Ummm... Bif....

I think I found what your mother is looking for.

Muphfm.....mpfftthhhh.....wffggh.....!

Distractions

Usually, when we go for rides, we're all alone. Today Face-Off was also being ridden.

It was a little distracting at first (uh oh, here he comes again)

And I didn't want to get too close to him while I was working, because he has been known to be very grouchy and try to kick my butt.

So I kept a careful eye on him, and gave him his space. (whew, he went past)


I did get a little "animated" in my canter because I was a little excited to have company. But I was very well behaved, and earned double celery!

Where do people go?

I've just been pondering this existential question. When Brita isn't here... where is she? When Mom isn't here, she's down at her barn. I can see it from here. If she isn't waiting on me hand and hoof, she's down there. If I bang on the walls and yell, she comes popping out the door to see what I want.

But Brita puzzles me a bit more. She is only here for a few hours at a time, and there can be disturbingly long gaps between appearances. And when she comes she brings a lot of food and equipment. Where does that come from? Does she make it? And if she does make it, why is there sometimes a celery shortage? How does she get my jammies to smell like flowers?

And where do the other horses go? I haven't seen Ace in weeks. He got in the scary horse transporter device, and he hasn't been heard from since. Copy get's in the transporter quite often. She goes and she comes back. Then she goes again. And comes back. Every time someone gets in one of those things it really worries me. I bang on the walls and holler and run around. Sometimes Mom puts me in my room and closes all the doors, but I can still see out my window.

Maybe Copy knows how to operate the device. Maybe she's going somewhere with unlimited clover and shady trees and carrots. Maybe the reason Ace has been gone so long is because something went wrong and he's caught in a parallel universe and can't get back. Youngsters shouldn't try stuff like that until they're older and wiser. These are the things that worry me. Maybe he's been eaten by a space monster. Every time I've gotten in that thing, I've always ended up somewhere new and strange and never made it back to the starting point. Well the last few times we've made it back, but I'm not sure how it happens so it makes me uneasy.

Showing Horses in the Heat

**Editor Interruption**

Mom said to me yesterday, as we were sitting on tack trucks eating sherbet, "Aren't you glad we aren't at a horse show in this heat?" I reminded her that the Lexington Jr. League Horse Show is this week. Not only am I glad I'm not sitting there in a heat wave (because I've experienced that joy before) but can you imagine hauling this rig all the way from California to Lexington, Kentucky and outfitting it? Even the headers were dressed as clowns! Thank God it didn't rain! Michele McFarlane always goes above and beyond the call of duty, and she has a grand imagination and the budget to back it up.

This is Michele McFarlane's circus wagon which I understand will represent the American Saddlebred breed in exhibitions at the World Equestrian Games. Michele is driving, and that looks like Don Trunk sitting beside her. Yes, I know Michele has a staff to help with these things but WoW! Just....WoW!

More photos of the Concourse D'Elegance can be found on Howie Schatzberg's site. Go to Thursday Evening Class 202 and click on any individual photo to see an enlarged version.

This is my favorite... Awesome! This is 2007 World's Champion Five Gaited horse Casey's Final Countdown who Michele imported from South Africa.

You will probably also enjoy the Four in Hand Coaching class below it.

Now I guess I'll have to check the results to see if any of Grey's brother's or sisters were showing.

** Update** Grey's big brother Preston won the Stallion/Gelding Fine Harness class. Good Luck Preston in the Championship!!

I'm Melting...melting....

At what temperature does horse begin to melt? How about sizzle?
It’s so awfully hot and I feel sticky. The flies are bitey and the grass is either dry and tasteless or wilted and tasteless.

Every one is cranky. Today Brita tied me to the wall again and attacked me with a water hose. She claims to have only wanted to shampoo my tail, but I admit I still have some trouble standing still when tied, and the situation escalated until I was soaking wet from my ears to my toes, and there was a dry, horse-shaped spot on the arena wall. Everything else in the vicinity was soaking wet.

Once I realized it was only water, I felt better about it, and even splashed it with my lips. It didn’t feel half bad. But afterwards I had drippies running down my legs and pooling under my tummy and it made me itchy and wiggly all over again. My tail did turn out fluffy and white.

Another big problem is that the wind machines are stalking me and blowing their hot breath on me every where I go. It makes me nervous.