This week in the Boston area we saw the temperatures range from a balmy 60 degrees to a bone chilling 20. Hunting in these weather shifts is challenging for both horse and human as one day you’re too hot and the next you’re too cold. Helping the horses stay comfortable is key.

During the warm days we had I finally got both horses trace clipped. Usually I’ve gotten this done earlier as I think that trace clipping is a great way to keep your horse from overheating while still leaving enough coat on to keep them warm. For Freedom, it’s essential: he gets so excited and worked up that he can easily become soaking wet and then get very cold.

Zelda doesn’t get as hot. Probably because she doesn’t work as hard!

Why hadn’t I clipped them? This will sound dumb, but I couldn’t find my big clippers. I hadn’t used them since the spring and they were nowhere. I searched both barns from top to bottom. Eventually I found a pair on Amazon (open box return) at a good price and as soon as they arrived? You guessed it! I found the old ones. The new ones are slightly nicer so I suppose it’s a net gain and now I have a spare.

Then I had to wait for a day that was warm enough to give them baths, dirty horses and clipper blades just don’t mix. Finally I had clippers in hand, fresh blades AND a warm day.

Unfortunately, this mislaying of objects has become a disturbing trend. The same thing happened with my tall boots. At the beginning of the season I couldn’t find them. Normally, during hunt season, I keep them in my trailer along with the other things I need for hunting. My dressing room is resplendent with stock ties, jackets, spare bits, hunt bridles for each horse, and a few extra girths, stirrup leathers and saddles. It means that when I load up to go, I know everything is there.

During the “off” season, when I usually ride in paddock boots and half chaps, I usually leave them there or . I have an old, spare pair, but they aren’t really tall enough. After wearing them a few times, I found a really nice pair of Tredstep boots on eBay. Just my size, worn once and less than half of retail. So I bought them.

Guess what? You got it. I found my boots almost immediately.

So now I need to figure out whether this is just a case of brain overload — to many things going on — or old age. Let’s just hope that I don’t misplace anything more important!