Through my years of being actively involved with horses, I have often been the recipient of two questions: (1) Why, if you pay to board your horses, do you spend so much time at the barn doing the things that are covered in monthly Board? (2) What is your affinity with mares?
Now before the first question causes any undue concern or anxiety of forthcoming response and content, I will embark on addressing that one first in order to put everyone’s mind at ease.
The answer is simple…that is not only the way I am programmed and wired by design but circumstantial events led me on the evolutional path to being a more integral and interactive part of my horses care . Often times, I would not get to the barn (after work) until feeding time, which presented a challenge in the ability to ride before dark. Therefore, I offered to feed my own horse(s) after riding and turn them out for the evenings when done. This not only allowed me to ride in the afternoons and evenings but also eliminated unnecessary burdens for anyone else.
Prior to the present facility where I now board my horses (home, if you will), I boarded at the facility where I grew up riding for many years…formerly known as Cannons Point Hunt Stables. Eventually, it closed to public operations but extended family, who owned the property, invited me to stay on. Since I was only one of several extended family members to remain, my time already dedicated to the care of horses in the evenings eventually developed into early morning care, as well. Although, there was no board to pay, those that remained were left to furnish their own supplies and care for their own horses. In time, I had my routine down to a science and began to look forward to the early morning drives, sipping on that first cup of coffee in the morning. There was something ritualistically healing about getting a jump start on the slumbering world.
If you have been keeping up with my blogs, you will also know that most of my equine companions thru the years were young when acquired. Therefore, I have always felt that the more time you spend with the tiny tikes of this sport, the more well rounded they will be in later years.
During the recent venture of finding a horse for my niece, my brother made one firm request…the horse MUST have a sweet personality like mine. I responded by saying that can be acquired by the time you spend with them.
Another consideration is that I enjoy the groundwork…yes, even mucking stalls can be a therapeutic diversion from my otherwise hectic schedule. The more time I spend with my equine companions, the more I get to know them and the more readily I am able to recognize and assess early signs of stress, fatigue or illness.
For an example, I may detect a loss of “brightness” in one’s eyes during morning chores and determine that perhaps that one may either need the day off or perhaps a nice leisure trail that afternoon will once again stimulate the brightness I have come to expect from that horse.
Another one may have rubbed quite a bit during the evening from seasonal bugs and I may determine that it is time to give that one another oatmeal bath. Therefore, I am able to conclude that I need to exercise the easiest horse after work, so as to have time to administer the oatmeal bath to the one with the new hairless spots throughout their coat.
In time, I get to know the horse(s) like the back of my hand and instinctively know when the time comes to implement a certain protocol. Although one may not be “lame” by the technical definition of the medical term but something simply does not feel quite right…then I know it is time to call in the chiropractor.
With regularity, I am able to determine if that horse has consumed their regular daily water intake. If not, I watch them closely for lack of hydration. If they did not clean up all of their grain, I begin to analyze and search for answers…did I add a less than palatable supplement that day, or is this perhaps an early sign of gas colic? I have one mare that has less than comfortable transitional cycles that resulted as she aged. Now I know to watch her closely Feb/March and again Sep/Oct to know when she will require that single dose of Banamine.
If there is an exception to the normal routine that team members are responsible for, I prefer to carry out the task myself instead of having the team alter their routine…and add yet another “boarder request” to their agenda. If I know the horses will have a light schedule that week due to travel, appointments, etc., I will cut their feed slightly. Instead of having team members alter the Master Feeding chart multiple times, I simply mix their feed according to my own specifications to save them that extra step.
The same goes for buying horses…I do not ever want to be thought of as a “tire kicker”, as I am all too familiar with these prospective (or rather non-prospective) buyers. Ditto for boarding at a facility…I never want to be thought of as the boarder that the owner/operator wants to run and hide from when I am seen approaching.
There are several categories in which one can classify boarders: (1) the one who simply pays board and MAY show up once a month to check on their horse (2) the boarder who possesses a negative attitude about procedures & policies and/or is always for looking for the opportunity to complain or make unruly requests and demands (3) the boarder that makes daily visits but who prefers to remain in the background quietly tending to the reasons that brought them there in the first place.
