So the world got engulfed in a pandemic with a really insane novel virus and I got caught up doing my foal watch, and blogging just took a back seat. My thanks for your continued readership even with my absence.

Speaking of the Insane Pandemic, let’s talk about that today. I know it has varied state to state but wasn’t it great when horses were regulated out of our lives? Unless we are their primary caregivers in which case we were allowed to care for them, but not ride or train or give lessons or see another human being?

Not that all of us mind not seeing another human being. I believe many of us go to the barn to escape humans. Boy wasn’t it nice when the government figured that out, that we could maintain a pandemic-acceptable physical spacing from other humans while being in very close contact with our favorite animals?

All snark aside though, what a fucking nightmare of a spring. I was sleeping in a hammock in my barn for most of it, waiting on a mare who lost her foal and then for another who’s colt just wanted to take his time – all while my wonderful physician parents worried about my not getting enough sleep (which I wasn’t) thereby reducing my body’s own immune system’s ability to fight off anything if I did happen to be put into contact with this scary virus (which thankfully I wasn’t).

How many of us are still not riding our horses enough (much to their glee), or have been unable to see our horses until recently, or been unable to breed for their 2021 crop, or who have lost their jobs and cannot even keep their horses anymore?

This is 2020. Horses while still livestock are more pets for us. Non-essential. Horses like Morgans thrive on work and routine, and throwing a wrench (or series of bottle rockets, whatever) into our year has set many of us back. We cannot push pause on our living partners. We cannot give them back this lost show season. We cannot give it back to ourselves either.

With this in mind, though, we cannot give up. Yes, our horses are our pets and companions, eating our paychecks and shitting our time. We adore them. This year is in the toilet. That does not mean the rest of our lives – or their lives – are going to be in that place. Perseverance is the name of the game this year. Wear your masks, keep your distances, stay outside, however you need to protect yourself, please do it. Your horse needs you when all this is over, to be the person you always have been to them.