As Horse People We Are So Lucky; Lets Remember To Be Extra Thankful Today And Every Day
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Being a farm owner, who makes her living off of caring for others peoples horses, means the day will start and end for me like any other day. I will get up, have my coffee, and go feed the horses. Peanut, the 29 year old toothless horse, will talk to me in disgust that I had coffee before taking him his mash. My mares, who are always so very hungry, will be waiting impatiently by the gates. Every horse in my care, is a tad on the hefty side, but like any other day, I will feel a twinge of guilt and throw them out some extra hay. The pregnant mare, Banner, will get brought in for her prenatal vitamins and special grain. That’s ok, because she’s really the only horse here that I can remotely justify the extra calories. I will go off, do the family thing, and come home to start all over. IT might be why holidays to me, are just another day. Horse farm owners live in their own little, Groundhog Day, movie. The days just keep looping over and over!
This year is different though. I turned 40, I am not sure what is more impressive, the big 40, or the fact that I have made horses a part of my life for the last 30 years. A close friend said that I should have celebrated by buying a new horse. Not a bad idea, and by all means the thought did cross my mind, but I already have three with one in the oven! I don’t need four, and I definitely don’t need five, but I am so incredibly thankful to actually be a horse owner. Not only do I own horses, I also own my own property, and am fortunate enough to spend my days with horses. If you look at everything happening in the world, anyone that is able to own, lease, care for, or even be around horses is blessed. To be a part of horses in any way, shape, or form, is something that so many people in this day and age, will never get a chance at. I don’t care if you get to groom horses at a local therapy barn as a volunteer, if you own a retired horse that you cannot ride, or if you are on a high dollar show horse that lives in a barn that’s nicer than my house. YOU ARE LUCKY, you should be extra thank full, holiday or not, that you are privileged to be around something as magnificent as a horse. It took me 40 years of living, and 30 years of horses, to realize how much of my life I owe to the horses I have shared it with. We are an elite group in the world.
So if you are reading this, and if you read The Horseaholic, I am going to just go out on a limb and assume you might be around a horse at times, I want to challenge YOU. For one day in the next 30 days, take one hour of that one day, and someone that isn’t as blessed, lucky, privileged or elite as your self, and share your passion. The options are limitless. I have introduced my horses to children that have never even touched a horse, at my local library. I took a horse to a nursing home a few years back to visit a friend that was in hospice care, not only was she thrilled, so was all of the residents. I encouraged the family that would walk by my roadside pasture, to stand on my gate and pet the horses. When my sons have friends over, I always ask them if they want to brush a horse. Some do, and some don’t, but I always offer. I know how therapeutic being around a horse can be, and with all of the negative in the world, I just want to share the shining light that I have been incredibly blessed with. I will forever be grateful to my neighbor that let me muck stalls and ride her old mare. Give someone a chance to feel and see the joy that we all take for granted at times. When you do take that one hour, be incredibly THANKFUL that you have the ability to be a part of something bigger in someone’s life. I know of no animal more giving than a horse, and if they could talk, I have no doubt, they would want us to share.
Written by Amanda Pierce. Share this on Facebook if you are thankful for the horses in your life!
