Why Being too Legit to Quit is A Challenge

Lately I have been extremely excited but extremely exhausted at the same time. Let me explain my upcoming schedule- I have the polar plunge coming up this Saturday, and yes, I am insane enough to jump into a freezing cold lake during the middle of winter. I also have horse show season coming up in March, which I am extremely excited about, however, I am not so excited about having to start conditioning- which for me means finding time to go run and getting up off my lazy butt.

If the Horse is Smarter Than You- Don't Do it.

There's hay in my pockets.
This always happens to me when I wear a hoody or some other article of clothing that had pockets to the barn. Hay gets everywhere. Why can't horses eat bread or something that won’t find its way into my pockets? I suppose finding hay in your pockets is just a normal part of living with horses, just as getting kicked, bitten, and stepped on is, and unfortunately, I have experienced more than my fair share of accidents with the equine species. After all, you're talking to the girl who went to freshman orientation on crutches because she got stepped on by 1,200 pound Tennessee walker. And yes- that did suck.

Frozen Horse Dookies and Mud

It’s January in Kentucky, needless to say it is freezing outside, but hey, don’t get me wrong- I know it could be much worse if I lived in Alaska or Maine or somewhere like that- but anyway, it’s freaking cold outside! The temperature may not be a big deal to some people- people who just get up in the morning, go to their school or their job, or wherever, get groceries and go home to a nice warm house. The weather is a big deal to me, and it always has been, it has to be when you’re dealing with livestock because it can mean the difference between a frozen cold horse and a happy warm furry bundle of joy.

             For most people it is a common thought that owning a horse means having a big happy animal in their backyard that can be ridden at anytime for any length of time and then put back in the pasture to carry out its’ happy life amongst the green grass and smiling flowers. But the reality is that horses need so much more care than that- especially in the wintertime- just ask me, I currently own three horses and I will tell you this, owning a horse is no walk in the park, nor does it involve smiling flowers.

                I love my horses; I do not however: love cleaning frozen horse turds, falling on ice, going outside in a blizzard to blanket my horses, etc. But, the love I do have for my stinky horse family is the reason why I put myself through these things, it is easy to say that you love something, yet it is another thing to prove it, especially while you’re ankle deep in frozen mud and horse dookeys.