Well, Theo and I are undoubtedly the wrong guys to be contest judges. If we were dressage judges I think we’d find a way to give everyone Moorlands Totilas type scores. We sat down and decided to pick the entries that we absolutely 100% could not leave out of the finals and we ended up with 15 photos. Being democratic types (think classical Athens, not John Kerry), Theo and I have decided to leave the decision to the readers of Eventing Nation. Thank you to all of the contest entrants, finalists or not, for briefly welcoming us into their amazing horse lives.
“I am an eventer trapped inside a sales person’s body!! I am making money to put myself through equine chiropractor school. So until I have my dream job of getting to help horses every day, I am stuck in a cube for 8 hours a day. The only thing that gets me through the day is knowing that I get to go ride Ty everyday after work. I always have him on my computer screen so I see it throughout the day; this is us at a local hunter show (bringing home the blue of course). I also have him splattered throughout my cube walls!”
“I too am stuck in a cube that is as bland as the day is long. I’m a horse person that can’t make a living being a horse person, which really sucks. I have used every vacation day for the past 7 years to groom for Jen and Pooh and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The really twisted part is that I have two human kids and two dogs but you won’t find a single photo of any of them in my cube; just Brett, Tubby, and Pooh! Some of my co-workers are astonished when they find out I have grown children with two legs. I know I should be embarassed but strangely I’m not.”
“My workspace is the training track. It’s a 4 am wake up call, 2 cups of coffee and a Guava Rock Star that gives me that deer-in-the-headlights look on my face when I’m given a leg up on a 2 yr. old . Some say that I’m lucky, because although I did go to university and have my degree framed and hanging on the wall, I don’t wear panty hose, heels or pant suits. Instead, my business attire consists of a hard helmet with a personalized skull cap cover, a stiff protective vest, my good luck jockey’s whip, half chaps and worn out paddock boots. The most important horse in my life that helps me get through my mornings is our lead pony Frank. He’s a tough and sturdy chestnut Quarter Horse who gets pushed around, kicked and stepped on, bitten and even jumped on by the babies we’re breaking for the track. He has a quiet and reserved personality that gives confidence, like a type of security blanket not only to the horses but for myself. There was one particular morning that a fresh filly decided to play circus with me. She double barreled both hind legs into the air and I flew over her head as if I was shot out of a cannon. Landing across my stomach, it was Frank’s big Quarter Horse rump that caught me like a sack of potatoes and broke my fall. He never batted an eyelash as I slid off with my mouth hanging open, completely dumbfounded.”
“The attached photo was taken shortly after moving into a new cubicle in Weill Hall (yes, THAT Weill!), the new Life Sciences building at Cornell. Although the building has the word “life” in its name, let me assure you there is nothing alive about the building or the spaces within. The exterior is clad in a grid work of white enameled metal squares and the interior finishes contrast stark white walls with dark gray flooring throughout. The only break from the monotony is the artificial wood grain laminate desktops in each metal-walled cubicle. Even the desk chairs seem designed to foster a sense of unease and vague discomfort in the occupants. Talk about a depressing work environment, especially for someone who loves nothing more than to be outdoors riding and working with horses! The first thing I did upon taking up occupancy was to start covering the walls with my favorite images of horses and the task occupied the better part of the first day there. What you see in the photo is only one part of one wall, about a week after having moved in. What you cannot see is that the other three and a half walls are also completely covered in images of horses and memorabilia from various outings, many of which are in some way horse-related. The predominant subject in the photos is Bailey (that’s her in the picture on the top left corner), an Arabian mare I am leasing and who just completed her first BN horse trials last weekend with me aboard (my first time too!) We posted a 36.2 in dressage to put us in fifth but Sunday was not our day. I went in knowing we were underprepared for XC and, not entirely unexpectedly, we ran into some problems and got eliminated for refusals at the third to last fence (partly her fault, partly mine) but were allowed to finish the course. Disappointing, but it was probably the most fun I’ve ever had in my life and next time will be much better! At any rate, looking at those pictures made it bearable to be confined in that workspace and got me through many a rough day. Staring at those pictures day after day reminded me what is important in life and played a role in my eventual decision to leave the research world, where I had never been entirely happy, and take a chance on pursuing a career with horses. Although I’m still looking for the right position, I’m much happier now having decided to leave the cubicle behind and surround myself once again with the genuine article, not just pictures.”
“Explanation: Steeli helps me out at work by trying to braid Gazelle’s forelock when he knows I’m having a busy day….but in all seriousness, when I am fortunate enough to be able to call grooming part of my “work”, I am grateful to the horses for providing me with everything from amusement to a quiet moment in a stall or field to regroup. For the rest of the 365 days in which I may not galavant about, they provide me with a reason to stay productive — so I have something to put in the bank, which soon turns into something I have to put in their stomachs (in massive quantities, I might add), and hopefully leaves enough something left so that I may attend a little something else we call a three-day event. Go eventing(/ecogold)!”
“Here’s my photo of horse pics that get me through the day. In the upper right corner is portrait of a polo game. I the left corner are pics of my horses behind my monitor. It may be hard to tell but the top pic is of my horse, max, that I recently lost to colitis. The pic is at us training at Longwood in Ocala with my coach. He’s doing a wonderful job going over a corner. The pic off to the side is of the most athletic horse I’ll ever own. Its Hollywood, my mini stallion. The pic is an old one at his then trainers in tx. He’d just learned to pull a cart. Now he trots around the neighborhood in the country pulling his cart painted like a Ferrari showing off to all the other horses.”
