Light at the End of the Tunnel
Friday, August 03, 2007

I'm venturing a guess that I don't mark time like most people do. I mean, I do, but I have one additional, unusual way of doing it that made me very, very happy just yesterday.

Most horses have to get their toesies trimmed about every six weeks. My horse, Gino, is no different.

Our routine goes like this: I make sure Gino is well-exercised and god-willing, tired, before the farrier is to show up at the barn. Then the farrier shows up, and tries to trim and file Gino's hooves while Gino simultaneously tries to pull his foot from the metal stand the farrier uses to save his back and bite the farrier and/or me. I spend my time yelling "woah" and trying at the very least not to let Gino bite the farrier (if he gets me, that's okay, but finding a good farrier is not an easy thing). At the end I write out a check and then we schedule another appointment, six weeks into the future.

For the past year, every time I scheduled a new appointment, I'd think of Ironman. (yes, seriously) I'd think of the fact that I'd be in way better shape six weeks into the future, or that I'd be able to finally bike outside, or that I'd be on the other end of the marathon.

This time, scheduling that appointment was sweet in so many ways.

September 13th.

By September 13th, I will hopefully have become an Ironman. My labors will have paid off -- months and months of 6-hour bike rides and double-bricks and swimming until 10:00 at night behind me. On September 13th, after Gino has had his feet trimmed, I will not have to take off for a two-hour bike and an hour run like I did last night. Instead, I will likely linger at the barn, letting Leonard play with his barn-buddies, visiting with the crew that's around on a nightly basis. Perhaps I'll even throw a saddle on Gino for the first, second, or third time. We'll walk, trot, and canter around the outdoor arena as the sun sets, just a stone's throw from where I had recently tested my mettle biking through the roads of Verona and beyond. We'll start getting to know one another, Gino and me. And that night will represent the very beginning of my next journey -- the journey back into the world of horse showing...a world I've so desperately missed these past handful of years.

September 13th. Looking forward to it.

But first, September 9th. Giddy up.

Posted by Erin 5:02 PM

2 Comments:

1. Unknown said...
   8/03/2007 7:05 PM
   Any chance to say/type/blog Giddy up...is worth another...Giddy up!
   Gorham said...
   8/04/2007 6:15 AM
   Sounds like when Melanie tries to trim my toesies. Go Gino! Stick it to the man!

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