A Year in Review, sort of

No kidding as to what a difference a year can make. A year ago I was juggling a corporate job, my family, the horse, and baby goats and their unhappy Mama.

 Today, I am not juggling nearly as much. Today, I have completely given over to these farming urges that continue to broaden my experience and solidify my certifiable level of insanity. 

In April of 2012, I left my corporate life behind and began working at a horse farm in Forest Hill. It has been the most challenging position I have ever held in my life, and at times, the most rewarding. My poor body may have other opinions as every week I have a new muscular complaint or pure exhaustion by 1PM in the afternoon or bruises from being bitten or slammed into a wall by horse butt or tripped by the donkey at the farm. But I love it...more than anything else I have ever done. 

Despite being around horses for years now, owning my horse, and occasionally help out with a friend's farm to feed and care for her 11 horses, coming into these stables rendered me an idiot from the initial try-out interview. The owner of the stables has little in the way of bedside manners and has fired me 5 times since I started working there. I just return the next day and hope he doesn't literally kick me in the ass as he does with the horses. So far, he has taken me back each time. I have learned how to properly groom a horse in 5 minutes or less,properly hold a horse, trim, and clean out an entire stall along with fresh hay and water in less that 7 minutes. And every day I leave the stables I feel very satisfied.

The main business of the stables is cart horses. Standardbreds that have recently come off the racetrack and are being trained to pull Amish carts. Before working here, I never had a clue that this side of the horse business existed. And it is lucrative to the main dealers....surprisingly so. The Amish have freaking MOOLAH, man. I had no idea! I figured they lived more simply, especially when it came to finances...but not in this world. The horse dealers make more than I ever did, I can promise you that. 

There are times that I miss my daily Starbucks run with my colleagues or running a meeting and the thrill of a successful presentation, but nothing compares to driving a baby black Stallion around the racetrack. Amazing things happen when you pursue your passion...and here I am for now.