Many young girls love horses -- its just natural. For some of these girls (and boys), it's more than just a desire to own your own horse but an obsession and a lifestyle, because what else would I ever want to do with my life other than spend every waking moment at the barn? If your like me and started riding horses at a young age, then here are some things that we all know to be true.
1. In school everyone knew you as the "horse girl."
You were never afraid to hide your love of horses and didn't care what anyone thought about it. You quickly became known as the "horse girl" in your school and maybe even have college roommates who decided that you should still have that name.
2. All of your shirts had horses on them.
Maybe this is why you quickly became known as the horse girl. You couldn't help but want to own all the shirts with horse designs on them and wear them as often as humanly possible. Thankfully though, you grew out of this phase around middle school (hopefully).
3. Arguing that horseback riding is a sport.
The most frustrating time of your life was when some kid in school said, "But all you do is just sit there." Obviously they have never actually ridden a horse and don't even realize that the United States has an Olympic equestrian team, but can we expect everyone to be as knowledgable as us?
4. You've had some nasty falls and broken bones regardless of how hard you tried to stay on.
We can't all be perfect, all of the time. Any and every good rider has fallen off or been thrown off of there horse before; but we always get back on, whether it's right after we hit the ground or after a trip to the hospital.
5. The excitement of horse shows.
You spent so much time practicing for your next show and spent hours grooming your horse the night before because you were just that excited. Your ideal weekend was spent showing, whether you were taking home blue ribbons or none at all you still loved it all the same (but let's be real -- blue ribbons are pretty great).
6. You didn't care about boys.
Well not completely, the only boy you did care about had four legs and a shiny tale. Oh, and he would also listen to all your problems without complaint. Who had time for a real boy anyway?
7. Paddock boots and half chaps were a part of your daily wardrobe.
Who had time to change into real clothes after leaving the barn? Besides these were comfortable and perfectly broken in. And hey, you probably still had hay in your hair when you left but that's okay; no one noticed because they were too busy looking at your boots and you're totally "pulling them off."
8. All of your money went to your horse.
LOL as if it ever stopped going to your horse! We picked the most expensive sport and the most expensive pets, but could you ever say it wasn't worth it?
9. You quickly learned the value of a dollar.
All of those vet bills, farrier bills, feed bills and horse shows quickly stack up. Your first job was probably working at the barn, but it was hardly work because you loved every second of it.
10. Your favorite place to shop was your local tack shop.
You begged your mom to take you there almost every weekend. "I just want to look I won't buy anything," was one of my favorite lines. As if that was even possible.
11. You're one of the toughest girls you know.
You've been stepped on, kicked, bitten and bruised. You've had plenty of falls and just overall bad riding days, but you still loved it. You woke up every morning ready to go back and do it all again (hopefully learning from your mistakes this time), because there's really no place else you'd rather be.
