Not enough hours in the day

So my first week of being back at work full-time is almost over, and I'm surviving. I haven't worked full-time since 1993 when I quit the government to stay home with the kids--hey, it's been a nice long stretch. Someone said to me today, "You've had it pretty good for way too long." Ha. I know I'm lucky that it's all worked out this way.

The only thing about going full-time that bothers me is cutting into the pony time. I'm trying not to let it cut into barn hours, but I think it's inevitable that it's going to happen. There's a constant feeling of being rushed that I'm not sure is going to play out well over the long term. Tonight I zoomed from work to the barn to yoga, where I ran in like a crazy woman at the last minute and someone kindly made room for me.

Last night I rode Bestie out and around the outdoor ring. I got on her in the indoor and did a couple laps, but then had to get off of her to get the door open, and she took that to mean we were done. So she was then a little uncooperative once I tried to get back on again outside, but I made it--third try, I think. We rode out with another horse. She was good, and you could tell it was pretty darn exciting to be out on the "open range." Head up, lots of deep snuffly breaths. Once we got to the back 40 beyond the ring, the other rider went on and I turned around to head back. Very unexciting for the first time out there since the one winter ride I did. Pretty darn good for Ms. Excitable.

Afterwards I took Dude out to graze him for a few minutes and promptly discovered that his right front leg was swollen along the outside of his cannon bone from just above the fetlock to the knee. Great. It was pretty soft-feeling. After grazing him I brought him in and rubbed him down with liniment, then gave him a tiny bit more grain with some bute. Discussed with another boarder the merits of wrapping him, and decided against it since the swelling was actually up into his knee. Left a note for the barn folk to check him out in the morning and call me if he looked bad so that I could phone the vet.

When I got to the barn today it looked pretty much the same. I took him out to graze him again and he trotted out enthusiastically and with no lameness. Wierd. I hosed him and doused him with liniment again, and he had more bute in his grain. Barn manager Emma checked him out and said it seemed like a lot of fluid from a bruise most likely concentrated on his knee. Of course it is that leg he bangs the door with. He's apparently one of the first to go out, so I don't know what he is getting so angry about. Crazy horse. I don't know what to do except maybe buy a bunch of Mellow Out and start dosing him in his water bucket to maybe take the edge off.