Hello world! I’m starting this blog to talk about my life with horses. Horses have been part of my life since I was old enough to pay for riding lessons. Since then, they’ve been my companions, teachers, and inspiration through all of life’s ups and downs. They’ve made me part of the horse community, and I’ve met all kinds of weird and wonderful people who share my addiction. With singular patience and generosity, they’ve carried me through years of riding lessons as I struggled to become a better rider. They’ve taught me to be patient and generous when faced with down-time due to lameness or injury.

Through horses, I’ve become a better human being.

Horses haven’t cut me any slack, though. Just because I’ve reached a certain ‘mature’ age doesn’t mean my horse takes pity on me. He doesn’t just offer the perfect frame. If I forget his bell boots, he’ll pull a shoe, just to make the point. If you don’t already know it, one of the fundamental laws of horse ownership is this: Horse = Self-Destruct.

My Gandalf horse poked his eye on a piece of hay and ended up losing the eye.

Tristan went three-legged lame between one canter stride and the next. Diagnosed with a soft tissue injury in his buttock, he needed several months off work to heal, only to re-injure the same spot before I could even set foot in the stirrup.

Larry – well, that story is just beginning. A month ago, I had to trailer him to the Ontario Veterinary College for a neurological workup. My vet had recently diagnosed him with arthritis in his neck, and I wanted to know how serious it was. When it’s really bad, the horse can fall unexpectedly, making him unsafe to ride or even to work around. In those cases, euthanasia is recommended. So I was sick with worry that Larry might not be coming home. But he did come home – yay! He can’t go in a dressage frame anymore, though, which means my life as his rider is taking an unexpected turn.

But that’s life with horses: never dull. Follow me as I poke around the horse world, finding new ways to celebrate the horses and horse people in my life. It’s going to be an adventure!