Greetings From a Small-Town Street Corner
Lately, I've been working (and playing) from the cabin Ed and I maintain in a miniscule north-Idaho mountain town (pop. 156). H&R contributor Patty Brumley snapped this photo at a street corner as we were out strolling with canine companions.Our escape-house is in the kind of town that keeps its lights on by catering to outdoor enthusiasts--hunters (obvious from the non-P.C. sign), fishermen, hikers, ATV and snowmobile enthusiasts, horseback riders, and the like. At the general store, you can buy worms, whiskey, and white-chocolate-covered huckleberries, all at the same counter.
The place is low on pretension, absent of trendiness, barren of retail-therapy opportunity, and defunct in cell-phone service to boot. So to my way of thinking, a relaxing locale for another brainstorm get-together with P.B. (Check back in April's archives to read about our meet-up at a regional horse show.)
The Big Topic (almost always with a horse-related slant):
* Impacts and effects of living in a time of accelerated change--on every front.
More on that in a future post.
But feel free to chime in a slice of The Big Topic in the meantime. You can pick the slice. Name a change-in-the-world big enough to have had some impact on how you're conducting your horse life. And if you're up for it, divulge any changes in thinking that you may have experienced lately.
Could get interesting.
posted by Juli Thorson @ 12:52 PM
10 comments
10 Comments:
Hey Julie, you are going to be absolutely flooded with responses to your column this month. I too have been hurt riding horses. I came off a runaway when I was unsuccessful in getting her turned into a circle (my cinch broke) and I landed right on my head. When I woke up I was a head injury patient! (Which is why I wear a helmet ALL the time now, but that's a different topic.) This happened almost 20 years ago and I still have to deal with the fear thing. I have (via Google) discovered that as we age we gain a certain amount of "fear factor" in our brain chemistry that we simply lack all the way into young adulthood, about age 25. I have found for me that taking my time with my horses and not letting anyone else rush me, taking lessons from a professional, and remaining positive helps me to deal with this problem. I still have episodes where one little twitch from my horse tightens me up worse than baling twine around lawnmower blades. But, slowly, I'm getting better. We sometimes have to find a "new" normal. We're not teenagers anymore and to expect ourselves to respond in the same way is unreasonable and sets us up for failure. But that doesn't mean we can't ride to the fullest of our capabilities and once again achieve the same feelings we had as teenagers with the breeze blowing in our face as we gallop across the prairie. It just may take us a bit longer to get there. Thanks for the great column.
Karrik, Casper, Wyoming
Hi Juli,
My own personal experience with TBT is how travel has changed. I sold my (broken)dream horse and plan to look for a new one in the spring. I'm Canadian so to look at any horses in the US I'll need a passport.
This seems so strange to me, our countries are friendly neighbours!
ps - even though I've sold Quinn I'm not horseless, I still have my 27 yr TB mare and ride hubby's 13 yr Appy gelding :)
TBT - I was always looking at wonderful supplements and products to make my horses look really good. They still get their Source and their daily wormer and grass minerals, but I don't even look at high dollar grooming stuff anymore. I'm a novice and don't show, so those are luxury items. Other little things, like, I haven't replaced their halters in a long time, where before the CRUNCH, it wouldn't have seemed like a big deal. I guess the best way to say it is, if I don't NEED it, I don't buy it. And that doesn't just apply to the horses, either.
TBT - We're probably a little backwards from most folks right now. Last Fall we bought our own place and moved from a fast growing and expensive area of VA to a very low income/depressed area in WV. We are becoming more self-sufficient in an attempt to save money, but also started the only equine rescue in the area. We went from four horses to 18 within four months. Thanks to the lower cost of living here and the fact that I telecommute and still make VA wages, the extra 14 horses hasn't affected the bank account much. They get all the hay, grain, and Strongid C they need, but we're still careful about "luxuries". No all leather halters or fancy saddle pads here, not even for our personal horses.
I'm planning my 'trailer time' more. No more running up to my trainers every week. Horse shows next year will be about the same, although I was hoping to expand into a few new areas.I'll just keep going to the places I know. I've always kept horses on a shoestring, but now it's just pulled a little tighter.
We just do not go much of anywhere in the summer. We quit going to the horse sales (which I love)and don't go down the road for anything not necessary. If I go to town I make sure I can make several stops. We never go to movies, and only go out for supper occasionaly. I never eat fast food, but husband is guilty of this one. LOL
Stopped buying the "special" things at the grocery store. Stick to the basics now.
Started going to the library again. I read a lot of books and this is a much cheaper choice.
We don't buy anything unless we really need it. Winter is coming and the fuel bill for heat will not be fun.
We save all year so we can go down south for a few months in the winter. We take the horses and dogs and get away from the cold. But the place we stay is not fancy people and everybody has a great time. There are many days we never leave the ranch unless it is for riding or groceries. It is worth it to save up for this.
Big changes in the past? Broken leg in 1995 that kept me off work for 3 months and made me think about my mortality and raising my kids. It was an event that made me leave horses for 10 years.
Present changes? Back into horses, 2 mares, a dd who loves them and if she stays around this locale, looking at a farmette so we can have our buddies at home. Of course along with that comes things like trucks, trailers, buying hay......
Juli,
Is Horse and Rider going to be at the US Arabians Nationals in Tulsa this month? It's the first time there.
Steve Gardiner
Steve,
H&R will not be at the Arabian Nationals this year. But best of luck to your fabulous horse!
Thanks Juli,
Liz and Second Tsultan were Reserve Champions at the Canadian Arabian Nationals in August. Look for them in the 2009 Nutrena 'Calendar of Champions'. Sorry you aren't going to Tulsa. Should be a great time.
Steve
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