Arrival in rainy Florida!

Yesterday Victor and I flew from Ontario to Palm Beach, Florida.  The flight was relatively uneventful (once you've flown with horses, it becomes less of a "big deal"), although we did have some turbulence coming into Florida with all the storms here.  Once on the ground at the airport we took a horse transport van to the show grounds, which was only about a 30 minute drive from the airport.  We flew over with most of the rest of the west coast Grand Prix horses, Steffen's two horses Legolas and Rosamunde, Guenter and Zero Gravity, Charlotte Jorst and Nintendo, Kim McGrath and Winslow, and Tracey Lert and Udo.  Most of the riders had grooms that flew with their horses and they flew separately although both Kim and Tracey were on the flight with me.


It has been dumping rain pretty much since we arrived.  Today we even had wind gusts up to 30 or 40 mph.  However, unlike the Pacific NW, it is remarkably warm outside, about 75 degrees or so.  Naturally it is quite humid here and that has been an adjustment.  I'm glad we had that short time in California to at least acclimate to the heat (versus Boise in December, which was a high of 23 when we left).


Victor traveled well although I could tell he was a little worried when he first got on the plane.  All of the horses loaded very easily.  It is always surprising how well the horses handle such a strange situation (loading up a ramp onto a very noisy plane), but even the rookie horses loaded fine.  I suspect they ride better on the plane than they do on most horse trailers, once it gets to cruising altitude, as the ride is generally very smooth and quiet. 


Victor ate ok on the plane although not super well.  The horses always get off a long trip like that looking a little gaunt and drawn up, which typically goes away after they get rehydrated.  He immediately started eating and drinking when we put him in his stall. Today he looked much better although I only hand walked him since I thought he could use a rest day. 

Flying to Florida tomorrow!!!

Everything is pretty much set for our flight to Florida tomorrow.  After riding this morning I repacked everything and got it all organized for our trip.  I try to pack as minimally as possible when on a plane ride, partly because they don't like you taking tons of stuff and partly because I don't like having to keep track of that much stuff anyway.  I managed to condense my saddle, bridles, various blankets, wraps, extra towels, various grooming equipment, my show clothes, and other miscellaneous items into one large tack trunk.  I also have a small container with pre-made grain baggies for the trip, a couple chairs, my boots, a large tote with saddle pads, another tote with my show coat and helmet and a spare set of boots (in case of zipper crisis), my braiding box, a muck bucket packed with a feed bin, a couple water buckets, various small buckets and washing equipment, a manure fork, my whip, a couple suitcases with clothes and toiletries and a partridge in a pear tree LOL.  I also make sure to bring a list of everything I put on the plane, so I can check it off and make sure I pick everything up.


We are supposed to arrive at the airline gate tomorrow at 5am, so Amanda and I are planning on leaving W Farms at 4:15am.  Ontario is actually pretty close, only about 30 minutes away, but it's a good idea to plan in some extra time.  The weather is going to be cold on the plane, once we get in the air, so Victor will travel in a cooler topped with a lightweight blanket.  I always put a pair of bell-boots on him although I'm not sure it's really necessary.  Makes me feel better though.


We should arrive in Palm Beach International around 3:30pm.  According to Lana it is hot in Florida right now (about 80 degrees) and very wet.  It is forecast to rain quite a bit over the next few days, but it's supposed to hover between 70 and 80 most of the time.  Yuck!!  Hot, humid, and raining!  Good thing we had a few days here in California to at least get used to the heat again, if not the humidity.  Yesterday it was 23 in Boise!


My next post will be from (sunny, or not) Florida!!

Day 1 of brief CA stay en route to Florida

Yesterday Todd and I drove to California from Boise in one straight shot.  For those of you familiar with the Nevada routes we took 93 south through Wells and Ely, dropping into Las Vegas to pick up the 15, then to Chino Hills.  The trip had a very cold start, with temps in the single digits (we even hit -1 at one point!!) all through eastern Idaho and much of northern Nevada.  There was a ton of snow on the ground in that area as well (from a storm that went through 4 days ago) but none on the roads.  It was a very smooth and uneventful trip, always the best kind!


Today Victor and I had a well-deserved rest day at W Farms.  Thanks again to David and Alisa Wilson and Amanda Olson for taking great care of us and allowing us to stay at their farm for a few days!!  Although Victor always travels well I could tell he was tired.  15 hours in a trailer will do that to any horse  He spent much of the day napping although I did hand-walk him a little so he could stretch his legs.  Tomorrow I will put him back to work. 


The weather here in Southern California was fabulous today, with highs in the low to mid 70s, sunny with a light breeze.  Such a change from up north!!  It's also a nice transition for both of us to the much warmer (and more humid) Florida climate.


I'm feeling better about the whole trip now that the first travel leg is over.  Trips like this are a huge, stressful undertaking with all the logistics, expenses, and travel, not to mention getting the training were you want it and keeping the horse healthy and fit throughout all the training, travel, and intense competition.  I worried about the trip down to California for a while because weather this time of year can be very dicey.  Now that it's over at least a partial load has been lifted off my shoulders!


We fly out of Ontario on Friday morning.  So we have a few days to rest up before we make the trek across the country.  Luckily this part of the trip will be at 35,000 feet, so although it will still be very cold (like our trip through Nevada), at least it will be quick relative to its length!