An O-Dawn-30 Day

Usually when there's an early-morning wake-up day, I don't sleep much.  Last night was different, even with the hot, muggy air.  

For some reason, I slept most of the night.  No complaints. 

It is 0-Dawn-30 as I write.  By the time my usual blog posting hour comes, we'll be on the road with a caravan of sorts----two drivers, pulling horse trailers, another pulling a trailer with a 4-wheeler,  another driving my car and yet one other driving to our destination, just to help out.

We're traveling only nine miles, to the Bonner County Fairgrounds.  

We need the two horse trailers because my sisters are supplying four horses to be judged at the Idaho State 4-H Horse Judging Contest.  All together, the contestants will judge four sets of horses (4 each) and three performance classes (4 riders each).

One sister is the official judge for the event.  Meanwhile, the other sister is still hobbling around on crutches, hence the 4-wheeler will come in handy at the fairgrounds.

Both Willie and Bill will be there to help on both ends of the caravan set-up, and Willie will hang around for any "go fer" tasks.

My sisters have asked four of us longtime horse folks to show their horses at halter while 4-H'ers from all over the state who've earned their way to the contest judge and place each class.

I think we'll be showing for about an hour cuz the groups move from one class to another. 

I told my sisters that since I'm the oldest handler I get the best behaved horse.  You see horses can take just so much of standing around looking pretty, holding their heads as a certain angle, keeping all four feet where they belong and dealing with a bunch of people walking around and looking them over. 

When they reach their point of impatience---and that happens sooner than later with some horses----the nibbling begins or the walking around in circles or sometimes even standing on their hind feet begins.

Often they get away with a lot more than usual under these circumstances cuz kids are watching and it's not nice to discipline the 4-legged creatures too dramatically in front of impressionable minds.  

The horses know this fact, so they delight in taking advantage of the wonderful opportunity to nibble and nibble or circle and circle.   Sorta like kids while Mom's talking on the phone.

On hot days when horses are nibbling and nibbling or circling and circling, the handlers have their work cut out for them.  

I've heard all the little nuances of my sisters' four horses----one handler gets a certain horse because she's the "most athletic" of the four of us.   

I've also been told, in reference to this same horse, that it's won't be nice for the other three to walk too far away from him cuz he likes "his herd" close by.

My horse of choice usually behaves very well in the show ring, but he does nibble.  I found that out yesterday while giving him a bath.  So, my arm and its muscles are ready to be in an achy mood from trying to avoid having my hand chewed off once this day is over. 

When the day is over, the caravan will reconvene, and we'll make the 9-mile trip back to Colburn, hopefully with all our limbs and with the satisfaction that we did a good day's work for the 4-H'ers of Idaho.

Happy Tuesday.  It is daylight so now I'm off to water the gardens before meeting up with the horses, the trailers and all those rigs.