Conference

Tuesday afternoon, I prepared the girls for my absence. I will be away at a conference until next Wednesday, so in addition to getting everything in order at home for hubby and child I had to make arrangements for Suki's special needs and for Nikki to be ridden while I am away.

Usually I am returning from this conference the day Dressage at Devon starts and although jet lagged I always go for the day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This year the two completely overlap, so for the first time in many years I will not be attending at all! BUt on my last day in Vienna, we are planning to go the Spanish Riding School to watch the Lipizzaners in their morning schooling session! Yay!

VMF is having a clinic, so I asked Meghan if she wanted to ride Nikki in it. She was thrilled, so we met on Tuesday to load Nikki and her equipment on the trailer and her visit to VMF. I frantically did horse laundry the night before, suddenly realizing that all of my white polo wraps were in the dirty been in the garage..... Somehow it all came together, and with very few hiccups, Nikki was on the trailer and on her way. She is impatient in the trailer, banging away until the motion starts. Fifteen minutes later she had arrived safely.

Next, for Suki. Tuesday was the last day for me to spend time with her before my trip, so after pulling the burrs from her forelock I gave her a thorough grooming and spa treatment. The graft looks so amazing! Very nicely moisturized so Suki seems to have far fewer "itchies" than before. I am probably jinxing the situation, but here it goes: "I think we are REaLLY over the hump. I will give it another month, then start lunging with the surcingle! Very exciting! It has been wonderful to not have to bandage. With fewer worries about the graft I feel like Suki really is "normal", albeit a spoiled diva!

Deb will be taking care of Suki's grooming and spa treatments while I am at ESMO, so I wrote updated instructions, removing all bandage language. She knows how to do the bandage,etc should it become necessary, but I am confident that it won't be necessary. Deb texted me Wednesday after she went to Suki and commented about how great the graft looks. It was the first tome she had sen it since I stopped bandaging.

Wednesday night I was supposed to head for Vienna. But 2 hours into the flight there was an air conditioner problem and we had to turn around. Mechanics tried to repair it, and in fact, thought they had, but not so so after several hours the flight was cancelled. We will try again tonight....uggh! Oh well. Better to be safe! And at least we were able to get into a hotel, and not sleep in the airport.

It seems unbelievable that the fire was 3 years ago. Sometimes I think back to the day that Suki left New Bolton.....completely unaware that this would turn into lifelong care. Not that knowing such a thing would have changed my decisions. Working with Suki and spending time with her brings me peace and relaxation, different from what I experience from riding. Suki's sheer joy and zest for life makes me step back and embrace each day.