Horse IQ

“Now I can go on vacation, and finally be able to RELAX!”
Remember that commercial for Brinks security service a few years ago? As I recall, the ad featured a guy who was about to go on vacation, but was unable to really enjoy himself because he was worried about his house pets while he was away. But it brings up a good point for us horse owners. When you go on vacation, do you worry about your horses? And if so, what do you do to relieve that concern?

Juli Thorson posted this question to her readers as well…

How do those of us who keep horses at home GET AWAY from the beloved critters without feeling worried, guilty, harried, and otherwise stressed about their welfare?…What makes it so taboo to confess that we sometimes need vacations from the very animals around which our lifestyles spin?

As my grandpa used to say “it ain’t easy.” When you pour your heart and soul into the health, welfare, and very spirit of these wonderful creatures we call horses, it’s hard to tear away from them. Even for a little while.

And when you do manage to pack up and get away, you find your mind drifting back to the horse barn. You think of all the things you needed to get done before you left, but didn’t. The tack room needed rearranging. One of the fly sprayers wasn’t working right. You even wonder if you forgot to turn off the coffee pot.

Yep. It happens to all of us. But thankfully, the one thing I need to help me get away and truly enjoy a vacation is the one thing I’ve always had: good friends. Good human friends you can count on in a pinch, when you need them. Friends who know good horse health and can take care of Rosie as if she were their own.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Diana Carey, who went way above and beyond the call after the killer tornadoes that ravaged central Florida earlier this year. She single handedly restored order and pretty much took care of 6 of her neighbor’s horses after their barn was decimated. That’s the kind of friends I’m talking about.

So how do you find friends like Diana? Like my dad says, in order to find a friend like that, you must first be a friend like that. I was humbled in a big way when I wrote that post. I think of all the ways I failed to show the kind of friendship she did that day.

But still I try. Even though I blow it on a daily basis, still I try. I have to. That’s what horse people do.

I’d encourage you to do the same, but I know I really don’t have to. You’re a horse-person. And I can’t think of anybody else I’d rather trust my precious horse with.

Yours for Better Horse Care,

Sierra Lynch

Tags: Horse Safety

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