It's Been A Whirlwind Of A Week.......

And the week's not over yet!

Wow! I have been so crazy busy, it's not even funny! I am working 10+ hour days, and I already have in 40 hours, with two more days to go! The reason why we have been so busy at work is because we have so many people coming in to look at horses that they are interested in. That is what happens after U.S. Nationals. Prospective buyers see horses they like from the show, and they want to set up appointments to come take a look. On top of that, 2 big name trainers have come into the barn to look for prospects for their clients. So those of you that are in the Arabian Horse industry might know of Jeff Schall and Joel Keisner. That is the reason for working so many hours. We have had to get a lot of horses ready to show to the trainers, and it isn't stopping there! Both Jeff and Joel are really nice, and it sure was fun to meet other top Arabian Horse trainers, that I have only read about in Arabian magazines!

Besides all that crazy stuff, I have decided to share a few things that I have learned since I have started working in the Arabian Horse industry. I have been around horses for 16+ years, but surprisingly there are a lot of things I didn't know how to do. The reason being is that I have never shown Arabian horses. Yes, I have a half Arab, but I don't show her, and yes, I have always loved Arabs, but didn't realize all that went into showing them. When I showed my Appaloosa, I made sure she was bathed, clipped and ready to go. But I never did any breed shows, I showed in 4-H and open shows. There is a huge difference in the levels of showing, which I know are so different, but I guess I never realized how much different.

So, what have I learned, you ask?

Well, I have learned to do a face clip. Yes, I know how to clip, but I only clip muzzles, bridle paths, ears and legs. I have never done a face clip before, but I do now. It actually isn't too hard, as long as the horse stands still, which most of them do until you get to their ears. For those of you that know Arabians, you know there is a specific way they get their faces clipped. One of the reasons for the face clip is for all the makeup that is applied for showing, besides making their faces really standout. Yes, I put makeup on horses. That is something else I have learned. How to apply makeup to a horse. And when I say makeup, I mean literally, makeup! We have had to put mascara on a gray halter horse! Apparently white eyelashes aren't in style!

I remember in my showing days, after I bathed my horse, I would braid her tail and put it in an old sock. I am sure this was before tail bags were invented! But we don't use tail bags. Once the Arabians tails are washed, conditioned and dried, we braid them, then the braid gets looped around and around, then we use "tail wrap" to wrap around the braid. This holds the tail up, so no tail breakage occurs. Most of these Arabs have tails that, when they are let down, drag the ground a few feet, if not more!

One really cool thing I got to see, was when a vet came out to do a pre-purchase exam on a horse that won Reserve National Champion at U.S. Nationals. I was the one that handled the horse for the vet. Besides all the running I had to do after the flexion testing (oh goodness, my poor knees!!) was the x-rays. I have never had to have a horse x-rayed (thank goodness!) or have seen it done before, besides seeing and reading about it in magazine articles. What was really cool, was when they shot an image, it showed up right away on the computer screen, and I got to see all the images! Now that was pretty cool! This horse is only 3 years old, so all the images looked really good. But the vets did talk and compare against a 16 yr old horse, and even 4 yr old reining horses.

I will have a very busy weekend. I have hockey games after work, both Friday and Saturday. I still don't know if I have to go into work on Sunday for the "prospective" buyers.

I also have had to give up on volunteering at the animal rescue organization. It was becoming too much with working so many hours. I wasn't getting any "me" time. Actually, I haven't been getting any time at all! But after talking to the volunteer coordinator, they are going to leave my name on their list, so if I can come in, or feel like I can come in, then I can just go in and help them out, whenever I can fit them into my busy schedule!

I will do a Chance update next week. I only got to work with her once this week, in the pouring rain. This dreaded rain is getting so bad, that I really want to move! Arizona, here I come! (or anywhere that is sunny and warm!) But I did make some progress with her on that one day, and I am hoping to get 2 days of work with her on my days off, if I get any days off! So stay tuned!