Bonus content

Today one of our cows that just calved was bellowing like she had lost her calf. Buzzards were circling. I needed to leave in 20 minutes for the vet with a load of horses. One of which was not a good loader but I’ve been working him for several weeks so I prayed and headed to the trailer. Both horses loaded in less than 5 minutes.

I still needed to check the calf. I grabbed a halter and grabbed one of the horses. Jumped on him bareback and took off at a canter across the pasture. The calf was fine. Mom just forgot where she parked him. Now I was running late. I trust my horses so I cantered back towards the barn. I made it to the vet with 5 minutes to spare.

It got me thinking again about how I was able to canter that horse today because of planning and risks taken 20 years ago. That risk was followed by 19 years of hard work, injuries, thousands of miles and lots of life experience. That created the horse I could jump on bareback and canter across the pasture to look for a lost calf and never question if I would be safe. Those horses are irreplaceable but they start with a plan, a risk and years of hardwork.

As I’m deciding on breeding and riding my young horses today, I’m reminding myself it’s an investment in my future and the future of my descendants. It makes me appreciate the value of horses that have life experience and remember that even though they may require maintenance as they age, these horses are more than worth it