Last Tuesday Mark announced that he may have a job in Aiken, SC. Wednesday evening it was definite, and he was to leave on Saturday. Having just spent 24 hours "camping" with Fancy I knew of all the things needed for 1 horse and 1 human. Consider what is needed for 5 horses and 1 human, plus the fact that it would be for at least 5 months, and Mark really wasn't sure what would be provided at his destination other that an apartment, 12 stall barn, and 10 acres of paddocks. He didn't even know if there were buckets in the stalls, or how cold the weather might get-should he bring blankets and rainsheets? Lists were made and items gathered, packed, piled, inventoried and washed. The trailer also had to go into the garage so the tires and brakes could be checked. We weren't sure if Divine Brown should travel that distance with her "bad" knee, so our veterinarian came by and performed a lameness evaluation on DB. Fortunately, she passed the exam, and we were informed that the warmer weather would actually be very helpful for her arthritis.It would be a 17 hour drive, so he needed someone to help drive. The first 2 people that agreed to go backed-out. Luck was on our side when Marks brother-in-law volunteered to go along on the trip. Tom and I were quite relieved as Joe has driven the truck and trailer in the past, was very good handling the horses, and had mechanical knowledge.
Because Joe would need someway to get back "North", airline reservations had to be made. Keep in mind that we had only 2 days to get everything done. It was a monumental task, but somehow everything fell into place. Horses were loaded at 2:30 AM Saturday, and off everyone went. Wow!! I had forgotten how easy it is to care for only 2 horses! I feel like I'm on vacation!
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