Bootcamp Departure

Echo left for Texas at approximately 6:30 yesterday morning and arrived to Texas before midnight. Sounds like she traveled like the rock star that she is and never really stressed. A will have her in isolation from the other horses for 14 days and then she will slowly be introduced into the herd of mares there.

It's early and I'm suppose to be asleep...

Please excuse my wrap job. Pretty damn good for a 6am job. Also none of my pillow wraps were the right size so I was using what I had since there there was no way around it that early in the day.

Here's the pictures I got from A of their rest breaks on the trip yesterday and one of her relaxing in her stall this afternoon in Texas.

Someone was worried about her nose getting to rubbed.

Lovely Surprise

Monday I was off of work so Colleen and I (George too somewhat), ventured around and went to multiple horse stores. I got royal blue stall chains from Central KY Tack, they're one of few places that carry stable things in kelly green so I'll be going back there to get the full vinyl stall guards next month. Standlee Hay distributor... the store is super simple and small but wow wow wow... I may become a crazy horse owner feeding $30 3 string hay bales after all! 

Then we wandered toward Paris. I took my time driving because the scenery of that drive is second to none. My goal was to get Echo's registration papers or get a bill of sale so I could request duplicates. Neither of those things happened of course so I'm back to a waiting game there. However, I did get to see Lovely Surprise, Echo's 2yo filly by Don't Get Mad.

Her and her pasture mate, a grey filly that's a half sister to a millionaire and by Lemon Drop Kid, were both annoying to the extreme. Lovely Surprise definitely has a lot of her mother's personality but is built a lot like her sire. Both fillies though were more interested in searching our pockets and eating the iPhone instead of standing for a photo.

Her pasture buddy by Lemon Drop Kid

Lovely Surprise is definitely growing. Quite downhill right now but I didn't see any reason why she won't outgrow that. They're keeping her right now to keep the Lemon Drop Kid filly company until she goes off to the track for training. Plan is in the fall they're going to let me know when other filly leaves and I'm going to take Lovely Surprise for 30-60 days. In that time I'll work on ground manners and introduce her to tack. Then I have 2 different friends already interested in taking her from there, possibly a few hunter jumper stables interested too. Also in the time I have her I'll have to work on getting her Jockey Club registration completed. She's been named and things have been processed but her application still shows as 'pending' so who knows what they're waiting for at the farm.

Fingers crossed everything works on getting Echo's papers and eventually taking Lovely Surprise on so she can become a show horse and give her dam a start to progeny records.

Quick Updates - May 25

Today my mind has still weighed heavily thinking of Carlos and still sending lots of virtual hugs to L.  However knowing L had a good drink last night for Carlos, and probably a -few- for herself helps since I know phase 1 of grieving = drinking. Or at least it does in my book. Also I know Carlos is now running in a field of mares and among the racing gods. Who knows maybe he's returned to racing and is having fun having match races with his sire or grandsire.

I'm off tomorrow, work Monday and the rest of the week. These 6 day work weeks are killing me but thankfully this is the final week of them and in June I'm down to normal 5 day weeks. The current supervisor is leaving June 10th and with some desk shuffling I will get my old cubical back. Cannot wait! It's in a quieter location with real walls to separate myself from the frequent chaos among some of the people there. I need a day off during the week so I can make rounds to my favorite KY tack stores. Even if I can't buy anything, I have the overwhelming need to just go see for myself they're still standing and selling things! Quillin's, Fennell's and Central KY Tack & Leather... I AM going to come! 

Also... there's now a Standlee hay store just down the road that apparently sells my hay pellets / cubes way cheaper than a retail store. Gotta check it out. I may have to splurge and buy the duo $30 timothy or orchard grass to mix in with 'normal' hay just to spoil them. Yes those $30 bales are three wire so they are bigger than a 50lb bale. I could probably get away with close to only a bale a month if I feed something else along with it.

Still no idea when I'm going to get my apartment / go back to Michigan and get moving truck / move my cats to KY / anything! It's quite frustrating actually. Last time I got an apartment I moved in the next day. Now they want proof of... everything. 3 paychecks = 6+ weeks to get those as proof of income. Time needs to pass a little faster. I want my cats, my bead and my own bedroom! 

Jenny still may be coming June 5th. Fingers crossed.

Yesterday I texted the barn manager at the farm Echo came from. The previous owner still has her papers since she was gone when Echo was shipped to Michigan. She is going to be back in a week (this woman sure travels a lot for being sick!) so hopefully I can arrange to drive over there and get her papers next weekend. While I'm there I'm going to check out her filly in person! I can't wait to see what Lovely Surprise (her registered name) looks like as a 2 year old. The barn manager told me she's taken after Echo a lot in mentality. I'm -hoping- someway, somehow I can talk to them, find out what has to be finished in her registration process and find her a home where she can be more than a pasture ornament. She's the only 2 year old they didn't send off to training to race because she'd rather be a pet, according to my vet and friend.

The horses get their health certificates done this week on Thursday for the shipper. Last step before moving date! Since I'm still unsure of my full move date the shipper is going to bring ALL my horse stuff now instead of just my tack trunk - thank goodness (and no additional charge).