There’s always been more than one meaning to the word ‘unpacking’ and our time at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo certainly has left me with a lot to unpack, more than just training tools, winter boots and clothes.
The mares (DG Cedar went instead of Griffin at the last minute), Shepherds and I left for Denver a day early to beat the worst of the storm.
Traffic was nuts even in just rain, for a while it snowed literal snowballs and visibility was terrible in some spots. We had already made it to I-70 when another driver cut me off and I hit the brakes so we wouldn’t all have a really bad day. I heard the commotion in the trailer and hoped for the best. That incident left Lacy with a bloody forehead and me with a knot in my stomach.
We eventually made it to the stalls, and 2 hours of unloading everything in the rain and sleet later, the mares were in their stalls with shavings, hay and water and all the rest of our stuff organized in an additional stall.
They had never been stalled for more than 2 hours (at the vet), never slept indoors or with the lights on. While Cedar went straight to her hay, Lacy was not happy. 2 days of handfeeding her mash later she finally accepted the situation.
Between that and navigating care for the horses at home in the face of an unexpected nearly 3ft (so much for 18in) of ridiculously heavy snow and everyone having every manner of vehicle stuck in it, I was beyond stressed and exhausted.
By Friday I was convinced I’d never do that again, not to myself and not to my horses either. By Saturday Lacy and Cedar were much more comfortable, happily cruising around the warm up arena with me (neither one had been in an indoor arena before), the Expo was busy and the sun was out.
By Sunday we were tired but content, with 3 presentations on a mix of backcountry riding and packing and teaching the audience steps from gentled to riding under our belt.
The mares never missed a beat going in and out of buildings, greeting people and being good Ambassadors for Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy and Mustangs in general.
Lacy celebrated her 9th birthday on Sunday and I’m grateful for her and for so many familiar as well as new friendly faces, engaged audiences, things learned and connections made.
The Shepherds had a fun time in the city and kept me and the truck safe. They’re the best travel buddies and so easy going.
We will be back in 2025 if they’ll have us, hopefully with 2 presentations each day.
We couldn’t have done this without our volunteers, friends and neighbors, both at home and in town. Thank you, you know who you are!
Coming home (to a plowed driveway!), we were all so tired that instead of unloading the entire back of the trailer to get the horses out, I unloaded both mares through the escape door, in the dark. They thought nothing of it, happily stretched their legs, enjoying their freedom and the sounds of nature, before turning to their hay bags.
I was reminded that I can do hard things, that people are generally good and willing to help (I just need to remember to ask and sometimes think outside the box), and that I have pretty amazing animals and a wonderful support network. I remembered how much I love teaching, public speaking, and sharing our Mustangs with the public. Here’s to more of that going forward!
