We quickly loaded everything up early Sunday afternoon after presentations and were headed North! We stopped in Vegas Sunday night to give the horses a break before the next two long days and I didn`t want Oslo doing a full day`s haul right after being ridden. It took us just over four hours to get to Vegas from LA. Due to the EHV we had been having a very hard time finding barns to stop at for lay-overs since most barns are closed. Consequently, we ended up staying at a vet`s “farm” on the outskirts of Vegas. It was the definition of sketchy. Fortunately, the pens were safe and that was the only reason we stayed. Just across the fence were donkeys, and on the other side there were bulls. The first time the donkeys “honked” Oslo lost his mind and tried to jump the fence. Even Skippy was a little worried. Cashew seemed to handle it well and settled the quickest, but I don’t think anyone got a very good sleep that night. Oslo was terrified so I stood out in his pen with him for a couple of hours to try and settle him while dad got some sleep. The wind and cold (yes, it was cold in Vegas – apparently they had snow the morning before) didn’t help the situation either. We had all the blankets we had on the horses and I am thankful mom brought a toque! Eventually Oslo started to relax and eat, but mom and I stayed up for a good part of the night to monitor the horses. Once the wind died down after midnight, the horses seemed much more comfortable and mom and I got a couple of hours of sleep. We left at about 5:00am and I have never seen the horses so eager to get in the trailer! Let’s just say we won’t be stopping there again! The fences were safe though and it did allow the horses time to put their heads down and stretch their legs.
Yesterday we drove from Vegas to Butte, Montana and stopped at the nice fairgrounds there. We had to make sure there hadn’t been horses there for the last month in order to make sure it was safe to stop. We didn’t want to go anywhere that had had outside horses on the property in case they had brought in the EHV. The horses were in pens attached to stalls which hadn’t been used for over a month and the couple of horses that live on the property had just had vet checks done. Therefore, we felt it was safe and the horses were so happy to get out and not have a donkey “honking” in the middle of the night! This morning we did wake up to frost though, which was a sure sign for us that we are getting close to Canada!
Today is our last day of driving! The horses were a bit more hesitant to get on the trailer this morning. They are getting tired from the travelling and I cannot blame them. I keep trying to reassure them they are going home this time and get to be outside in big, green pastures as soon as we get home. They will all get several days off to frolic in the fields!
I am personally very excited to be back in Canada! No more billboards advertising ER wait times or 6 lanes of interstate! We are coming home!!!!! =)
Linds
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