I have learned to anticipate the next question in this series, “…then why don’t you simply have your own barn, instead of boarding”? First, let me say that I have researched and studied this possibility thru the years, especially since my parent’s property allows for “agricultural zoning” due to categorization of original estate property. We even went as far as measuring distance from nearest distant house, clearing property, and having plans drawn up, building permits, etc… The simplest answer is that I do not want to be “married” to the daily responsibilities. Although I DO spend a good deal of time at the barn, my job/career (you know, the subject that pays for the described bottomless pits) includes undetermined hours and traveling. Then, there are the human dependents at home that can derail your plans in a sudden moments notice. Finally, you may have a sudden whim to totally disconnect from daily routines, once in a while, to enjoy an Epsom salt soak, a glass of wine, unwinding with Billie Holiday…all while contemplating the original idea you had of having dependents (human and animal alike) in the first place. Last but not least, the visions of my mother sneaking out to feed 2-3 bags of carrots a day to the horses and having them overdose on fructose…and my father scrutinizing over every hair out of place was simply too much for my imagination to bear.
My second answer to the last question is that I enjoy the social camaraderie you gain in a boarding facility. I have met some of my favorite peeps thru the years at the barn. While it is true that I work with all kinds of personalities in my line of work – clients and colleagues alike – I find it especially rewarding to be a part of a barn family/community. If you are fortunate enough to be a part of an amazing horse community, as I am, you will always have a strong support system.
I realized that I did not want to become stagnant by isolating myself in the “world of having your own barn”. As any horse rider/owner can testify, this is one of the few sports where you never quit learning. Just when you think you know everything there is to know about owning a horse, there is always a “new illness” or injury to learn about. Additionally, there will always be an updated or new technique for handling a challenging situation. I cannot speak for others, but I LOVE learning…whether you can finally afford that lesson you have not had in 25+ years (when Junior’s braces come off)…or with any luck, there may be the once again occasional show or event when Senior graduates from College.
There came a time when my daughters were younger that I temporarily re-homed my horses to better handle an ever growing demanding schedule. When the girls were at the age when 20 questions becomes trendy (you know…ask the same question 20 different times and ways with the hopes of eventually receiving a satisfactory answer), “how come you moved the horses so far away instead of somewhere closer?” I would realize that the answer to this question is “out of sight, out of mind”. I had to know that it would be impossible to drive to the barn at 5AM to complete morning chores when they were 5-6 hours away. It would be the only way to sever years of habitual patterns.
Now, this is not to suggest that every horse will gravitate towards your regular presence. If there is one that routinely pins their ears back at the mere sight of a mortal…just know that if one day you are suddenly greeted with ears forward…game face is on and you are about to become ravishing dinner…lol!
Back on track (no pun intended)…when it was time for the horses to return home, I remember my mother saying to me, “promise me you will not marry yourself to the horses as you have done in previous years…I do not wish to see you burning the wick at both ends.” My agreement to her lasted only a few weeks until I found myself, once again, hands on deck. I recall her saying, “it has to be in your wiring…there is no other explanation”.
Does all of this mean that I am the better person for my choices? Absolutely not! In fact, as ironic as it seems, the horse(s) belonging to the occasional visitor always seem to be the one(s) without any health issues. My only attempt to explain this irony is that perhaps the horse with the same routine day in day out trumps the one with the daily diversions of schooling sessions, weekend shows or clinics, etc…, that can alter the delicate flora of these magnificent creatures.
Long story short, aside from my wiring…I would have to respond by saying I do what I do because I would rather be “in the know” sooner rather than later. If an issue arose during the night, I would rather tackle it head on at 5AM rather than discovering an issue when the lights go out at 9PM. Finally, there is a great deal of satisfaction that comes with being involved in the welfare of your furry and feathered (reference to homestead here) friends.
In the meantime, the land that was cleared some years earlier now sport young saplings obscuring the “once upon a time” vision that was created. The plans / drawings continue to sit on the drafting table collecting dust and the dream that Millie Wilcox had of watching horses frolic along the Black Banks River have long now faded. Do I have any regrets of not following thru with every horse owner’s dream? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Will I, one day, revive/reinstate this dream? Perhaps…when the day comes for me to return to the original homestead to care for elderly parents…OR…when it is time to retire the once “tiny tikes”. However, until then I will continue to look forward to my daily ventures thru the briar patch (impasse) that I established years ago…to no fault of anyone else other than myself. I may not always roll out of bed at 5AM with a smile on my face and I may envy those that are able to keep that dividing screen in place… but who would deprive my mother or my descendants the opportunity to design my headstone with an etching of a pitchfork on it?
Homestead Memoirs 