Pull together, your neighbors and your friends

Yesterday was sunny and warm enough for three bareback rides on the boys. We couldn't go far because the snow is still too deep. I rode Pie first around the driveway and on the packed track over to my mom's house. There she gave him carrots and apples and convinced me to take him out through the woods, but the snow was very deep so we turned around.

Next up was Sovey boy. If you click the photos below you can see three very short video clips of our ride. The noise in the background of the third video is the gurgling of the auctioneer at the auto auction. 

Poor Sovey Van Gogh - in the photo above you can see where Foggy took a bite out of crime on that left ear tip one day last summer. 

I rode Foggy last. No videos of his ride or Pie's ride. Foggy was a little wiggly. He seems very antsy to me lately. I know he is bothered by the snow more than the other two. Foggy needs his grassy pastures back as soon as possible please! Actually, he wants to come into the house.

While I was riding Sovey a truck went by and the people were waving like crazy at us. It ended up being my friends from the company that dug out and installed our fabulous pea gravel. Then, later, as I was finishing up my barn chores my fence company arrived to fix the fences that were smashed in the ice storm. I hadn't seen them for a year or so and it was just like old times catching up with all their phone photos of kids and stories about this winter and fence repair. They even told how they had a fence project in Wellington, FL and how they were blown away by the equestrian communities down there. 

Back at home over coffee with Brian and Maizie I was telling of seeing and talking to my "old friends" today. They always laugh about my "other life" at the barn and how rich and diverse it is, full of social interactions and adventures. I recounted that in the morning, while I was filling water buckets, I had talked about riding in the snow to my friend Anita, the lady at the feed store, and in the afternoon we had to phone Darwin, our friend who owns a tree trimming company because we have another down limb to remove. Then there was the pea gravel friends who went by while I was riding and finally the fence company visit. And that was just one day!

These people weren't our "friends" before this current horse venture on our farm. But, all of them - fence men, pea gravel company, hay farmer, hayfield cutting farmer, apple barstool neighbors, feed store operators, tree trimmers, shed builders, farrier, veterinarian, and of course, all my blogger "friends" - all have come together in my life to make this horse joy possible. It really is magical when you think about it!

I have very big goals/dreams of building a perfect equestrian community some day. The funny thing is that in my daydreams I always knew the cornerstone, the foundation of ever getting anything started would be to find people whom I trust and like and who feel about horses and quality work the same way I do. Unbelievably, everyone I've met are the very people who can help my goals come to fruition. And, now, they are my friends.