Take Your Mother To Work Day

It was take your mother to work day yesterday, at least in the Nordberg family.

I got to go to work with Jon at the Belmont yesterday and it was soooo much fun.  Although I didn't get up at 4:30am to go with him, I did join him at 9:00 at the Vet Village.  I got to see the clinic, the drugs, the equipment, the digital Xray and I did bring Otis, who got to sleep an extra 4 hours that morning.  He was happy!

It was so much fun to see Jon at work.  Examining horses, passing tubes to hydrate horses, scoping horses for breathing issues, giving lameness checks, giving injections, and interacting with all the various people who are in charge of all these very important horses!

The horses are trained, either breezed, walked or galloped and then there are folks who give them a bath and get them back in the stalls.  They are immaculate!  The Belmont employs so many people at all different levels.   There are trainers, owners, barn managers, riders, jockeys, grooms, walkers and all the older men who are directing traffic so vehicles so not run into the horses.  And pay attention!!!  One must never slam the car/truck door.  It may spook the horses.

 There are sixty barns filled with horses that are in various stages of training, many of the horses were at Saratoga for August and will be back in September.

Jon kept getting calls has he was going to the various barns responding to the concerns of the trainers and barn managers.

We got to go to the back side and watch some horses that were being exercised.

The park is beautiful and huge!  Right in the middle of Long Island it take up over 450 acres of space.  It has lovely trees, flowers, barns, medical clinics, dorms for some of the 1000 employees, stores, a huge grand stand, magnificent boxes and a lovely track.  The had some of these plaques denoting the big winner different years.  This one dates back to 1935

It was a beautiful day yesterday on Long Island.  And I was priviledged to see so many beautiful horses hear about how they are taken care of and trained.  After most of Jon's rounds were done he was able to get away for a bit and go to lunch.  We drove through gorgeous neighborhoods on Long Island and had lunch at a wonder Asian restaurant. 

And then I had to take off to return to the North Country.

What a great day!