Biasini’s travelling trunk is packed and ready to go; saddle, bridles, grooming kit. leg wraps, and various other sundries he will need. You can also see on the left his health export papers. These will be inspected at the border. Before the sun rises tomorrow barn manager Carl Callahan will have got him ready and he will have been picked up by the big transport.
This evening he was having a little snooze in his stall after his dinner and dreaming about getting to the warmer weather in Florida. I can certainly relate to that! It has been very cold here and since he had a full clip to be ready for the warmer temperatures of Florida he has been wearing a quilted blanket with a collar in the stable and on top of that another thermal blanket for turnout. He will be happy to dispense with all that! He has done the trip before a few times and finds it boring so he is hoping there will be some interesting horses to chat with on the 30-36 hour trip. He will travel with a cotton sheet and on top of that a fleece lined blanket as it will still be cold until he gets further south and the temperature warms up. The transport drivers take the blankets off the horses once they get to warmer temperatures.
Today I gave him an electrolyte paste which he hates. He gave me the evil eyeball after I got it into his mouth. He refused to take a piece of apple or a carrot afterwards as he didn’t trust me! However it is important to give this as it will encourage him to drink which is very important for a long trip. I have also had him on an immune booster for the past few days. Omega Alpha makes a product called Immune Plus. This is the time of year when there are a lot of coughs and snotty noses going around in the horse community just the same as the human community. I wanted Biasini to be setting off as healthy as possible and to be able to ward off anything he might encounter on the trip or when he arrives in Florida.
When he arrives my Florida coach Lou Denizard and his assistant Lindsay Sanderson will be there to greet him. He knows both of them well so he will settle in quickly. I will be going down right after Christmas.
And….today I rode Biasini and did the whole ride myself for the first time since my gall bladder surgery. Fabulous! He felt amazing and I could tell with the few little exercises I did that Belinda Trussell, my coach at home in Canada, has done a marvelous job of tuning him up! He is ready for the winter show season for sure!
Safe travels Biasini! See you soon.
Leave a Reply