Ten Favorite Things v.2

I'm kicking things off this month with a Ten Favorite Things post and linking up with Brianna over at Endlessly Beloved.  For the month of March she selected the topic of the place you call home.

I struggled a bit about which 'home' I wanted to write about.  Do I write about the house I share with Matt and B or the farm where I was raised that I still refer to as 'home' or something else entirely?? Brianna really left the topic open to interpretation, but I finally settled on the barn.  Because honestly, I'm the most at home wherever my horse is!

Ten Favorite Things About: The Place I Call Home.

one: The barn has always been my sanctuary.  It was a safe harbor throughout all of middle and high school.  Back then I never felt like I fit in with any of the 'clicks' at my tiny little school.  And it's a place I know I can be myself 100%!

No one judges when I have to do chores in a dress...

two: They say home is where you heart is and my heart feels pretty empty when I haven't been around the barn or my horse is a while.  There was a time not long ago when I found myself unemployed and borderline depressed, but after adding back in a barn and the horses I found my happy!

three: I love walking in the barn when the horses are all inside and I'm met with a chorus of whinnies, nickers and soft rumblings.  It typically means they just want fed, but I like to think it means more!

four: The barn where I spent every spare minute I had in high school, provided me with life long friends and mentors.  The women I met there as a teen have helped shape and mold me into who I am today and what kind of horsewoman I want to be! 

five: One of the best things about the barn is the horses that have lived there!  And thanks to my parents and my trainer, I've been blessed with many great horses over the years!  I've had rotten ponies who taught me how to stay on despite their antics.  I've rode some horses that weren't the best or fastest and I've also had horses that have won more than their share of money, trophies, ribbons, tack and belt buckles.  Each one of them have taught me something and will always hold a very special place in my heart!

This is Fred.  He was the BEST!  I learned so much from this guy and miss him terribly!

Louie, my 'fancy' show horse!

This is Six.  He's retired now and lives at my parents farm.

six: All my time at the barn as also taught me how to do practical things like back a tractor and manure spreader (it sounds easy, but it's not!), give an intravenous shot, recognize the signs of a sick horse, fix fence with baling twine and a prayer...  The list could go on and on!

seven: I've also been lucky to find wonderful barns that have lots of comradery amongst the other horse owners.  During the summer, when I'm hauling to shows I know that all I have to do is ask and someone is always willing to travel with me to lend a hand getting both the horse and I ready for the big day.  The friendships I've found have also stretched beyond just the barn!  I've vacationed, shopped and generally acted a fool with many of the friends I've made at the barn over the years!

A little fun on the wine trail in Carbondale!

eight: The barn is also a wonderful place to store, i.e. hide things like new tack, riding boots, etc., from your husband!  Obviously, this only works if said husband doesn't frequent the barn that often.  In case you're wondering, Matt doesn't go to the barn that often!

nine: I love the smells associated with the barn.  Okay, maybe not that smell!  The one's I'm referring to are fresh sawdust, molasses in a bag of feed, newly cut hay (think mowed grass, but better!) and even some of the horse products like fly spray and shampoo.

This is the barn at Victory Junction Gang Camp, where I was a counselor.  The coolest summer job I ever had! 

ten: The barn and the horses is MY thing.  I had always thought I'd marry a guy who was as involved with horses as I was, but that's not the case and now I wouldn't want it any other way.  Matt and I have other hobbies that we enjoy together, but I like having this one all to myself!