Poor Bill. Little did he know that buying a horse for me would mean so much work for him. In the 9 months we’ve had Valentine, he has had to take over barn duties for more than one day five times. I’ve had to do it on my own only three times, each time for one day when he traveled on business. So if you’re tired of barn duties and want a break, here are some good ways to do it:

Get sick. I had a really bad allergy attack in March that I thought was a cold. Then I really did have a cold at the beginning of this month, right after a week of what was probably bronchitis. That’s three times I was laid up right there.

Travel. Bill only goes for a day or two, but I was gone for 9 days. I really do feel bad about that. But he’ll be gone for over a week in January, so he’ll get some of that back.

Injure yourself. On Monday afternoon, I had an unfortunate accident with a kitchen knife. No stitches, thank goodness, but it will take a while to heal all the way and it was, of course, my right hand. I was able to muck out the stall last night (only two nights off), but I was really slow.

Actually, I don’t really advocate any of these methods. Except for the travel, they’re not that fun. And I missed my horses while I was gone, so going away isn’t all that great, either.

Bribery, on the other hand, isn’t too bad.