Friday, February 21, 2014

Pull together, your neighbors and your friends


Yesterday was sunny and warm enough for three bareback rides on the boys. We couldn't go far because the snow is still too deep. I rode Pie first around the driveway and on the packed track over to my mom's house. There she gave him carrots and apples and convinced me to take him out through the woods, but the snow was very deep so we turned around.

Next up was Sovey boy. If you click the photos below you can see three very short video clips of our ride. The noise in the background of the third video is the gurgling of the auctioneer at the auto auction. 





Poor Sovey Van Gogh - in the photo above you can see where Foggy took a bite out of crime on that left ear tip one day last summer. 

I rode Foggy last. No videos of his ride or Pie's ride. Foggy was a little wiggly. He seems very antsy to me lately. I know he is bothered by the snow more than the other two. Foggy needs his grassy pastures back as soon as possible please! Actually, he wants to come into the house.

While I was riding Sovey a truck went by and the people were waving like crazy at us. It ended up being my friends from the company that dug out and installed our fabulous pea gravel. Then, later, as I was finishing up my barn chores my fence company arrived to fix the fences that were smashed in the ice storm. I hadn't seen them for a year or so and it was just like old times catching up with all their phone photos of kids and stories about this winter and fence repair. They even told how they had a fence project in Wellington, FL and how they were blown away by the equestrian communities down there. 

Back at home over coffee with Brian and Maizie I was telling of seeing and talking to my "old friends" today. They always laugh about my "other life" at the barn and how rich and diverse it is, full of social interactions and adventures. I recounted that in the morning, while I was filling water buckets, I had talked about riding in the snow to my friend Anita, the lady at the feed store, and in the afternoon we had to phone Darwin, our friend who owns a tree trimming company because we have another down limb to remove. Then there was the pea gravel friends who went by while I was riding and finally the fence company visit. And that was just one day!

These people weren't our "friends" before this current horse venture on our farm. But, all of them - fence men, pea gravel company, hay farmer, hayfield cutting farmer, apple barstool neighbors, feed store operators, tree trimmers, shed builders, farrier, veterinarian, and of course, all my blogger "friends" - all have come together in my life to make this horse joy possible. It really is magical when you think about it!

I have very big goals/dreams of building a perfect equestrian community some day. The funny thing is that in my daydreams I always knew the cornerstone, the foundation of ever getting anything started would be to find people whom I trust and like and who feel about horses and quality work the same way I do. Unbelievably, everyone I've met are the very people who can help my goals come to fruition. And, now, they are my friends.

11 comments:

  1. Ah, another lovely amble in the snow! Your boys are so good, unlike my wild and wooly guy yesterday! Always an adventure, no matter how long or short the ride.

    I like your phrase "horse joy", for that is truly what it is, bumps and bruises bedamned!

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    1. My boys are good lmel! I'm just glad you landed in the snow! That Harley!

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  2. Great rides on the boys!

    I've met so many friends over the years that I would never have known if not for our horses. Even a blogger in the next town who I never would have met. Now we're good friends and do lunch and more importantly ice cream cones at a farm stand around the corner in warm weather. We really are blessed because our love for horses has contributed to a wonderful extended family of friends.

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    1. That is so great you met a blogger in the next town and meet for lunch and Ice cream! How cool is that?

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  3. I too am amazed by the horse community and how it expanded not only the number of people I know, but the variety of people I know! You have this common thread or hub of horses but it ends up going beyond that sometimes and you get multidimensional friends out of it! Brandon is into caving and there is a caving community too! And the skiing community! It makes one feel very rich and lucky.

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    1. That is great there is a cave community and of course the skiing community. We are lucky! I was lucky to meet you - on the blogs and in person too! Hooray!

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  4. Poor Sovey Van Gogh... lol!

    I'm on board for the perfect equestrian community idea - filled with all our favorite horse friends - human and equine. The interwebs ain't all bad...

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    1. Yeah - poor Sovey. Every time I ride I see that ear and feel bad about it.

      You are right - as much as I get mad about technology, this internet has brought me many friends!

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  5. I'm with you - I've met so many great people through horses. Actually I'm so addicted and one dimensional that I spend very little time with non horse people. It's funny how the things you imagine come to life.
    I love the picture / graphic you inserted at the beginning of your post. You are very creative!

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    1. I bet you have an army of friends with your giant project!!! This time round with the horses made me realize that my imagination really does map my future.

      And thanks for the comment about my creativity. This was an upcycle piece - I can't take credit for it - the background of the graphic above was an Anthropologie advert I received last October. I saved it to use sometime. I thought it was just the right mix of colors to be hopeful for spring with a little white in it for the snow that remains so I used it and removed their "Sale" text and added my own!

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  6. Oh, Wellington, FL, I long to go there! I always see such amazing facilities and private HUGE properties for sale in my horse magazines and am floored! It must be more horse vs people population. How fun to have a horse community, like one you live in where everyone has a home/few horses and are all cool :) Trails and indoors/outdoors, etc. Heaven for sure.

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