As kids, that’s what we used to call hot, humid days. And some of them actually were scorchers. I hated when it was so hot that it was difficult getting to sleep. I have not experienced that here in Alaska – in fact, it gets colder here at night than in most places.

Woke up to sunny weather. Went outside, it felt warm and was going to get warmer. The day was full of promise.

Got down to the horse pen and let the horses out. I let Tinni out of his side of the pen; he walked out and began grazing. Tyra bounded out, Raudi followed at a walk, and Hrimmi stumbled out. I deduced that Tyra was her usual energetic self, Raudi was a bit tired from yesterday’s ride, and Hrimmi was lame.

I watched Hrimmi for a minute before getting Pete. Hrimmi was favoring her right front leg but was putting weight on it. Pete and I detected some swelling and a little bit of heat in her ankle. After breakfast, I iced it and put a body wrap on her. I worked on her in the stall (Tinni was outside) and she was quite calm. I enjoyed doing this because inside the house I felt overwhelmed. I am able to forget what needs to be done when I am outside.

Hrimmi last winter

I then did have to come inside. I checked my email. The news from distant ends of the world was good. First of all, the results of the fecal tests on the horses could not have been better. None of them appeared to have any parasites. This means we do not have to deworm, which would build up the parasites’ resistance to the chemicals.

The second bit of news was that we did very well in agility this month. We got either two firsts and a second or three firsts – I think it was the latter. Raudi is also now 13th in the International Agility League standings. It took us years to get there. I felt good about the course – I really liked it. We made all the videos this month in short order, which was good, sometimes it takes several tries. Pete was right in saying that I knew the course, and this was why they did so well. This is true. There is a direct connection between me and them. This is why I like agility so much.

Ahh, in the afternoon I went to the Knik River and rode with Sarah G. This was an excellent thing to do, to ride in an area I haven’t spent much time in, and with plenty of distractions including lots of ATVs. We had several successes, some of which included cantering along the river area, doing several water crossings, and going up and down sand dunes. I got tired towards the end because I was out of my comfort level. I keep telling myself that Raudi and I are now near the top of the learning curve, and the view is spectacular.

Next: 184. 7/3/18; The Essence of Summer