Hi Everyone!  Ike here.  I’ve hijacked Mom’s blog since she is apparently too busy to keep you updated on the goings on this week.  She is very distracted getting ready for our first show of the season.  She seems a bit more keyed up with this particular show that she was last year.  I keep hearing the word “licensed” paired with the word show, but I’m still not clear what that means besides the fact that she has been harping about the money she has spent and is very worried about what the scores will be.

Sheesh!  All this fuss about a show overshadowed my 5th birthday on April 30th.  Where was the cake?  The peppermints?  How about a massage?  Where are my PRESENTS?!!  All I got were some stinking carrots and I had to share them with my brother and barnmates.  Uncool.  Everyone tells me that I’m starting to look more mature and less like a baby.  I might be looking older, but I still want a party.  If I can ever figure out how to dial a phone, look out.  I shall be calling the Humane Society to report this apparent lack of follow through on my birthday celebration.

I have really been enjoying the weather this week.  The recent rain and the warmer days mean that I finally have tender spring grass growing in my paddock.  Yum.  Hay is good, but nothing beats the first green grass of the season.  My brother and I have been playing a lot over the fence which is tons of fun.  I rear, Cigar does a rear/buck/cow kick, and then we run down the fenceline and do it again.  Big fun.  We got in trouble to getting a bit too rambunctious and pulling down the electric fencing.  Cigar didn’t like getting in trouble, so he went and kicked down a fence board in protest.  I just stood there and looked adorable when asked what transpired.  Brothers have to look out for each other.

Mom and I did two back-to-back riding lessons with Ms. C to try to fine tune us for the “licensed” show.  More money spent that should have been used for an awesome birthday present.  They seem pleased with how I’m doing.  Thank goodness that she is finally figuring out the whole half halt timing.  Mom keeps saying how much better our canter is this year that it was last April.  Again, sheesh, what did she expect?  I was only 3 years old when we went to the first show last year.  My bet is that she wasn’t exactly the most graceful mover when she was 3 years old.  You don’t get scarred up knees if you aren’t eating gravel every once in a while.  My knees are still scar-free thank you very much.

Now, I need to ask you kind readers for some help.  I heard a new word today that has not to date been part of my every day vocabulary.  Can someone please tell me what a sleepover is and why I am going on one?  It seems to have something to do with our show.  Mom was in a frenzy this afternoon putting stuff in the trailer.  She even put some covered buckets filled with water, some of my food (with no sharing with me), and a whole bale of hay.  If we are just going to a show, why do we need all these provisions?  Ms. C then gave me a tube of GastroGard right before dinner and said that I need it to keep me healthy in case I get stressed.  I think all this has something to do with that sleepover word.  I sleep in my stall, so sleeping over my stall would put me on the roof of the barn.  It is so confusing.  I asked the other horses, but no one is divulging any details.  The best I can hope for is that maybe sleepover is code for “Ike’s Surprise Party.”

Hoping to come home from the show with some new ribbons to decorate my stall.  Mom will fill you in on all those details on Sunday night.

Ike