Going on Vacations

Does anyone else hate vacations because of being away from your horses?

We are going to Pittsburg this weekend, and it is supposed to be gorgeous back home! I am missing yet ANOTHER great riding weekend, the only time I can really ride without the stress of finishing school because I have both Saturday and Sunday night for that. To top it off, I have to outline another 10 pages in my US history book, correct a Pre-Calc test, answer three pages of AP Bio, and write sentences in Spanish III. Due by Monday, and we should be getting back late Sunday night.

I wouldn't have a problem with this, but it is the second weekend in a row that we've been away. I have been told that I get in a bad mood if I go too long without riding, but thankfully I rode yesterday for an hour and a half.

I guess I will just mope around my aunts house this weekend, doing homework because I don't want to go to Pittsburg ( I'm a huge NY Jets fan, J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!) as I don't think it will be my cup of tea.

So, does anyone else hate leaving their thousand-pound-babies? Or is it just me? My family seems to think the latter and they are upset I would rather ride Skips than spend time with family I am not close to :(

Sure I miss my horses while I am in a tropical place lying on the beach sipping a cool adult beverage, but I survive, lol!
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I'm sure on a tropical vacation I wouldnt miss them nearly as much! But, it's Pittsburg, nothing wrong with the city but I have already been there when I was younger and found it very unremarkable lol. Especially spending it with my drama-starting aunts.

For about two weeks my mom and I had planned to spend the morning tomorrow riding and getting her to do ANYTHING with the horses anymore is a huge accomplishment!

I also hate going on vacations. Don't get me started on Christmas trips to Ohio, or thanksgiving trips to Virginia- the way I see it, everything is taking up time that I could be riding or at the barn.
This summer I went on a 2 week trip to Italy with my mom and grandparents. Sounds like fun, right? NO! I haven't been away from riding for more than 6 days at a time in 8 years. Even when I broke my growth plate in my arm, and tore my MCL in my knee, I still rode. Longest two weeks of my life. NOTE: Most people think I'm crazy when I say that, but you don't get it untill you've been in that situation. Trust me- I'm not a spoiled brat :) It would've been fun if I'd been able to get my mind off my horse sitting in the field doing nothing... Turns out I was right about vacations though. When we got back, we had to retire my horse because his ligaments were too tight in his hind end and were causing stifle locking. I guess it had been weak for a while and we never knew; the two weeks off is what triggered the weakness.

Also, we went to the beach for four days at the beginning of August. This would be fne, except that the day before we left, I tried a horse for the third time, and still loved her. I had to wait untill we got back from vacation to have her vet check done. Thankfully she came on the same day she passed vetting. I made my parents promise me that they won't make me go on vacation with them next summer.

Also- I have an essay to write for AP World History along with reading a chapter and defining 20 vocab words for the same class, 2 tests in English at the beginning of the week, A long term Chemistry project, and a pen-pal letter to write for AP SPanish- ALL due on Monday. I get the homeowrk situation...

I have to take 2 AP exams in the spring and my Mom insists on putting my horses in training with Stephen Bradley for a month before the test so I can study. I have nothing against the guy- he's great, but he lives all the way in Virginia and I might be able to see the horses once a week- maybe. How am I supposed to study while my horses are in Virginia being ridden by someone else!

Ugh- non horsey parents just don't get it. Sorry if I turned your post into a rant, no one else gets it...

I'm taking a trip to the New England states for college visits next week and am not looking forward to it. I'm missing a Pony Club rating, a foxhunt, a schooling show, and my horse won't be in condition to compete in the hunter pace four days after we get back.

So yes, I hate vacations....unless the horse comes!

I'm taking 3 APs! Two are year long, too!

I don't blame you for not wanting to put your horses in training, they are what keep me sane and pleasent to be around lol. Seeing them makes my day better, and having them literally 250ft away in my backyard makes it even better!

Don't feel bad, I am glad others feel the same way!

I couldn't imagine adding showing to the mix! I would be irate about going on this trip...

College visits are something I didn't even think about, good thing the college I want to go to is only about 3-4hrs away!

I'm not terribly fond of vacations either, but mostly because things tend to go badly when we go away and it is very difficult to find someone to look after our acreage. During summer, if we go away, I miss out on some of the nicest riding weather of the year, and we don't get a lot of it.

Two years ago, our house was broken into while we were on vacation during spring break. Luckily the animals were all OK, but it was pretty stressful finding out thugs had taken many of our valuables.

Later in the summer we sent away and sent the dogs to a kennel and our then 3 horses to a stable. In the second day we were gone, our mare got a serious cut on her coronet that meant stall rest and daily bandages for nearly 3 months. Later, in the same vacation, we got a call from the kennel and the dogs both came down with kennel cough. My boxer ended up with a lung infection. Fortunately, everyone got better, but the vet bills alone doubled the cost of our vacation, not to mention worrying about the animals while we were gone.

The next spring break trip, we were only gone for a few days. While we were away, one of our cats got stepped on by one of the horses. We weren't home 15 minutes and we were going to the emergency vet clinic to have the cat out down.

This last summer, we were set to go on vacation and my boxer developed an eye ulcer that required the vet to monitor his eye about twice a week (in case surgery was needed), and he had to be on painkillers, plus antibiotic drops 4 x each day. Needless to say, we didn't go away. We did get to enjoy some holiday time at home where we were able to ride often and spend a ton of time with the horses.

Vacations away from my horse don't bother me at all. Usually we're doing something like hiking, and I'm sure Buck doesn't mind a few days of eating and loafing!

Fortunately, I live in rural area within a stone's throw of many family members. It is no trouble finding someone trustworthy to take care of my animals.