Mar 21
By Liz Lundberg
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
2:45 P.M.
Here's some news: I got on thirteen horses today, with time left for one more. That's what you call really HONKIN'. In the first two hours of training, I worked my way through nine of them. I really did some major damage control too. You have no idea how fast a simple exercise person has to move to keep several outfits strung out like that liking it. The total amount of time the track is open for training is three and a half hours. It opens at seven (eight right now, till after the time change) for two hours; closes for half hour at ten so they can smooth the surface, and opened again for an hour and a half) the first two hours we nearly always call "before the break" and it;s the most important time; everybody who has only a few to train wants to get them out so they can leave early.
Yesterday, Doc didn't train. "She's too sore," ....
Me: "What about your head?"
Him: "Oh, YEAH. I'm hung over all right, but I said I'd be here!" (Someday I'll give you a bio on this guy; he has both a veterinary AND an engineering degree. A truly high- functioning individual!)
So, anyway, today she has to go, and she isn't as bad as I thought she'd be. The next horse has to go to the gate, which can be time consuming, but Rex & I are the first ones up there so it was quick, and both fillies, Huz & Toes left there like they knew what they were doing. Then I get one for the Sorceress, but J. V. is right around the corner. He has one horse of his own, and she runs tomorrow. He heard me in the barn and walked over to make sure I was going to get on it today.......
"Yup, but I can't come as early as I said' ...I say ..."maybe after....... I don't know but I'll be there in ........I don't know, but BEFORE THE BREAK, anyway, I promise...."
AND NOW I'm in a jam. because I have four for Hardhead, four for Lovejoy, and three for the Sorceress, and now I have to fit him in somewhere there before the break. As a rule freelance riders can expect to get six horses out before the break, eight if they push it. I'm looking at twelve. Not only that, but three of the trainers HAVE to get out before the break, the Sorceress, Hardhead, and J.V. And I can't leave all four of Lovejoy's until after the break! . (I wouldn't have had four, but When I hit the Rec. hall for a hot drink befor work, one of the agents askede me to get two others for him both of which happened to be Lovejoy). He could've handled only two, but it's not nice to make a guy wait all morning, then get all four out at the last minute. It's a heavy work load that's tough to do with limited equipment and stable hands.
I have to do this, though, and I start thinking, and while my head's going a hundred miles an hour, Rick chambers asks me "hey liz, what does youre schedule looke like?"
"Oh, I, uh, I uh,......don't know. But I'll let you know if I find out."
Here is how I hustled until nine O'clock:
After the Sorceress, back to Hardhead. WHAT? He's not tacked!!!! I'm pissed. But Lovejoy's barn is facing his, and Lovejoy has one tacked. So I jump on that one and take it. NOW, back to Hardhead, and I'm thinking, "I have to try to get two for him, and then get away to get two others, one for the Sorceress, and one for J.V. . The Sorceress can send one after break, and as long as I have gotten this one for Lovejoy, I can get the rest of his then, too. Hardhead sends two joggers out in a row, but each only goes one mile. Heaven IS watching out for me. "Wanna get the last one?" I say, with my fingers secretly crossed "no, I think you go and come back after one & we'll get Charlie out..." WOOOOW! What luck. He isn't even aware that I'm in such a hurry!!! As soon as I step out of the barn I'm two minute lickin' back to the Sorceress', and I say to her and Tiny when I get in there, "um, would you mind terribly, walking out with the next one in about ten minutes? I'll have ardhead come out and pick me up then as well. IT will save me time and I have three more to go. I really didn't' t mean to get in such a squeeze, but it's just one of those days........."
They're OK with it, so I round the corner to J.V., we throw the equipment on his horse, and off I go. This particular horse has only one speed, which isn't very fast, but since it's the only speed she goes even if you place your feet on her neck and your head on her ass and pull with everything you have. She doesn't take long to gallop, for sure! and Margaret's there with the next one, right at barn B. J.V's hotwalker takes the one I'm on, I take the next one, and I'm back on the track in less than two minutes. When I finish that one, the Sorceress lets me bail off at Hardhead's and I'm back in his barn with almost ten minutes to spare! Hiding my exhilaration, I walk quietly under the shedrow, and ask "we ready?" and Frau (the WIFE, not the horse) says "he's up at the other end- you can go around the barn before you go out".
"Two mile jog, Papa?"
"Two miles". On the way out I see Theresa Akers and she asks me if I have any time after the break. "I don't know, but I'll find out and let you know, or if you don't see me it means I'm tied up, BUT if something happens and I get loose, I'll check and see if you still need to get out".
Once I get onto the track they won't kick me off, although It will take me longer than ten minutes to go two miles. I even got lucky that Mahan didn't send him till last. A two miler can really blow your schedule off. By the time I dismount for "the break" It's almost time to go back out! Ten after nine. In fifteen minutes they'll be open again. The Sorceress' first, then Lovejoy- whatever he wants, then West, who called earlier. As I race up the hill to West's (the only one I have to get that's in one of the more distant barns) Rebecca & Ginger Demzyk are looking at me with questioning expressions on their faces.
"Uh, you need help?" I ask, hoping they don't.
"Well, if you have time, come over" replies Ginger
"OK, I have one for West, one more for Lovejoy, and I should be able to get you." In total I get four. Lovejoy decides to wait until tomorrow on one of them. Theresa & Chambers got theirs out with other people, and so do the Demzyks, before I can get caught up.
And that's the morning. nine before, and four after. Thirteen is not a bad day. Makes you happy when you have a short day that you got the extras to keep your wallet full. The last five days I've totaled fifty- five horses. That's 550.00 for me, or about 30.00 an hour. Not too bad for a blue collar job. I have one more day before the week's over, and that is already booked full, so I can't make less than $650.00 this week (unless I get hurt).
And now, at the end of the day, (cuz it's 10 PM- I had to cut out for a bit) I find out that my announcement for the Easter Celebration (Communion Service), which I have given not a few spare moments to, has been ill- received by a couple people. I'll show it when I move it to this computer from the desktop where I printed it, but anyway....It was a molehill that got a mountain of misunderstanding. It was a bit irreverent...... Gotta get some sleep now. Oh, yeah. Tony won a race, the guy I mentioned a while back. He was ecstatic, to say the least. Tried to find out how Clyde ran tonite but they don't have the results showing--- something's going on at Equibase, either the site or the employee situation.
