The Waste that Wasn’t
Over a decade ago, when I had to unexpectedly retire a young endurance horse, I wrote this post on how to respond when a dream collapses.
Horse Stories
Water in Winter
Snow fell on the farm today. I found myself out in it, bundled in thick gloves and a hood, because the water tanks needed filling. The horses’ coats, bejeweled with ice, stood out from their round bodies. Whinnies caroled as I tossed extra alfalfa to keep them warm. I rested my elbows on a paddock …
Melt
Autumn. The skies have rained and blown for weeks. Blankets have been on and off the horses. Salted mashes consumed. Saddles nestled in the tack room, waiting. And then, yesterday! Dawn broke still and the farm floated alone in a heavy cloak of fog. Mist froze on branches, wire, hay, and manes. I warmed a saddle pad …
Neighbors
There’s something about being on a horse that makes people want to say hello. I do most of my conditioning rides on the grid of agricultural roads surrounding my farm. Just about everyone who passes in a car, driving a tractor, or riding a motorcycle offers a wave. Once in a while, someone stops to …
Bittersweet
My first job was at a small, shabby horse farm in the valley below my childhood home. The driveway peeled off from a curvy, gravel road lined with hotwire paddocks, all nibbled bare and dotted with broodmares. The barn was creaky and drafty, with packed dirt aisles and a radio tuned to the country station. …