What does it mean to be a horse owner? It means endless hours of joy, excessive sweat and hard work that doesn't seem like work. It means juggling a job, land maintenance, and basic care with a few rides thrown in for fun. It means dealing with the old retiree who still takes your breath away despite crooked legs and scarred tendons. It means mystery lameness that disappears as fast as it showed up. It means tender feet and a sore leg. It means ending your day with grit on your face and a perfume of fly spray. And, you can't forget the shirts that are splatter painted with the mysterious brown flecks and brushed with green slobber.
For me, lately, it means endless hours stripping cedar bark off of fenceposts in preparation for a beautiful no climb horse fence. It takes 100 cedar posts, 32 corner posts, 6 gates, 35 rough cut planks, and 10 rolls of wire. And this is how we feel about all of this:
(The lovely view from the kitchen sink on Saturday)
