is a business that can take you to the very highest point in the universe, let you stay there and enjoy the high, there is nothing like it.
In saying that the Thoroughbred Horse Industry can also take you down to the very depths of despair (my most favourite quote!) and let you wallow in it and just when you think that you have turned the corner and are back on the right path, pull the rug from underneath you again.
Hmmm, you are probably wondering why I have started my blog with these sentences. Read on!
The truck arrived to pick up Charlie from our place early on the Tuesday morning. We asked the guy did we need to give him any paperwork - he said no.
Evan got Charlie up on the truck ok and off they went. We both sighed with relief and went on with our day. Me, off to Telstra and Evan down to meet the truck at the Gold Coast.
20mins later we get a call. "Where's your paperwork for the colt?" I beg your pardon I said?
"They wont accept him unless he has his red form" "OOOh I said"
10mins later Evan is off around to Lyndhurst with the paper that the truck driver didnt want. Hmmm.
Iam sitting in the office, handling a complaint - which is unusual at Telstra and I get a call from Evan - "We have a disaster - Charlie has gone down in the float. He is cactus. I'll ring you back."
Oh my God, Oh my God.... I have no idea what that means and I have to sit there in the office and wait for Evan to call me back.
It seems that Charlie's lead had come undone in the truck and he had managed to wedge himself under the divider board of the truck. My first thought is, "Dont tell me he undid it?"
Eventually they get Charlie out - bruised and battered. Several cuts to his face and a longish, deep cut to the inside off his off front.
Evan is severely distressed (so is Charlie for that matter)... I tell Evan to walk Charlie around and give him a bath and get some water on his leg.
Evan left Charlie overnight and when we got down to the Gold Coast (after the ATM eating my Access Card in Beaudesert on the way down), there stands Charlie - his leg has blown up overnight - there is no way that this boy is going through the sale.
We manage to get him on a truck going back to Toowoomba that afternoon and back to Warwick the next day. We ask the Driver to ring us before he arrives in Warwick. He says "NO WORRIES".
The truck arrives the next day when Sue is down the back feeding the horses. Whoever has driven it has reorganised our paddocks so that Charlie is in one of the crush paddocks. We get a call from Sue saying that Charlie arrived when she was down the back... and whoever was driving moved the Gelding out of the crush paddock and put Charlie in there of his own volition.
What happened to the phone call?
Hmmmm has changed into a Grrrrr!
Evan and I decide to have the night down on the Gold Coast with lots of alcohol and a scrumptuous Seafood Buffet to get over the disappointment from the day.
The highs and lows of this business are amazing. Mind you it has taken us a good few days to scrape ourselves off the bottom and get back into working mode.
Charlie is now in a little paddock where he can safely have a run around and be a baby. It has taken him quite a few days to get over the events from last week and you can see that he has been affected by the events. If you said to me that he was traumatised, I would agree with you.
Where to now? Hmmmm. Perhaps Sunny to go to the ready to run sales at the end of the year and Charlie to get gelded in the next week or so and stay with us. What do you think of the name CHARLIEFARLEY?? lol
Evan is still keen to have another go at this yearling business. Im not so sure. I remain to be convinced after our short and brief experience.
But even after everything that happened over the period of those few days, we both agree that we wouldnt want to be anywhere else and doing something different. Thoroughbreds are something that stays in your blood and wont go away even through disappointment. You tend to bounce right back and start all over again.
Hmmm, maybe in a day or two....
Life is good, I know it is (I think?)
Helen
P.S. Susie is on the move - watch this space!
In saying that the Thoroughbred Horse Industry can also take you down to the very depths of despair (my most favourite quote!) and let you wallow in it and just when you think that you have turned the corner and are back on the right path, pull the rug from underneath you again.
Hmmm, you are probably wondering why I have started my blog with these sentences. Read on!
The truck arrived to pick up Charlie from our place early on the Tuesday morning. We asked the guy did we need to give him any paperwork - he said no.
Evan got Charlie up on the truck ok and off they went. We both sighed with relief and went on with our day. Me, off to Telstra and Evan down to meet the truck at the Gold Coast.
20mins later we get a call. "Where's your paperwork for the colt?" I beg your pardon I said?
"They wont accept him unless he has his red form" "OOOh I said"
10mins later Evan is off around to Lyndhurst with the paper that the truck driver didnt want. Hmmm.
Iam sitting in the office, handling a complaint - which is unusual at Telstra and I get a call from Evan - "We have a disaster - Charlie has gone down in the float. He is cactus. I'll ring you back."
Oh my God, Oh my God.... I have no idea what that means and I have to sit there in the office and wait for Evan to call me back.
It seems that Charlie's lead had come undone in the truck and he had managed to wedge himself under the divider board of the truck. My first thought is, "Dont tell me he undid it?"
Eventually they get Charlie out - bruised and battered. Several cuts to his face and a longish, deep cut to the inside off his off front.
Evan is severely distressed (so is Charlie for that matter)... I tell Evan to walk Charlie around and give him a bath and get some water on his leg.
Evan left Charlie overnight and when we got down to the Gold Coast (after the ATM eating my Access Card in Beaudesert on the way down), there stands Charlie - his leg has blown up overnight - there is no way that this boy is going through the sale.
We manage to get him on a truck going back to Toowoomba that afternoon and back to Warwick the next day. We ask the Driver to ring us before he arrives in Warwick. He says "NO WORRIES".
The truck arrives the next day when Sue is down the back feeding the horses. Whoever has driven it has reorganised our paddocks so that Charlie is in one of the crush paddocks. We get a call from Sue saying that Charlie arrived when she was down the back... and whoever was driving moved the Gelding out of the crush paddock and put Charlie in there of his own volition.
What happened to the phone call?
Hmmmm has changed into a Grrrrr!
Evan and I decide to have the night down on the Gold Coast with lots of alcohol and a scrumptuous Seafood Buffet to get over the disappointment from the day.
The highs and lows of this business are amazing. Mind you it has taken us a good few days to scrape ourselves off the bottom and get back into working mode.
Charlie is now in a little paddock where he can safely have a run around and be a baby. It has taken him quite a few days to get over the events from last week and you can see that he has been affected by the events. If you said to me that he was traumatised, I would agree with you.
Where to now? Hmmmm. Perhaps Sunny to go to the ready to run sales at the end of the year and Charlie to get gelded in the next week or so and stay with us. What do you think of the name CHARLIEFARLEY?? lol
Evan is still keen to have another go at this yearling business. Im not so sure. I remain to be convinced after our short and brief experience.
But even after everything that happened over the period of those few days, we both agree that we wouldnt want to be anywhere else and doing something different. Thoroughbreds are something that stays in your blood and wont go away even through disappointment. You tend to bounce right back and start all over again.
Hmmm, maybe in a day or two....
Life is good, I know it is (I think?)
Helen
P.S. Susie is on the move - watch this space!
1 comment:
Has Charlie settled down and is there any permanent damage? He looked so fit and healthy in his last photos before being loaded for the sales, that it's such a shame to have had something like that happen. Maybe one day we will wake up to the fact that we need to monitor horses on the move by CCTV since grooms aren't allowed to travel in with them. Or is that just "in my dreams"?
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