This is it... The last night in Michigan...

I've said goodbye to my boyfriend and our dog, and tucked my horse in for the night.  Tomorrow when I wake up, all I have to do is load my horse, and drive away with my truck.  We will probably make it to Tennessee tomorrow night, and be in Florida the night after.  I'm going to miss everyone terribly, but I'm counting on having a good time at the ISC so that I don't worry too much.  You know you have a good boyfriend when you're saying goodbye before leaving for 6 months to be on a horse ranch and he tells you "Do a great job down there. I know you will!" And on that note, I'm off to finish packing.  ISC here I come!

Health Certificate

Yep, Pistol got his health certificate today.  And guess what?  He's fat. :(  The vet said its not super bad, but he could tell he'd been eating grass all summer.  Especially around his butt!  I was like "oops..." I didn't think he was that bad.  It shouldnt be a big deal though, he's not hideously overweight, just a little chubby, according to the vet.  Plus we are going to the ISC, so he will be on a hay diet, no rich grass!  But at least my horse is an easy keeper!  Plus he did a fabulous job for the vet again.  He stood still for all the stethoscope stuff, and even was good about the thermometer.  He has a clean bill of health, and will be leaving the state Friday!  But he's listed as Sparty on his coggins, so his health certificate had to say Sparty too. :( 

Change of plans... again.

Yep, good thing I'm pretty laid back, otherwise I'd be a mess right now.  6 days until I leave, and we are just now finalizing plans.  Yikes!  But I found a transporter that I liked MUCH better than the first guy I talked to, so I told her I was booking with her immediately.  And boy am I glad I did.  I got an email from her that she had another horse traveling with mine to florida, and because it was just the 2 of them, she was putting them in box stalls to make it easier for both of them.  Plus she won't charge me a difficult loading fee if Pistol takes awhile to get on the trailer, thank goodness!  And best of all, she's letting him travel in his Parelli halter.  Phew.  I was going to feel silly having my horse get off the trailer at the ISC in a nylon halter.  Not to mention I was like "good luck leading him without his rope halter!".  But this new woman totally understands, and she is glad I do natural horsemanship with Pistol, because she loves those kind of clients that don't bully their horses into the trailer.  Yay!  So now I think my plans are finalized.  She is picking Pistol up October 1, and he should make it down there right around the time I do.  I'm bummed that I can't drive him myself, but I get the reasoning behind it.  And really, it doesnt matter, because I'm confident my shipper will treat him well, just like I would.  She even will give him treats if she thinks he wants one.  :D

Even shorter now!

It looks like I have a transporter secured for the time I want, but he wants to leave one day earlier than planned.  Now because this is my horse's first time doing something like this, I really would like to be at the ISC when he gets there, so I will most likely be leaving early as well.  Which means Thursday morning I will be on my way and so will Pistol!  The only bummer is that the transporter does NOT want Pistol in his Parelli halter, he wants nylon only.  :(  So I've got to have my horse show up at the Parelli center in a non-Parelli halter.  Luckily I still have the nylon halter he came with.  I tried it on him yesterday, and played with him a little bit, and boy was he confused!  He still responded pretty well, which made me really happy, but he seemed puzzled that the halter didnt feel the same, and was so much heavier.  He was super happy to get it off, and stuck his nose right in his Parelli one. :D  I am glad I still have his old halter though, otherwise I would've had to buy a completely new one for 1 trip, which seems silly.  But at least my horse will make it to the center right around the same time I will, not 2 weeks early, or 4 weeks late(I had both quoted to me by shippers!).

7 days until Florida!!!

That's right, its now my last week in Michigan!  I'm going to miss everyone, so I've been running around like crazy making last visits, but of course I have a cell phone, so I won't be completely cut off from everyone. 

I've been packing up everything Pistol and I will need, and so far I'm a surprisingly light packer!  My boyfriend predicted I would pack way more than I needed, but so far... I think I have the things I need without going overboard. 

I've been working with Pistol and my trailer, but it looks like we are going to have a transport company take him down to Florida.  Because I haven't driven a loaded horse trailer before, my grandparents were nervous about the trip, and thought things would easier if I wasn't trying to navigate and deal with my horse.  I'm kind of bummed, because I was looking at it like an adventure, but I'm guessing it will still be an adventure, except this way I will meet Pistol down in Florida.  A race! Haha. 

And apparently I'm doing a good job of not communicating any nervous excitement to Pistol, because he is acting completely normal and nonchalant.  No jitters or anything.  Its like he doesn't know he will on his way to Florida in a week! ;)

8 days and counting!

That's right, I am almost in my final week of Michigan time.  I've been working with Pistol TONS to get used to the trailer, and he's getting pretty good.  Every time I send him into the trailer, he puts 3 feet in, without fail.  And, every session he has put all 4 feet in, but hasnt stayed in.  I do have Meggie Allen, 2* Parelli Professional, coming out tomorrow to help me with him.  I can't wait, because I'm really hoping she can figure out what's going on, and maybe "solve" the problem.  I really would like to haul him myself, but if I can't get him to load reliably in my trailer, I will have to either hire a company to transport him, or rent a stock trailer to haul him in myself.  Either way, that's not really an option I like. 

I've heard from Parelli-land about things I should bring with me, so the mad dash packing starts now. :D  Looks like I wont need sheets, but I will need towels. How weird.  Plus I'm planning on bringing tons of bug spray and sunscreen!  I dont want to fry, and I dont want bugs eating me! 

I'm curious to see how Pistol will do with all of this, because he hasn't really traveled much in his life.  Pretty much he's spent his whole life on the same farm, except for the trip to the trainers.  So this whole trip should be very interesting, and I can't wait to see how he handles it.  I'm hoping he will be left-brained the whole time.  Since I've been working with him, he has gotten so much calmer about new situations, which should be an asset on the trip. 

Also, my boyfriend has found something to occupy his time while I'm in Florida: truck driving school.  I said great! you can haul my horse so I don't have to! Hahaha. 

Spending some quality time with Pistol