What do I want for Christmas?
More time with the people I love and more time with my horses. While working a full time job lets me afford my horses, it also takes away valuable time especially in the winter months. For alot of people, juggling a job, family and hobbies is a very intricate ballet. And more times than not, something gets short changed. When I got my first horse, my husband was the one who was left out. He always ribs me about being fed after the animals. He was and still is quite understanding. He’s also quick to point out to people that this is my only passion and hobby.
When my daughter was born, the horses were the sacrifice. I cared for them twice daily while I was at a self serve barn, I just didn’t get to do much with them. I fed them before I went to work and a friend at the the barn would let them out to pasture. After work, I would go back to the barn, change my shoes in the car, and do chores and feed again. Then it was home to feed the family and do house chores. I rode when I could and occasionally went to a show or two. I wondered if it wasn’t time to get out of horses for a while.
I kept my horses and moved them to a full care barn instead. This gave me more time. Most of which was spent with diapers, then ball games, band trips, homework, and calming the fears of a teenager wondering if boys would ever like her. Now she’s in college and I have more time again. I kept my horses through all the trials and tribulations of my life. I look back at them as my stress relief. If I hadn’t had them, I’m sure I would be on blood pressure or ulcer medication. They have a calming effect on me, even if they are having one their bad days. I take a riding lesson every Saturday morning, weather permitting. It relaxes me to be just sitting on of my horses or trying to learn a new move. Even on those rides where nothing is going right, I find it enjoyable. On some of those rides, you can hear me laugh.
I look at it this way . . . . no matter what my horses do, it’s not as bad as what work does to me.
I met Huddy Hudspeth when I volunteered to work the Palomino World Hose Show about 18 years ago. He was the tack judge and I was recruited to check the horses markings. We had to check every horse every time they came through the gate to the holding pen. At that time, the show was 3 very long days. We spent a lot time at the back gate. When there was time between classes, I asked a lot of questions and he told a lot of stories. We worked together until about 5 years ago. He was one of the most amazing people I know.
