Hot days, tragedies, and swimming with horses

Hello all, my gosh it has been a scorcher of a day today! We have had a surprisingly busy Saturday in all honesty. I woke up mega early at 5am with all the intention of going on an early morning ride with Danny. But, on arriving at the stables and having ALL my jobs done by 6am, I realised that Lala and Zeta were coming at seven thirty for their trail ride! Ahhhhh! So poor Danny was tacked up really early for his ride. The girls arrived but it was not exactly a long ride. Lala had a bad foot and hadnt taken her allergy medication as she is allergic to horses, so she was in pain and her eyes were streaming after ten minutes, so a very short ride indeed!

After, we all came in when we had our real tragedy of the day. Ali and I were just looking at how to charge something up when we saw Little Marcus at the door. I didnt even think twice about it until I heard Ali shouting. It turns out that Caste, the mother of the twin baby goats that I named Mia and Zecko after my dogs back home, is dead. She is the second goat who has broken into the feed room and eaten herself to death. It was devastating, her stomach was so huge, and Mia was so distressed bleating and nudging her. It was so horrible. I couldnt help it but I sat in the goat pen nursery with Mia and cried for a good while. Ali was so upset as well, she was furious with the guys who work here, they left the feed room open and now, two of the best goats have had to have a needless painful death. It was so upsetting. It was awful. I felt awful all morning and I am still trying not to think about poor Mia and Zecko.

To take our minds off it, Ali and I challenged our upset into tidying the tack room so we were not thinking about it too much, we tidied it up and by that point it was so hot in the mid day sun, all I could do was sunbathe and swim in the dam. Despite the awful morning, it was a lovely afternoon reading in the hammock and swimming away. Ali then had the great idea of swimming with the horses in the dam. I have never done it before, mainly because I am not all that confident with bareback riding, but it was so hot that I thought “what the heck” and put my bikini on and we headed out to catch Blue and Duncan so we could go in the dam. Have to say, it was pretty cool horse riding in a bikini knowing that back home in England, people wont be able to wear a bikini unless they go on holiday, because it is COLD. It was so awesome, the horses bobbed around like hippos in the water eating up the algae and grunting, it was soooo cool! I wish I had done it before! I want to do it tomorrow as well if it is just as hot!

This evening I think I am recovering from mild heat stroke. My head feels fuzzy and I think I need an early night....this is what happens when an English rose goes out in mid day heat....I am a fool.....why why why! But hey ho, nothing a good nights sleep cant cure...hopefully.