I have been very busy, and have not had the time to go to the barn since Friday. As a mom I am quite familiar with the feeling of guilt, and now I have the added guilt of not spending enough time with Pippi. The connection I feel with this horse is strong, but I am always worried that not being her main caregiver (feeder, stallcleaner), will lead to a loss of our bond. Hopefully one day I will have a property where she can live with us. Does other boarders worry about losing their bond too?
I love just being with her; playing in the arena, brushing and grooming, or actually riding. Daughter and I stopped by last night, as she was finishing her dinner, and it was nice just to see that she was doing okay. Tonight I am going to miss some of my sons first baseball game of the season, just so that I can spend some time with Pippi. I mean, I went to his scrimmage Saturday...........to this is cool, right?
I used to think the same thing. After all, the barn manager got that lovely nicker of greeting when it was feeding time,and indeed spent much more time with my horse than I did, even giving the odd massage or treat.
ReplyDeleteBut when I moved him to a new barn closer to my house and showed up the next day he was in his turn out, and gave a HUGE whinny and practically broke the fence to come to me. (And he's not usually a demonstrative horse!)
We are at the barn all the time, missing maybe one day a week. Mostly because I love it, but I have to admit that I come so often to keep that bond alive. I think I am going to insist on feeding her myself if I am there around that time. Usually I just let them do it when they feed the other horses, but from now on I will give her all her feed and half her hay myself. After, she is MY horse. (I sound like a pissy teenager)
ReplyDeleteYou don't sound like a pissy teenage, and no doubt the barn help will appreciate the help. I like to do as much as I can for my horse -- that's why we got in to this, right? Kudos to you for wanting to be a responsible parent to all your kids, human and equine!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I miss my kids stuff for horse stuff, or for work. My feeling is if you are present on a daily basis in their lives, they'll understand. I know my kids do, and am sure yours do as well.