The Old Harness Horse

-This Old Harness Horse 

Author: unknown

This old horse, the driver said, 

she’s seen some better days,

she’s eating up my profits,

and costs a lot for hay.

Another horse would suit me,

a stronger one at that,

shes seen a lot of miles

just like my old top hat.

This old horse, the driver said,

she helped me bring good cheer,

I’m pretty sure shes magic,

I know I hold her dear.

Another horse would suit me,

one that can run fast,

maybe one that’s younger,

or maybe one that lasts.

This old horse, the drivet said,

she’s long and far in tooth,

The shared miles I remember,

her fondly from her youth.

Another horse would suit me,

a gelding in his prime,

one that needs less fixin’,

that helps me save a dime.

Why, they asked, then keep her?

why not trade her now?

bring her to an auction?

replace her with a cow?

The Drivers brow grew heavy,

he took a staggered step,

his eyes did show his hardships,

in wrinkles, as they crept.

His breath, he took in deeply,

as he poised to say his words,

it’s as if the earth grew silent,

that his message should be heard.

This old horse, the Driver said,

has given me her life,

I wouldn’t trade for anything,

nor either, would my wife.

Another horse would suit me,

and perhaps someday will come,

but this old gal, I love her,

she is the chosen one.

This old horse, the driver said,

her service she did lend,

her and I, have seen the years,

this old horse, she is my friend.

Another horse would suit me well,

but her home is here to keep,

I owe her sanctuary,

my love for her is deep.

Another horse would suit me well,

and younger days for me,

and I will keep my promise,

until our last breaths, set us free."

Farm Work

Farm work doesn’t make you stronger. It reveals you.There’s gym strong and then there’s farm strong.

They’re mutually exclusive. Hot cold tired and hungry.... farm work will kick your ass until you have no ass left to kick. Every muscle joint and tendon will be strained.  Even when fit.... Farm tired is not just being tired!

The toughest women you’ll ever meet spend their days on a farm.

“Well that certainly didn’t go as planned,” is one thing you’ll say quite a bit. Control is a mere illusion. The thought that you have any, at any given time, is utterly false.

Sometimes sleep is a luxury. So are lunch and dinner. And brushing your hair.

If you’ve never felt your obliques contract, then you’ve never tried stopping an overly full wheelbarrow of horse manure from tipping over sideways. Trust me, you’ll find muscles that you never knew existed on the human skeleton to prevent this from happening.

There is no other option & You’ll cry. Sometimes you get so hardened that you stop crying at all because  who has time for that shit!  There's work to be done! But you’ll never live more fully. You’ll remain present no matter what because you must.

You’ll find yourself saying things like, “we have maybe twenty minutes of daylight left to git ‘er done” whilst gazing up at a nonspecific place in the sky.

You’ll become weirdly obsessive about the weather.

You’ll go out in public wearing filthy clothes and smelling of dirt, sweat and poop. People will look at you sideways and crinkle their noses but you won’t care.

Your entire day can derail within ten seconds of the rising sun.

Farm work is difficult in its simplicity. You'll be drained before you start another day & forget that you didn't shower as you cave into bed. 

Socializing is rare because that energy is saved to pull out a foal from their mama.  Having time is a luxury.

Stamina ....  New meaning to the word.  Sandwiches will have dirt in them. And fingernails are constantly crusty.

You'll never live more tired and satisfied though.  You'll never live more appreciative of the miracle we all call life.

And at the end of the day..... You'll never love more deeply than seeing your faithful horse wanting a snuggle at feeding time.

♥️♥️

Letter to Aging Equestrians

An open letter 

To Aging Cowgirls & Horseman:

You horse fellows may be feeling as though your Strength is winding down as their passion is winding up. Your jeans fit differently perhaps but your new gloves and old boots make ya happier.   Your cowboy creases in your face are more of a twinkle than a complaint... And cowgirls Strength and resilience...  Have been your goals... not dyed hair or those bling bling things city girls live for.  Horseman and women you are not letting yourselves go..you're just getting fired up.  

Comfortable in your own skin, just like your worn out saddle, harness or favorite livestock halter.   We are now not too young to have well earned gray hair, a few hitches in our giddy up either.  But with all of this getting older stuff,  we value what means the most.  And when we're off the clock which is not often.... We try and connect with those who mean something to us in a way that matters.  We still sometimes miss the mark when times get lean and communication gets tire-some.  But each day we get back up to do it all over again embracing our farm, livestock or whatever  strength and resilience calls us to do for the day.  Our greatest daily accomplishment is hope. We hope things go as planned. We hope we don't have to do things over again.  We hope that those who depend on us know that we love them.  We hope that the stability in our character is projected as the rock for other people.  And we hope that all of this can be felt with love.  Getting older can be said it's not for the faint at heart. And those who said that are not wrong. In the corners of our mind when we age we acquire ourselves and the wisdom that goes with it.  And this wisdom is relative to the millions of memories we have experienced over the course of our lifetime.  And if we're lucky….by now, we have passionately kissed those we love, loved those we want to not love and understand that letting go of whatever brings strife is making way for peace. This way of life has brought us to our knees and also has had us standing up cheering.  The last goal of the season or the last heart horse who gives in to colic and life is taken away.  This is all of you my aging cowgirls and horsemen.  For our value lies within ourselves when we are called to love our life, love ourselves and love one another.