Things are coming together

I'm starting to feel like the weekend is actually going to be here.  I spent the day taking care of the little annoying things that needed to be done.  I washed my saddle pads and Jasper's blanket and laid everything out to dry in the sun.  I fiddled with his Renegades to make sure they were in good working order.  I did an inventory of everything and have started laying it out in the garage so I can pick through and organize it as best as possible.  The trailer doesn't need much packing, as I store my tack in it and it's still mostly packed from our camping trip.  

Also, I finally got my ordered Platinum Performance today and had WAY too much fun dumping it into bags labeled "AM" and "PM" for ease of feeding.  I love this stuff.  It's expensive, but cuts WAY down on the amount of grain you have to feed.  Plus, as a vet student I get a discount. :)  The extra super bonus is that Princess Jasper likes it, too!  (Believe me, he's earned this nickname)

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People are always asking me what Jasper's breeding is, which causes me to launch into a drawn-out explanation of how he was adopted as a yearling out of a rescue situation, and the only thing we know for sure is that his Mother was an NSH.  At this point, I usually stage whisper, "But don't tell him he isn't registered!"  Then I say I think his Daddy was probably a thoroughbred, but who really knows.  I've toyed with the idea of inventing a fake breed with the word "Prince" in it in order to save my breath, but at the same time, I don't really care.

I'm not sure if I've ever talked about how specific Princess Jasper's requirements are.  He has very specific needs for hay--if it does not meet his strict standards, he will pee in it and refuse to eat.  The hay at the barn is (mostly) acceptable, although if he gets a particularly stemmy flake, he will eat everything except the stems.  And then he pees in them.

His beet pulp and grain need to be separate.  He does not like it when the grain gets soggy from sitting in the beet pulp, and will dump the entire mix.  He'll eat beet pulp and grain separately, but not together.  He does not like canola oil.  He only likes corn oil, and then only in small amounts.  We've discontinued using oil now that he's at a good weight, so this is no longer a problem.

If his run is soggy, he will stay in his stall all day and stare longingly out over his "waterfront view."  This means extra mucking for me, but I don't mind.

I can't decide if all the talk about him being an endurance horse is going to his head or not, although I have heard him mention a time or two in a whiney voice, "But I'm an aaaatthleeete!"

 "Send it back! It's too soggy!"