When I grow up I want to be a Cowboy

I got the chance the other day to go out and move some cows on my horse, Pegaso, who has only seen cows one time in his entire life. Six of us headed out on a grey, windy, Sunday afternoon to take momma cows and their calves on a little trip from one pasture to another. Two of the people in our group knew what they were doing the rest of us were ready to our best imitation of “City Slickers”. I’ll kill the suspense right now. Nothing dramatic or life threatening happened. So why am I writing about it then? Well, because it was a lovely moment. Life is not perfect, but every now and then you get a perfect moment. Walking behind softly mooing cows, the wind at my back, with my trusty horse striding along steady and true made life perfect, for just a moment. The fields rolled out before us like soft green carpet, a few birds drifted across the vast sky and for the first time in a long time I couldn’t hear a car, see a telephone pole, or receive a call on my cell phone. We all walked along with the ease that comes from six individuals with one simple, attainable goal; take cows from point A to point B. Life is so full of busy technology, you have to unplug. Thousands of years of human existence has been tied to the land from the crops we harvest to the animals we raise. We have been hard wired for that kind of life and it feels so good to step back into it. I am simply overwhelmed by the technology I live with every day; I cringe every time my cell phone rings, which during this little writing session has been three times. My texting skills put me at about 4 words a minute, I don’t IM because I don’t know how and my husband made me a My Space page I never go to. Every year I get a little farther behind the technology curve. But, you know what? I’m good with that. I have friends, I have my family and I have my critters and all of that puts me in touch with what is good about this life. I thank God for that every day.

I am, without a doubt, the world’s worst blogger. I mean to do it, but I don’t. I just don’t know what the purpose of it is, venting, sharing, growing.? I don’t even know who, if anyone, is reading this diatribe. So if you do read at some point, let me know.This is the beginning of my second year owning Texas Tack Exchange, which would also mean it’s the end of the first year. Wow, what a trip it’s been. I’ve learned so much, messed up a lot, and really, really grown.I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you to all the people who come by and shop, especially the ones who come by often and visit with me. It gives me great joy to talk horses with other horse lovers and even find ways to help them with stuff from the store.

This year has been full of struggles in the business, learning how to run a store, and in my personal life, more deaths and tragedies than I’ve ever experienced before. But it really lifts me up when I see people enjoying themselves in the store. When they tell me how happy they are to finally have a fun place to shop it makes me determined to make Texas Tack Exchange even better.My primary goal was to create a fun store where horse lovers could shop and visit and learn what kind of horse events were going on in their community. I feel like I got that bit off to a great start. Now I need to make my primary goal about making money so I can stay in business in Rockwall for many years to come ;-)

Eau D'Equine



Leather saddles, fresh alfalfa hay, soft baby horse breath....these are a few of my favorite smells.  I know the herb books will tell you that lavender relaxes you but for me the best scent in the world and the one that puts me at ease is Eau D'Equine, the lovely smells of horses.  Even now in the  winter months full of short days and cold nights I feel re-filled with hope and joy when I step into my tack room and take a deep breath.  I close my eyes and the chill of the winter evening drifts away, the smell of fresh hay makes me imagine the sun on my face and a lingering summer breeze.  The smell of leather saddles and bridles reminds me of the promise of long hours in the saddle with the wind at my back and the open trail  in front of me.  Then, I walk over to Legado, my colt in the picture above this paragraph, and put my nose to his  and say Hi.  He puffs and snorts and I breathe a bit of heaven. I put my arms around his neck and hug him with my nose in his little poof of mane, he smells like a nap in the tall grass on a lazy afternoon.



People walk into the tack store and say, "Wow, it smells like leather in here."  Then they get a far off look in there eyes.  They ride off in their minds into some lovely memory of horses in their childhood or down the trail with their favorite furry friend and like me they loose themselves in the wonderful smell of horses.

You may have noticed the store has been closed for a week, or maybe you have a really busy life and you didn't notice at all, point is I went on vacation. Once a year come hell or high water I bolt for the west coast and the laughter filled barn of some of my best friends in the whole world.



I trained under some amazing riders in Ramona, California and as often as I can I get together with them and indulge in our favorite pastimes; riding horses, talking about horses, watching horses, and taking pictures of horses. It's all horses all the time. (Drives my family nuts, so they stay home and take care of my horses, ironic.) It refreshes me be among so many others who are just like me, madly in love with horses. We ride, we laugh, we revel in the joy of good horses and great friends.



Life is about trying to walk in balance, not letting one thing (like an over-whelming passion for horses) rule you. But...complete and total immersion in your passion for a set aside period of time is awesome and refreshing.



OK, so that's over, I'm back. But I have stories to share and fun new ways to work my horses and I feel satisfied...at least for a year.



PS. Those lovely babies in the picture belong to my friend in California who owns Buena Vida Ranch. The are PRE Andalusians, the curled up colt is Alano and the gaurdian filly is Amaya.

This is the last day of 2007, a very interesting year, and I have the blah's. So I'm going to take my sluggish self to my closet, get into my barn jeans, favorite sweatshirt, and my fuzzy cowboy hat and head down to the barn for some horse therapy. Four-legged, fuzzy faced therapy.



The crisp chill of the last day of December combined with the warm softness of my horses will cure what ailes me. It's not cheaper that medically insured one on one time with a therapist (a point that is not lost on my husband) but it is undoubtably more rewarding. I'll rub their fuzzy bodies, blow in their noses, find a chair and sit tipped back, sun on my face, hat pulled down against the cold north wind, down stuffed coat zipped up to my chin and with joy and deep satisfaction watch my horses eat grass. It's a good way to end the year.



I have a magnet on our fridge and it holds a saying a firmly believe in, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." My horses make me happy and that's a good thing for everyone.