It happened innocently enough. My husband made the comment he wanted to find a young horse to work with. I was a little disgruntled as my "buy Kylene a new horse fund" was depleted during last year’s events of buying land and cattle. Admittedly I wasn’t happy, but we managed to work through the disagreement and came up with a plan. Although I didn’t think this plan would be enacted as quickly as it has been.
I love to look at for sale ads for horses. A little window-shopping never hurt anyone. I’d put out feelers for a "project" horse to a couple friends and one was located. He was cheap, but he’s given us more in return since he’s been at our house.
I’d say it’s probably been a good number of years since my husband rode every single day. He’d been focused on his full-time job and taking care of cows. When things changed last year, he didn’t really have any need to ride. Then we got our own cattle, and he started riding more and more to help get them used to being moved with horses.
He got the itch to start another horse while working at the sale barn on sale days last fall. I blame the young, college age kids for giving him a mid-life crisis. Luckily it was a horse and not an expensive car or wandering eye.
Now most of our evenings are spent outside—in and around the round pen. We’ve since added another project horse of our own and he’s taken in one to ride for a friend. I have to carefully plan to make sure supper is ready and the boys are in the house at a decent hour to make bedtime. Soon enough it’ll be summer and we won’t have to worry about staying out until dark on a school night.
It’s also forced me to get a little bit out of my comfort zone. I’ve basically rode the same horse since I bought her in 1998. She’s now 26, and retired. The boys ride her once and a while, and if I need something to help gather with I can saddle her and not have to worry about getting bucked off. However, she doesn’t work a rope and is kind of a pain to ride long distances. My husband made me get on one of his horses to help get the project horse across the creek a little easier, and it wasn’t as bad as my brain made it out to be. I enjoyed it, but don’t tell him that!
The new horses have also provided me an opportunity to get the camera out and photograph the progress. I captured one of my all time favorite photos I’ve ever taken during the first month we had the new horse. My husband has also been posting videos of the horses’ progress on his social media and has gathered quite the following.
So far, we’re all enjoying those horses. As the quote from Winston Churchill supposedly goes, "There is nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse." I think in our case, it’s been the whole family.
