Flats

So I take the dog outside for our morning "business" walk and the first thing I notice is a flat tire on my Mother's car. Our only vehicle since I sold my 19-year-old CRX-Si in early 2008.



So much for my "best laid plans" to go to the barn per my usual schedule. My mother used her AAA membership to have someone come to the house to put air in the tire. This requires a 30-40 minute wait during which I change into barn clothes and prepare Phantom's carrot/apple treats. The kind man from Whitman Towing quickly tended to the car and I noted with irony that Whitman is based in Canby, where my horse is stabled and where I would normally be at that time on a Friday.

Off to Les Schwab to get the flat repaired. This takes an hour to have a faulty valve stem replaced. For free (Yay!) since the tires were purchased from LS.

We head home where I collect the dog and my barn backpack. Later than my usual routine, but we're off to the barn at last.

Where I find that Phantom has sprung a shoe.



Not this badly, thank goodness! But his right front is slightly tweaked just enough so that it is no longer flush with the bottom of the hoof. Now, Phantom is wearing only TWO shoes, yet he managed to goober up one.

I went ahead and rode him anyway. Just the walk and posting trot that we've been doing to get back into shape. And I kept the ride to 30 minutes instead of pushing it to 45 minutes and perhaps trying a canter. When I finished I left a message with the shoer. *sigh*

I don't know. All I'm trying to do is get my barn life back to normal after breaking my wrist, but between the weather and these unexpected events, I get the impression that the Universe has other ideas.