Sigh. Saturday.

Well, the day has been set when Major will leave. It won't be permanent, but it will be for about 6 weeks. I am not sure how I will handle it when she comes on Saturday to pick him up.

Of course, he is not my horse. Of course, I have known that he will be leaving at some point.

But it doesn't make it any easier.

He is such a good friend. He challenges me, he argues with me, but we always part friends. He has his quirks, which I have taken the time and effort to figure out-- and vice versa.

I will miss seeing his face three times a day, hearing his voice each time I enter the barn, and dodging his gaping jaws as he attempts to take a hunk out of my arm about 6 times a day. : )

If you are an Iowegian (that's what they are called here), come and see him at the Iowa State Fair on August 17. That is why he is leaving-- M is going to enter him in both driving and riding, and she will be working with him for the next few weeks up until the fair.

If you are not an Iowegian, and watching the Major General is not enough to draw you to Iowa, consider that our fair is the best in the country!

P.S. While I was researching a link to prove this claim of being the best fair in the land, I came across this information from the Iowa State Fair website:

In 2004, USA Weekend magazine named the Iowa State Fair as the number two place Americans go to have fun. The Fair followed Las Vegas and bested New York City’s Times Square, Cedar Point Amusement Park Resort in Sandusky, OH, Cape Cod, MA, and Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on the Top Ten list. The June issue of Esquire magazine included the Iowa State Fair as “best state fair” in its list of “15 Superlative Things to Experience Before Labor Day.”

Additionally, the Fair, which has twice been named Tourism Event of the Year, was named one of the Top Thirty Things Every Midwesterner Should Experience by Midwest Living magazine. Plus, our event has been featured in the New York Times best-selling travel book, 1000 Places to See Before You Die. The book is described as “an around-the-world, continent-by-continent listing of places guaranteed to give you the shivers.” The Iowa State Fair is listed as the only Iowa destination and the only state fair in the country as one of the world’s must-see events. In May 2003, The Wall Street Journal ranked the Iowa event among the top three fairs in the U.S. and Canada. Attendance last year topped 1,053,000.