FOO: A Day In The Life

Tracy at Fly On Over is doing a great blog hop about what our daily routines as Adult Amateurs consist of.

I guess I can participate since I only show Open because I keep forgetting to do the stuff I need to in order to get my Ammy status. Plus, I score the same no matter what my status is and I kind of like showing against the real pros. You only get better by trying to compete with the best, right? Anyway, since I am really just an Ammy showing Open, I figure that I still count.

I wish!

6:00 am- My phone rings. It's the Fiancé reminding me I need to climb my ass out of bed. *Yes, this is late for the track, but we've been working seven days a week for almost five years straight and we have a groom. Sleeping in a bit = justified IMO.

6:01 am- Roll over in bed and stretch to see how stiff/crippled I am and whether or not I need to jump in the shower to loosen up or if I can use that time to check email and social media.

6:35 am-Walk out the door, get in the pickup, remember whatever it was I forgot. Go grab it.

6:45 am-Stop to get whatever form of caffeine I feel like so that I don't kill anyone.

6:49 am-Guzzle said caffeine while loudly labeling other drivers as an idiot every thirty seconds.

7:05 am-I start tacking horses, putting the Thermotex on, and watching them go when I can.

8:00 am- Break on the main track. Send one to the training track.

8:15 am- Silently curse the Fiancé for scheduling two workers and a ponier to all go right after the break while I run around like a crack head trying to get them all tacked and wrapped. Forgive him when he gets back and helps me.

8:30 am- Head up to the grandstands to clock the two workers. About have a heart attack as the horse we are working almost flies up the ass of the horse that some moron is hobby-horseing right on the rail.

8:50 am- Consider climbing on and tracking one of the horses. Decide that I don't have the time or energy. Start tacking the rest of the horses that need to go for the Fiancé to take.

9:50 am- Watch the last horse go. Notice a girl, that just lets the horses run off all of the time, unintentionally work about 35 flat for 3/8 of a mile, which is pretty damn fast. Wonder why she bothers if she isn't even going to try and how long before she gets herself killed. Decide not my horse, not my problem. Then wonder about why the hell anyone would even consider putting her on a horse, decide I don't care, and head back to the barn.

10:20-11:55 am- Go through the barn with L and hold the horses that the Fiancé wants thermaled, lasered, and adjusted.

12:00 pm- Go pick up lunch

12:30 pm- Start bathing the horse that we have racing that day.

1:53 pm- The horse is bathed, iced, wrapped, bridled, stretched, etc. I grab the shammy, bag, and blinkers and head up to the paddock.

1:58 pm- Our friend that helps us in the paddock catches me up on the latest episode of As The Walker Turns (AKA the typical racetrack drama and gossip).

My overdramatic pose for all of those As The Walker Turns fans.

2:09 pm- The rider is legged up and they are on the track. We head up to the Turf Club to watch the race.

2:16 pm- My heart starts going about 1,000 BPM while I sit there pretending I'm not nervous at all.

2:18 The gates open and I try not to squirm or yell during the race. Most likely, we get beat because it's horse racing and you lose a hell of a lot more than you win.

Sometimes we win, this is one of my favorites. This was Shivers Me winning the Inaugural Handicap at Sunray Park. It was his first race back after a three month layoff (six months since he'd last run). He was a complete ass in the paddock, not washing out or trying to flip or anything like that, he was just fresh and was apparently very excited to race. As soon as the rider was on him, he was perfectly calm. I'll never forget the rider confidently smiling and giving the camera (I was in El Paso watching the race on simulcast) a thumbs up after getting on a horse that just about killed everyone in the paddock.

2:20 pm- Try to keep the mood light after the race by making some smart ass joke. No need to get upset.

2:50 pm- The horse is on the walker cooling out, it's stall is cleaned, and I leave the SO to finish up and head out to ride my horses.

