Mobility

I'm loving life with a trailer.  I want to go somewhere?  I go!  There's a very local schooling show next weekend, I'm going to pop out and do a T3 test.  It's good practice.  Is anyone else from the barn going?  I dunno, but it doesn't matter.  I can go!  I can take my horse wherever I want, whenever I want.  Trail riding on the big network I used to ride with Fi?  Sure.  Pop out for a clinic?  Done.  The world is my oyster.

Living with a trailer is also a complete pain in the ass.

I still can't turn the damn thing around.  The hubby pivots it around after I get home because he likes me and doesn't want to watch me implode or set my new trailer on fire.  I turn around in the Ritz at the barn.  I can back up and do so to turn around when at Mary's, but I'm generally a straight ahead trailer driver.  Backing out onto a road is an absolute no go.

It took me thirty damn minutes to line up my truck and trailer this morning.  It is damn near impossible to line up a three quarter ton truck with a hitch when being one inch off is too much.  I take my foot off the brake, it moves more than the width of the ball I'm aiming for.  I was worried about being lined up vertically and it turns out that horizontally is just as awful.  So many attempts, so many restarts, so much profanity where my neighbor could hear me.

Believe it or not, that isn't close enough.  Too far to the left.  This is about the point I started swearing very loudly.

I'm not proud of the things I said but I meant every damn part of it.  I was hitching at 10am so a drink wasn't appropriate, but I was tempted.  Very tempted.

Once I finally got the thing hitched, I realized that I needed to move my mats back in.  After my last use, I pulled my mats out to make sure the floor was completely clean and dry.  I found some moisture and sawdust that had clearly been under there for awhile, so I suspect the previous owner didn't pull the mats.  I dumped them in the driveway to be cleaned and completely dry.  That part worked, but mats are super heavy and hard to manage.  I didn't want to put them back in without help.  I figured I'd wait until the hubby was home.

This morning I realized I never got them back in and the hubby was on a conference call for work.  Damn it.  So I dragged the mats back in on my own with a great deal of cursing and slipping.  They were clearly produced to fit the trailer, which is good, but that means they're a very tight fit.  So much profanity as I got them settled and then got the shavings down on Theo's side of the trailer.  But I got it done!

Ready for the pony! 

The driving part is getting easier with every trip, but this trip I had a serious thunderstorm land on me on the way home.  Massive downpour, everyone was doing about 35 in a 65 zone.  And lightning hit the hill right next to me!  Instant thunder, blinding flash, the whole thing!  I screamed like a little girl.  I'm not even embarrassed.  It was so scary.  I had my camera on Theo and could see him throw his head up at the boom, but he's so good in the trailer.  I stopped at McDonald's again and got him a treat.

How did it take me so many years to realize there's something on the menu for the ponies?

Slowly but surely, I'm getting a system together.  My tub from my away shows has moved to live in my trailer, keeping my odds and ends together.  My coggins, a checkbook, fly gear, and basic gooming equipment lives in the tub.  I keep a broom, pitchfork, muck tub, some shavings, a spare hay net, and two water buckets in the goosneck.  I use a five gallon jug for water right now, but I have a 29 gallon water caddy pending to make water super simple.  I really love the layout of the trailer.  Everything feels so open, especially when I'm hauling one horse.

All neat and tidy

I'm definitely struggling with making my trailering routine and easy.  Showing up to the barn completely packed and ready to go is definitely awesome, but it's taking time for me to figure out my own routine that results in being on time and not forgetting anything.  I suspect I'm going to need two sets of a lot of things.  I stole my dressage gear last night so I could pack it ahead of time.  That meant Theo's leaser needed to ride in his jumping gear.  So I might have stuck around and given her a private jumping lesson to make it up to her.

There is no greater feeling of pride than watching your horse carefully add in a step to take care of the adult beginner he's carrying.  He was a saint, carefully avoiding bad distances and ignoring her mistakes.  He never wavered.  He went forward and gave her a fantastic jumping ride over 18" verticals.  She had nothing to worry about accept her position and remembering to grab mane because a certain someone likes to jump for real when he's ridden correctly.  His leaser grinned so much I was afraid her cheeks would split.

Oh, my lesson?  The actual riding part? My second ride with the fancy dancy dressage trainer?  I'll write that up tomorrow.  But I will give you one preview:  we were called fantastic more than once.