Hiccups, SpeedBumps, Minor Issues....or "The Theme of the Endurance Season"

I'm feeling behind the curve at the moment to prep everything for this weekend.  Realistically, I know I'm not, but I'm certainly feeling that way.

As an example, I grabbed my first "ready to go" bag of SpeediBeet last night to triple rinse it and get it ready to go to the barn on Tuesday evening.  Not a big deal.  I did the first rinse in cold water, then did the second two in hot (don't ask me why I did that, I just did).  All together, after squeezing out the excess water and getting through all the rinses, it probably took me about 45 minutes to get it done.

As I was working, I had to stop to consider how many bags of it I was going to need through this week.

Thought process goes like this:
Strider will need 3 bags (1 for each night [Tue/Wed/Thur])
Dakini will need 3 bags (1 for each night [Tue/Wed/Thur]) - prepping her just in case she needs to go

So, there's 6 bags before we even step on the trailer.

Then I want to have a bucket in the trailer for him to eat on the way.  Stop once and let him eat/refill his bucket.  Eat again in the late afternoon/early evening.  Once more before bed.  All the hay he can eat all night long.  Fresh hay in the morning.  And then plan for him to have food breaks at holds, post-ride, and again on the trailer ride home.

So, just to be safe, I'm going to prep 14-15 bags in the next few days.  Assembly line style I imagine!

And then there's the electrolytes I need to get ready.

Again, 6 tubes of elytes for the two horses.

And, based off the notes my friend took at the convention, I'll want another 5 before we even start the ride (1 before he gets in to the trailer, 1 when he gets off the trailer, 1 at bedtime, 1 after I get up early and then 1 before I get into the saddle).  And then I need to plan out how many more to use while on the trail.  Thinking another 6 at my disposal.

My plan (we'll see how this works) is to pre-mix the electrolytes into a few different jars (some large ones to put into my cooler, and then a few smaller jars to carry on trail along with syringes) so I can just plunge and go.

Last night I got my garden cart put together.  It's small enough and light enough I'll put it in the bed of the truck to haul my buckets and gear back and forth from the vet check area.  It's not great, but I couldn't beat the price.

Then I had to get the 50 bricks out of the bed of the truck so I wasn't hauling them along to the ride and so I could move my water tank around.  My hands are raw this morning.  They're rough.  But, grateful for my garden cart so I was able to haul them a few at a time.


So, my HiTie has been in for the week.  I grabbed the trailer on Friday because I was HOPING to get it installed prior to the ride as well as installing a few bucket hangers in the manger area of the trailer.

Well, after looking at the trailer, where I -WANTED- it to go isn't advisable by people who have installed them.  So, I'm going to need to cut some of the rubber on the outside of the trailer off to give the mounting plate a flat surface and to bite through the "ribs" of the trailer.  So, that won't be done anytime soon as I'll need to find someone to do that for me. 

So, just lots of hiccups and things slowing me down.  I was awake for far later than I needed to be last night thinking and my mind churning.  It's almost like I've never done this before.  I have, but I'm being more diligent about making sure he's tanked up on water and electrolytes than I ever have before.  So, for me, it's new protocols I'm not yet sure how to maneuver.  But, I'll need to puzzle it out quickly as 2 weeks after this ride, I'm heading off again to take 2.  And then a few days after THAT, I'm heading out yet again with 2.

The next few days are going to be busy.  Wednesday we have our shoe appointment.  Somewhere in there I need to straighten up the tack compartment of my trailer.  It got scattered post-surgery when I had to ask someone to get in there to get some grain out, and it was towards the back beneath a lot of things.  I need to pack my new items in there.  Buy a few groceries. 

I'm sensing some late nights between now and Friday morning. 

But, I refuse to back down.  I WILL get everything done. 

And I'll have fun prepping for it.  Because, why wouldn't I?  :)