Weather

Last night it rained an unforcasted inch at the farm. Weather problems, more than anything, have devastated my stable over the past two years. It always seems as if just when the horses are about ready to hit the track some sort of two to three week weather event comes along to sabotage the whole process. Of course track trainers go right on through bad weather, but, these are the same guys and gals that injure every horse that comes into their barn generally within a few months. For owners as myself racing our own horses, when weather interferes we back off since we are unable to afford injuring our horses.

One is supposed to have a positive attitude, avoid negative thoughts, but, in truth, at this age i'm way beyond that sort of tripe. Really, i can live with what i dislike, and there is nothing about horses that I dislike more than mud. Any rainfall more than a quarter of an inch turns everything into a complete mess. In the mud it will take me three hours to do with the horses what normally will take one with every minute an excruciating pain--shall we list the ways---trudging through the mud in wet shoes and socks, getting a horse to saddle, trudging with the horse from the mud of the paddock to the grass, getting the mud out of the hoofs prior to riding, changing into riding shoes while your holding a saddled horse, at the end of the ride changing back into the mud shoes and trudging through the mud to get the next horse--and so on. sticky, gooey, heavy, horrible mud.

so, today i was going to pass on training till i saw the forcast. our November 70s tomorrow will turn into 20s and 30s with more rain to boot. the only thing worse than warm mud is cold mud.

thus i took the unusual step of going back to the farm in mid afternoon to train today. figured I might bear the 70 degree temps with the mud, as follows:

yesterday: Mon. 11/27/06: after two days rest about 10 m of 2f riderless bursts, alternating direction. the horses were hepped so the pace was snappy. 1 m rest between heats.

Tues. 11/28/06 in deep paddock mud: 10 m 2f riderless heats at moderate pace--our Y is a good mudder, he was flying through the goo. Once thing i'm able to relate--this little fellow has some pizazz. he's showing this even in these simple riderless workouts. We'll see what the rest of this week and the weather brings.