A horse, of course

We got an email yesterday telling my wife that the stable her horse is at is shutting down soon.

Real soon.

Real soon like January 1st if we can't pay extra. The extra would allow the caretaker, Melodye, to stay afloat long enough to close the barn in February.

Carrie took it pretty hard, but I think things may turn out for the best. I try to look at turmoil as a catalyst for change. That change can be for the better or the worse depending on how you look at it, what you do about it, and what God plans to happen in the end. Chilly may end up at a stable right down the road for less money than where he is now just west of Richmond. Wouldn't that be swell?  Hopefully, it'll put an end to some of the horse drama. Woe be to anyone who gets involved with owning a horse who doesn't realize what sort of commitment it is. The horse is my wife's, but I get pulled into the drama all the same.

When you buy a horse, you're buying a large, expensive responsibility that isn't easily managed. They're not like dogs or cats where you can pack them in a carrier for a vet trip, or throw them in the backyard to run off some of their energy. Hell, you can throw a cat outside and it's anyone's guess if the cat decides to come home or not. A horse? You have to have a large truck. Then you have to have a large trailer. Then you have to have a stall, a field, and then you have to trust that an animal that large isn't going to flatten you. And then you have to take care of the horse with training, cleaning and feeding. This takes time, time, and more time. Unless you are blessed with land, all of this has to happen on someone else's land. That means more travel time for you and you have to get along with whoever takes care of things when you're not around. If you know all of that and you're still up to the task, the more power to ya, but it's not something I would've chosen if my wife wasn't in love with her horse. The poor guy has been starved, ridden ragged, afflicted with Lyme disease, and generally booted around from place to place. I think things will be much better when Carrie has recovered enough to ride again and Shane is older and not so demanding. At this time, I don't think selling Chilly is a good idea, because he's such a large part of my wife's identity. Instead, I'm praying this recent drama will herald a time of horsey happiness.

 Also, I'm praying for the lady who was running the barn, Melodye. She was a Godsend to us for a long while, and I hope things turn around for her. The barn shutting down is hard on us and everyone who stabled there, but it's much harder on her. She's losing her chosen livelihood. It sounds like one of the reasons we got such short notice, was because Melodye didn't want to ruin anyone's Christmas by announcing doom and gloom beforehand.

I took the time to write this between breaks of running up and down the stairs to make sure Shane is sleeping well and breathing steadily (new father syndrome). It took me over an hour to get the little stink to fall asleep and I'm going to be mad if he doesn't allow for me to have at least a half an hour break. I don't want him waking up Mom either. She worries too much and doesn't take good enough care of herself unless I force her. I wrote about the horse stuff for a change of pace, but Shane is really the little tyrant who's running my life ragged right now. He's healthy, pooping, and driving Mom to the brink by sucking her dry and then demanding more. Also, the little man is getting really good about holding his head up during tummy time. I'm looking forward to when he does more than eat, sleep, poop, and stay awake when he's supposed to be asleep. In the meantime, he's damned cute when he doesn't cry.

New dad out.