I Love the Smell of Boring in the Morning

We are now done moving our barn operations from BFE nowhere to Moorpark. What a relief. It was a lot of work, but I think everything is finally going to settle down and go back to BORING normal. Being the control freak that I am, this has been a rough time for me, but I actually survived, albeit with small meltdowns here and there.

One of the hardest parts of moving is that you just can't explain to the horses what is happening and let them know that everything will eventually be just fine. Some of them, like people, roll with the punches, and others just... don't. Our favorite (photo above), nicknamed The Little Brown Pony (aka LBP), is one of the latter. In spades. Big spades. So this move was very hard for him. And he just has to tell you about it all the time.

If you're not a horse person, you probably don't realize that horses have as much personality as any other animal (and more than some people I know) and can be very vocal. I've been around horses my whole life, and known a lot of different horses, but the LBP is probably the smartest and most human-focused horse I've ever owned. We've had him for almost seven years, and he's a character. He's one of the few creatures I know who isn't food-driven, and would rather be out with you doing things than eat. (Can't say the same thing for me, sadly enough.) There's never any question about what's on his mind, whether he's "helping" you unzip your jacket or mad because you're half an hour late getting to the barn in the afternoon. He's set in his ways and gets annoyed if you make even small changes in his life, like where you put his food. So you can imagine how three major barn moves in eight months have affected him.

I think this all came to a head for him with this latest move. He was very mad and upset about it all, and started declaring his indignation at the top of his lungs the day he arrived at the new facility. And he kept it up the next day. And the next day. This lasted more than a week. I love him a lot but was ready to tape his mouth shut by last Friday. And then yesterday we noticed a new quiet and a demeanor that somewhat resembles the horse we know and love. I think we have officially been forgiven for moving. I knew he would settle in just fine eventually, but it's hard watching the anxiety and know that there is nothing you can do about it except wait.

There are a lot of similarities between this horse and me. I am also set in my ways (i.e. control freak) and change is hard for me, especially when it's not my idea. I just fret and obsess when things are not to my liking, or when situations occur that I must deal with and did not start. I make a conscious effort to not sweat the small stuff, but it still happens when I least expect or want it to. It's definitely better than it used to be, but sometimes the little stuff looms large and seems overwhelming. This year has held a fair amount of these situations for me, and I'm looking forward to a quiet period so I can regain my perspective, take a breath, and see things with my usual sense of humor. Here's to the boring life.