It’s What We Do

This barn has turned out to be a true family.  The RHO family.  Whatever we do, we do it together. Always. What happens to one, happens to all.  We have been at this barn for about four or five years now. So many changes, sorrows and joy have ensued over the years. Sue lost her dear husband and our friend, Pat.  That was hard on us all, but of course especially Sue and Donna.  Pat was easy to talk to, a gentle man, and one of Ritchie’s favorite  people in the barn family. He was devoted entirely to Sue and her crazy horse habit.  It was a common sight to see him sitting in his chair on top of the hill watching over the arena and cheering Sue on.  It wasn’t final though, until Tom announced our loss at one of our Penning shows.  The moment of silence with hats off and Tom’s speech  not only  made it a reality, but brought us together in sorrow as a barn.

 

We lost boarders.  Elaine and Ted moved closer to home. We gained boarders. My meeting with Gail at the Equestrian Center months back proved to be lucrative for RHO and Tom Riley. I told Gail to come and see our place  and that Tom would be able to fix any issues she was having with Arlo. Gail and Norm fell in love with the place!  Norm turned out to be a great help to Tom and an asset to the daily workings of the farm and Gail and I were finally able to ride together!

Mike was here!  Mike, from our old barn, was a symbol of stability. His quiet nature, and calm, collected aura was just what we all needed.  Mike is the only one who, to this day, will stand with me while I attempt to climb onto my paint mare… no matter how long it takes. He keeps our barn running, keeps us sane and most times keeps Tom calm.

We gained a few stragglers and unfriendly boarders that turned out to be not-so-good people… One thing we can all say... It’s one thing to argue and disagree amongst ourselves, but don’t dare take it public!  Once someone crosses the line outside the barn walls, they are banished forever.  Needless to say, those unwelcomed boarders got out of Dodge… and we were glad to see them go.

We partied together, played together, traveled together, rode hard together and cried together.  I was finally home.

It’s what we do.