BRB Dying

I know I haven’t yet gotten around to recapping our clinic or most recent show – recently I’ve been travelling to see family and to be in my dear friend’s wedding, school has been fascinating but busy, work has been demanding a bit more time, and I’m straight up exhausted. I’ll get to it when I get to it.

My college roommates are the prettiest, you can’t change my mind.

I haven’t had a lesson in several weeks now due to travel and feeling run down, and luckily Francisco has been getting plenty of exercise and love. He’s getting his first clip of the season soon (partially to help him cool off after exercise, and partially so his fluff doesn’t trap his stench so strongly). I’m a bit of a hands-off owner right now as I try to gain some energy and consistency back. In the past I’ve felt some guilt about needing to step back, but at this point I know that he’s perfectly happy and healthy and will be waiting for me.

His favorite junior has been cooling him out with beautiful walkabouts. He’s a happy camper.

We do have a bit of a break from showing for the winter, which certainly helps. November historically is a pretty quiet month for us and is a good reset after a busier-than-expected show season. My plan is to keep Francis in comfortable moderate work to maintain fitness, then start ramping back up in December.

Because we’re planning to head to Ocala for our February vacation! I still need to hash out the details with my boss and barn-wise we’re still building our cohort, but WBH (World’s Best Husband) and I talked about the expense and the tradeoffs and he’s supportive of us making the trip. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times – I’m unbelievably grateful for this guy and his encouragement of these hare-brained schemes.

Even if this is what happens when I ask him to take a nice picture

We’re planning to be down there for two weeks in February doing jumper and eq classes to our heart’s content. We already have a barn outing planned to see the manatees and it looks to be a good group heading down (let’s be honest, we always have a good group).

So stinkin’ excited to be in the sun again, this time with my most favorite horse in the world.

My one concern is figuring out how to do work/schoolwork while I’m down there. I remember in 2016 that there was some spotty wifi in the food building, but I also heard a rumor that they’ve improved their wifi coverage and even added some to the barn areas. Have any of you been there recently and can share your experience with the wifi? Would love to know if I need to invest in a hotspot device!

Short version: I’m beyond worn out from an incredibly busy fall, but quieter times are coming before ramping back up for a wonderful spring.