Pass the liniment, please

One of the barn's regular Sunday stall muckers asked me if I would fill in for her while she was on vacation, and I said sure. I do it periodically, maybe twice or three times a year when people need a fill-in, and it's nice to have the credit taken off our board for the following month. I just usually try NOT to join the muck squad when hockey is in season because it's just too much for my back and arm muscles to bear!

So today I headed to the barn at 7 am, with one little stop at Dunkin' Donuts for a box of donut holes--the perfect snack for extended periods of stall cleaning. There were three of us today, and we were done by 10:30, fueled by Munchkins and grateful that stalls were reduced in number since a few horses have left the barn and a bunch of the Arabians were away this weekend at a show.

I did eight stalls, and I'm paying for it tonight. Got to find the arnica cream or Sore No More. To be honest, it might not have been so bad except that I came home and finished painting the bathroom, spread compost and mulch, and mowed the grass around the fire pit. And then jumped on my bike. It was just one of those gorgeous sunny days when it's easy to keep on the move.

I didn't do much of anything with Dude or Bestie, except to graze Dude for a bit before turning him out, and soap up Bestie's lower legs with antibacterial scrub since she stands in the swamp and eats the grass there practically the whole time she's out. She doesn't seem to have any ill effects from standing in the muck, but I scrub her every once in a while, mainly to make myself feel better, I guess.

Dude was a little at loose ends once turned out because his neighbor Dakota wasn't yet out. First I thought it was the bugs, so I sprayed him again, but he kept standing at his gate gazing expectantly toward the barn. Paige, who works almost daily at the barn, said, "Oh, he'll be fine as soon as Dakota comes out." She sees it all and if you inquire, she is good at giving a synopsis of your equine kid's day, reminiscent of a day care provider's feedback on whether your child played nicely or not and whether they ate all their lunch. Reassured by her comment, I headed home. I think Dude and Bestie were both just as happy to have a quiet day with sunny turnout and a little pre-hay stall nap. A leisurely day for them!