To my banmates I'm sure I seem like a cRaZy HoRsE lAdY. But in reality, I'm not crazy, I've just seen enough shit to know to do things a certain way.
To someone else it may seem like I'm anal about the way I drain the hose in the winter but that's only because I've done it a million times that I know THIS is the only way I don't have to deal with a frozen hose.
To someone else it may seem like I'm a nazi about the way the hay tarp is tied down, but in reality I just know that my way is the only way that this 300 dollar hay tarp doesn't tear apart in the wind after one season.
And it may seem like I'm a jerk for saying, hey please don't leave wheelbarrows unattended in the horses paddock because I've seen a horse play with it, get stuck on it, and slice their leg open.
A wise insurance company once said, " we know a thing or two, because we've seen a thing or two." This applies to horse people. So next time you get annoyed with someone at your barn for being "anal" about something, ask yourself, "how much shit has this person seen in their life."
Thank you, that is all.
I'm a 33-year-old who never grew out of the "I want a pony" phase that began when I was 5. Growing up I had friends with horses and had opportunities to ride off and on but never had my own. Now I have a 2-acre homestead with about a quarter acre of yard I could fence in next to my barn. My oldest child (2 years old) loves horses and has been asking for one pretty much since she's been able to, and we finally talked my husband into agreeing to keeping a couple.
We have access to 50 acres of my in laws farm next door which we will inherit one day and there are no livestock there except for some chickens, but plenty of space for exercising horses. We also live in an area without zoning as it is very rural.
I'm starting to do some serious research and I know a couple of horse people, but I'm looking for tips and advice anywhere I can get them so I don't miss anything. I'm doing this right or I'm not doing it at all because horses are beautiful living creatures that need to also be respected; they are not dolls.
My current plan is to get a couple of miniatures or mini/pony mixes. But I'm still lost on a few things, like do they need stalls in my barn or should I just get them a run-in shed? Do I leave them in the yard all day or do I just turn them out for a few hours? Do I even have enough room for them to be happy? How do I even find the right horses? I need them to be a good fit for us but we also need to be a good fit for them too.
I guess I'm just overwhelmed right now and looking for clearer direction. I am going to visit my friends mini horse farm on Thursday so anything I should look for/ask her about that a newbie might not think about? Thank you all!
