Presto is officially Ocala bound as of this very moment! There wasn’t enough room for him in Megan’s trailer but another local (to her) trainer was leaving today also, so she took him over to their farm last night and they loaded up and headed east in the wee hours of the morning. He’ll get there tonight and hang out with them for a bit, then Megan will pick him up tomorrow. I’m super excited for him to get there and start experiencing all the fun things Ocala has to offer. This is his first big trip, first time leaving the state of Texas, first time going anywhere like this, traveling as part of a big group, etc etc. So many learning experiences for a baby giraffe.

We spent the week doing all the last minute preparation. Megan got Presto’s feet trimmed and a health cert issued. I Primed them a few tubes of Ulcergard for his trip, and Megan requested a fly sheet for him, so that was a new shopping item for me. I’ve never purchased a fly sheet in my life. I had a bit of sticker shock at how expensive they are, considering every one I’ve ever seen had serious shit for longevity. I couldn’t stomach spending $150 on a fly sheet he’s gonna wear for 6 weeks so he got a relatively cheap one. Hopefully he doesn’t destroy it immediately.

I’m already supremely jealous of him and wish I was going to Ocala too. I’ve done a lot of mental gymnastics trying to figure out how I could at least get down there for a weekend and see him before they come home in May since who knows if/when he’ll ever get to go again. We’ll see. There are a lot of factors to consider.

I did list a bunch of excess stuff for sale to help cover some of his Ocala bills, and all I’ve really got left is a pair of Doda boots, a show coat (size 6ish), a pair of breeches (size 30), and a pair of tights (size L). My friends came in clutch and cleaned me out pretty quick, but shoot me a message if you’re interested in anything I’ve got left.

Otherwise this week has been a bit quiet. Farrier visits, road hacks, and webinars (my favorite thing). I watched the EHV-1 one that USEF did on Monday, which was a good brush up on the actual facts and appropriate protocol. The media posting about every single EHV-1 case (which they really never do any other year when this happens) has spun a lot of people up into a blind panic with rumors abound, so it was good to get actual facts and more information on the current situation.

I’ve also been watching the “Foaling the Mare” webinar series by Sussex Equine Hospital. If you need to be scared out of breeding, I highly recommend. Just kidding. They’re really good actually, really important if you breed or are considering it.

And then of course this morning USEA announced that they’ve pulled the MER rule change proposal for now and will give more thought and consideration based on the member surveys they received. Which is great news, IMO, and I look forward to this being discussed and hashed out in more detail and with more consideration to the masses. I’m all for MER changes, just not ones that cripple everyone that doesn’t reside on the east coast.

Hope you guys had a good week. Did you see anything good this week on the interwebs that’s worth a share? Happy Friday, we made it to another weekend!