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[RC] BSF Part 1 of 9 - April JohnsonRIDE PREPARATION Daniel and I started preparing for Big South Fork the weekend before the ride. We drove well into North Carolina to pick up a used horse trailer we found online. This new trailer has a dressing room so all my horse stuff could be put in there, leaving our slide-in camper for people stuff. The drive was quite long, but worth it as we were incredibly pleased with our purchase. Monday, after returning to our home, Daniel spent the afternoon hooking up our horse compartment camera. He also put a decent radio/tape player in our dually truck and started the process of moving the corral panel rack from the old trailer to the new trailer. I spent the afternoon cleaning the dressing room, scrubbing the feed mangers, introducing the horses to the new WHITE (they're both terrified of white things) trailer, and loading the dressing room with saddles, bridles, hay, water, extra tack, dog stuff, and anything else that we didn't want in the camper. We both joked that we can't really afford to go to more than 3 or 4 rides a year since we've managed to buy a major item before all 3 rides this season. About 2 weeks before Chicken Chase, we purchased the slide-in camper. Just days before Liberty Run, we purchased a dually truck. And now, just days before Big South Fork, we bought another trailer! These rides are EXPENSIVE! LOL. During the course of the day, I noticed Tanna had thrown his right front shoe. Agh! He was supposed to keep those shoes for another 2 weeks! I immediately put a call into my new farrier (who had put the shoes on 3 weeks before). I left a message and waited for a call back. I wanted him to come out and replace the shoe before we left for the ride. I knew it was a long shot, but had to try anyway. Later that evening they called me back and told me they wouldn't be able to get to me since Billy had to go to Chattanooga on Tuesday and at the time we were planning to leave on Wednesday. They had me call a colleague that had also been there to put shoes on my horses. But I couldn't get a time with him since I had to work all day on Tuesday. No problem, I said, I'll just get a farrier at the ride to do it. Tuesday night, Daniel and I were eating supper when a knock came at the door. We both looked at each other in surprise. We rarely have visitors and even rarely have unexpected visitors. I thought briefly that the horses might have gotten out, but I had brought them up to the pen by the house to eat hay and they were still there. It was Billy! That dear man had come over to put that shoe back on Tanna's hoof. I quickly caught Tanna and told Daniel to bring a light. "I don't need a light," Billy said, and quickly set to work in the gathering darkness. Billy had that shoe on in short order and checked the other 3 feet to make sure their shoes were on tightly. I couldn't thank him enough and was so thankful that he'd come out. I'd become more thankful. ...To Be Continued April Nashville, TN =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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