My husband, also referred to here as “Cowboy Dad”, wrote this article and asked if I wanted to post it on my blog. I was happy to read his viewpoint of this horse crazy life I live, and thought you all would enjoy reading it, too.
For the horse husbands and dads…
“At that price…we can’t lose!” How often has that phrase been exclaimed by an enthusiastic horse buyer? I’d guess probably at least once for every horse owner in the entire world. How often has that actually been the case? I’d assume significantly fewer times. As a horse enthusiast’s husband and another up-and-coming horse enthusiast’s dad, this phrase has swayed me to open up my checkbook on more than one occasion. Therefore, I can safely assume that the phrase is directed by the fairer sex to their un-knowing husbands more often than any of us would admit.
The first time I heard that phrase was when we bought Milo—you can read more about him here but to summarize, we bought him ultra-cheap as a weanling, and when we went to geld him, found out he was “high-flanked” (or cryptorchid if you want the vet’s terminology) and also learned that he needed a very expensive surgical procedure done to repair an umbilical hernia. So the horse we “couldn’t lose” on all of a sudden became a very expensive horse that at that point we still hadn’t ridden! As my rancher, no-nonsense cowboy, father-in-law stated the first time he saw Milo, “Why are they even feeding this one?!” ––obviously, he wasn’t suggesting we starve poor Milo but rather WHY did we buy him in the first place? It’s usually not in me to admit that my in-laws are right about anything, but a few months later when Milo had his surgery, I had to wonder if I shouldn’t rethink being part of a horse family!
However, the years have taught me something that most horse-husbands/dads need to understand and appreciate. Owning a horse is like many other joys in life: the satisfaction and enjoyment gained aren’t quantifiable financially. Next time you are doing math in your head and grumbling while you figure up how much money the horse, tack, hay, vet trips, etc., etc…are costing you, head out to the barn and just watch your wife and/or kids riding and working with their horse(s). Or even better, if it’s not normally your habit, why don’t you go on a ride with them? You may unexpectedly discover that you can understand why this is so important to them. But even if the passion for horses doesn’t rub off on you, imagine how good it will make the horse lovers in your family feel to know that you are interested enough in them to be involved in what they do. There is certainly no dollar amount you can put on that. You may understand that for the money you’ve spent and will spend…you aren’t losing!
*Two things I must mention—this should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyways: if you aren’t an experienced horseman, make sure you ride a horse that is safe for you. Secondly-–-and I can’t stress this enough—don’t let your lack of expertise hold you back from doing this. Don’t think you’re out to impress your wife or kids, the fact that you aren’t a rodeo cowboy won’t affect their enjoyment of the situation one bit—they’ll relish the opportunity to put up with you!
Here is a photo of our family with Milo, one evening last summer after we went riding:
