No wine today, which frankly feels suspicious given the week that was.

Marissa kicks things off with the saga of Hickatee’s mystery lip injury — an incident involving stitches, rain-washed paddock evidence, and the shocking revelation that she is, in fact, wildly squeamish at the sight of horse blood. Nearly fainting while the vet insisted she stand on the exact side of the wound? Yes. Character building? Also yes.

What could have been a stressful horse week somehow turns into a victory tour. There’s solo float driving (accompanied by the classic “I’m not scared” internal monologue), a sore hand from aggressively gripping the steering wheel, and a surprisingly drama-free unloading.. growth all around.

Then comes the moment that absolutely no non-horse person will appreciate properly: a canter over a single pole. Objectively minor. Emotionally enormous. After extensive pre-panic and attempted psychic negotiation with the instructor, the pole is cantered. The world does not end. Confidence levels rise.

With Hickatee temporarily off duty, Marissa dives into groundwork with Will from Equine on the Move, tackling lunging, energy, timing, and the realisation that the biggest training challenge is often the human brain, not the horse. Shocking, we know.

The girls are then joined by Santa Monica author and wine aficionado Danielle Frank, who brings laughs and unexpected depth with her brilliantly titled book A Wine Lover’s Guide to Parenting: The Fine Art of WINE and WHINE Management. Between wine wisdom, life plot twists, and brutally relatable truths about happiness not always following the original script, things get both funny and surprisingly wise.

Also featured: forgotten anniversaries, marital competence comparisons, and the usual Mounting Block chaos.

Business as usual, really.