3:15-5:30 pm- Life is good as I groom, tack, and ride my horses. Who cares about the race? I have two gorgeous animals to enjoy. They are mine to do what I want with, no pressure. I never have to worry about them going off of their feed (they Hoover everything I put in front of them), if they get a bad ride it's because I'm riding them, no owners to appease (these things are completely opposite of the horses I deal with at the track). I pay a crapload of money for this privilege, but then how can you put a price on your sanity. Totally worth it.

5:35 pm- Call the Fiancé to see what he wants for dinner as I'm leaving the barn. In case you didn't notice, I don't have much time to cook.

5:37 pm- Decide that it's a scientific miracle that I'm not morbidly obese or dead with the way I've been eating lately. Try to convince myself that I need to join the gym I've been looking into and that I will be able to find the time to actually go. Forget about it as I begin to yell "Idiot!" at other drivers every thirty seconds. Again.

6:05 pm- Arrive back at the track, eat dinner, and get started on evening chores. *The Fiancé likes to feed late because the horses eat better when it's quiet and cool. I like to feed late to keep their blood sugar levels more balanced throughout the day (instead of them having three big meals in an 8-10 hour period). Either way, we like to feed late.

6:25-8:30ish pm- Feed, water, do leg work, and pick stalls.

This is what happens when a big, dumb (adorable) two year old tries to wipe the mud off of his legs before I can get him wrapped. Of course, he then proceeded to freak out about the mud on his head and tried to wipe that off on me.

9:00 pm- I'm finally home and want to draw, blog, read, or watch a movie.

9:20 pm- I'm completely crashed, probably drooling on my phone because I fell asleep reading my book on it.

9:55 pm- Give the SO the look of death when he wakes me up to tell me that I should probably change into some pajamas.

Kind of what I look like when someone tries to wake me up.

9:57 pm- I begrudgingly drag myself out of bed to get ready for bed.

10:10 pm- Crashed out sleeping in some awkward position that will inevitably cause me to wake up stiff/crippled tomorrow.

Me showing of my lack of knowledge about golf.

All times are subject to change when you work at a racetrack, but this is a typical race day with the exception that the post time might be different and can be the deciding factor on whether or not I ride or just turn my horses out that day. On a non-race day, I sometimes even get a couple of hours of free time to do "normal" people things. Sometimes. I even manage to squeeze a lesson in 1-2 times a week.

Sometimes I even get to enjoy an afternoon at the races with a friend.

Track love

First thing, Equestrian Journey has done a great list of her favorite blogs. Check her awesome blog out!

I don't really talk about the mornings at the track that much. The best explanation I can come up with of why I love racing and why I can't imagine ever being away from it can't be really be told in words. My favorite part about the mornings at the track is watching the horses train. To me, there is nothing more beautiful than a horse running. The athleticism and heart of these animals is absolutely amazing! So, here are all of the reasons I love it summed up in a few videos.

Gigantor aka Sandy and Woody blowing out down the lane.



Look at the stride on Gigantor! Woody is a good sized, long striding horse. Sandy makes him look little. One of the things that sold me on her when we claimed her was the length of her stride. A person can do a lot with a horse that covers the ground like that. In theory anyways. We'll see. There's a few minor physical things to fix on her still, but we'll get there. And Woody, I'll always love that horse. I will also always have faith in his ability, no matter what. The talent is there.


Gigantor jogging back. She seems pretty proud of herself.

So, hopefully this gives you an idea of why I am so drawn to racing. It's the feeling that a running horse gives me. The work that the man and I put into them.  The pride when they do well. That feeling is absolutely everything.

*Bonus-Cute little kid riding ex-racehorse/pony-horse Gunner

He wasn't quite comfortable riding alone yet, so Ty rode with him. The kid got the whole steering thing down pretty well! Gunner was awesome, other than the one time he pulled the reins out of his hands to eat grass.

The kid's victory dance :)

So cute!

Good boy, Gunner!

Going.....

Gone. Wherein, I had to walk over and save them both.

Gunner with his stolen, quick bite of grass. He was pretty proud of himself for sneaking that in.

Silliness

Because sometimes a person just needs a good laugh.