Man, it's been so long. I don't really have anything to write about that's recent because I'm not currently working in the industry, but I'm trying to get back into it. I'm applying for a job that's in Alberta for this summer. I've been procrastinating on sending off my resume because I need to take a picture of myself and I don't have any that are *ahem* appropriate, and ones that are recent. I feel like I haven't been on a horse in so long! (It's technically only been a couple months.. I think November..? Maybe it was December... But it wasn't like I did anything productive. I played with Petey for an hour, took Tiz up with me and he rode Oreo *and loved it* (so he got the approval of Diane, my ex boss).
Working for her was an experience. Part of the reason why I have been on horse-hiatus for almost 6 months now. Diane, I love her to bits, but she's a bit... scatterbrained. She has 3 children, Taigh (14), Lane (9) and Deirdre (4), and I guess Sean (her husband). She has approximately 25 horses on her property, chickens, 3 dogs (Jock, Jackson and Wolf), and God knows how many cats. She breeds horses (her QH mare, Zip, as well as some TBs), trains horses, teaches lessons, as well as all the barn work. So I decided to work for her last summer and help her out a bit. As she just bought the property that she is now currently living at, it needed a lot of work (fencing, paddock making, etc.) She was also making trails, and a gallop for training her TB, Cashmere. When I was working there, she also had 2 yearling TB colts, that she was going to break. I was nice and naive, thinking I would be getting a lot of hands on work with just horses. (I did, plus a lot more)
A typical day would look like this:
7.00am - Wake up, get outside, turn out and feed horses (grain and hay), cats, chickens and dogs
8.30am - Eat breakfast
9.00am - Start on stalls
12.00pm - LUNCH TIME! (I had to just take it, because otherwise Diane would forget to eat)
1.00pm - This changed daily, either it was riding time, fencing, working with wood, it was whatever needed to be done that day.
4.00pm - Bring everyone back inside, feed, etc.
6.30pm - I usually went inside, made dinner for the family, cleaned the house and talked with the boys. Diane usually was teaching a lesson.
8.30pm - Eat! Then usually the rest of the night was break time.. But then I would clean as well. Send the kids to bed, and pass out myself.
Thank god I went home on weekends. I realize that millions of people do that everyday for the rest of their lives, but it was seriously draining me. I was tired all the time, and it was stressful! There was a lot of drama and yelling in the family and it made me tired. I was always stressing over what was going to be the next argument in the family. And it also seemed like I was always working. Taking care of the kids, taking care of the house, taking care of the barn. Sometimes I even taught her lessons. I also helped organize her bills. That was scary. Haha. It just got to me. I was quickly learning what I didn't want to do with my business (if I ever get one...)
I started getting really pessimistic about my life, and horses in general. Now that I'm not working with them (or at that barn) I am more positive. Tiz helps with that as well, he's encouraging me to get back into as well. Which is good. I really love it, but I have been contemplating whether or not I want to get a "real job" and just keep horses on the side. Have a job that can support one or two horses, a place that I can ride (or board). I'm just not sure what I want to do yet? I don't know what I want to spend 4 years doing.
Lots to think about for me...
xoxo
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