Retiring In Florida

Hello!  We're not retiring to Florida (yet), but I just put Guapo on a really big fifth-wheel horse trailer which will meet up with a tractor trailer unit belonging to the same transport company somewhere northwest of here near the MA/RI boarder.  He will be moved on to that rig which will be full of horses heading south.  We're in the beginning of a nasty nor'easter, so the good-bye was brief, wet and without pictures.  Probably better that way.  I did take a video as the trailer drove away.

Last winter was hard on the old boy and was the first we blanketed him for most of the season.  We had to increase his grain intake by almost double just to keep up his weight as well.  So, even though the area in Florida he is going (south of Lake City) can get cold at night in winter, it should be much better for him.  He is going to the farm that Mrs's aunt owns and will eventually have much more room to roam and buddies to hang around with.  Right now she has a Friesian, Arabian, a couple donkeys, and several goats.

Hopefully he'll never have to see snow like this again.

The transport was supposed to occur last week.  Mrs had a flight scheduled the same day as he was to depart.  The plan would have put her at her Mom's place in Largo for a quick visit, then they would drive to her aunt's place in the north-central area of the state where she would be to greet him when he arrived.  Unfortunately due to a broken down truck and a couple other factors, the transport company postponed the trip to today.  Mrs had to bag the trip, but was able to postpone her flights for up to a year.  I think her plan is to fly down in late March to visit everyone.

So, he should arrive in Florida tomorrow sometime.  There is a full load of horses going down.  He looked pretty relaxed once he was on the trailer and I was able to scritch his nose through the window.  I expect his little brain will be trying to take all of it in and am hoping for the best for him.  We don't know how old he is, probably mid-20s, but I think he's strong enough to handle the trip.  The vet also gave us the go-ahead.

Updates to come in a couple days.