On Friday, I'm trailering both our horses out to her friend Jen's facility, where Kerry Milliken is coming for lessons. Kerry is an Olympian who won the Individual Bronze at the 1996 Atlanta games in eventing, so I'm seriously PSYCHED to get to work with her. We're having a stadium lesson on Friday, and I'm hoping that if we click, I'll be able to go out and ride with her when Town Hill Farm opens their XC course - we could use some XC advice if we're planning on eventually moving up at the end of the year, if all goes well. After that, we get wine and cheese on Jen's porch, and our horses get overnight turnout (vacation!!) in a nice big field. Sleepover at Anne's house, yoga in the morning, and then we'll be off for a day of trail riding and JOY! I seriously can't WAIT, I totally need a break like that!!

Tomorrow, simple gymnastics to loosen her up and to let me focus on improving my position. I am sorry to say that none of you will be seeing my stadium round from King Oak, nor will I be buying any professional pictures, because they're just awful! (Sure, I was totally on edge because I had literally been told that I was in first without a rail in hand AS I was walking into the ring for my round, but that doesn't give me an excuse to override and be sloppy!)