It’s hump day. And after the last couple days, I did not have much hope that today would be any better. Especially considering the fact that the temperature dropped 30+ degrees overnight and we woke up well below zero and hovered there, thermostat sloooooowly creeping up every couple of hours. We had a full team coming out today and with this weather…yikes! Would we really be able to get much done? Would anyone even wanna brave the cold?!
The day started with a head count. Did everyone weather the drastic temperature drop well? Yes. All is well. Then on to removing frozen water buckets from the stalls and restocking, penguin walking over the frozen ground, tripping over frozen piles of poo, rolling our ankles on rogue pieces that broke loose, and hoping our eyelashes didn’t freeze together. Ok. Survived. Chores done. The team arrives. Yes. Every single one of them. Despite the cold. The horses are here waiting and need help to get ready for their new homes. But, time for everyone to talk a bit. This weather and the general stresses of what we do here, and as we grow by leaps and bounds, can often lead to breakdowns in communication and things can get tense. By the time the talk was over though, it almost felt like we need to do a big huddle with a “Goooooo Pony Tales!” as we throw our arms up in the air. We didn’t do that, but it would have been fun!! Lol!
Time to get to work. First things first. Get the “tough” horses rounded up and ready for their upcoming pedicure appointment. This took literally the entire team and we tromped through snow and the horses didn’t wanna go where they were supposed to and one was a bit smarter than the other…. Lol. But, it got done! Everyone then broke off on their own to get as much work done as they could. I was personally able to see some of it, but I had scheduled a hair appointment a couple of months ago and the reminder came that it was today. :-/ I so didn’t wanna go. So much was getting done and I wanted to hang back and help. But…at the same time…I knew the fantastic five ladies here…had it covered. So, I was able to take a rare afternoon “off” and try to get myself looking somewhat presentable…Lol.
By the time I got home of course, everyone had gone home. I saw messages of how cold they were, but the majority of the comments was how happy everyone was with how the day went. How much got done. And the excitement and joy they got from working with these beautiful souls outweighed the cold they all endured today. All because each and everyone of them has one goal here…help these horses find a home….
We are not perfect here. And we never will be. We live and we learn. We make mistakes and we learn from them. We grow and evolve. Things happen so quickly around here and can change so fast, that this is not an easy environment for just anybody to work in. The drive, the ambition, the determination, the “never give up” attitude that flows from this amazing team is exactly what the horses here (and out there) need. No horse left behind. They are all beautiful in their own way and this team’s desire to show that beauty to the world is awe-striking.
When I got home and saw the photos and videos of the day and who was worked with and what was accomplished, all in my absence, I literally almost cried. But, one picture (above) literally brought me to tears. Two of the fantastic five riding tandem together and having fun while “working”, just really got me….
This is not a job for the faint of heart. There are so few who would have braved this cold today to do what they did. And they did it with smiles on their faces. 🙂 There are so few who share our passion here at Pony Tales that no matter the weather…the horses are depending on us. So, this “hump day”. This typically “blah” day for most as they look forward to the weekend, will go down in our book as one of the best days here. This team (that I will introduce to you all soon) is ready to take the horse world by storm. Once again everyone, hang onto your hats. This is gonna be one helluva ride!!