EN blogger finalist Yvette Seger is back with more Tips for Eventers Living in Itty-Bitty Apartments in the City. Yvette will always be remembered for the famous Insane Walmart Ride, and we welcome her contributions to Eventing Nation.
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From Yvette:
Tips for Eventers Living in Itty Bitty Apartments in the City – When Worlds Collide
Happy October, Eventing Nation! I don’t know about you, but I have a love-hate relationship with this month. The Good: I get to bust out my awesome fall wardrobe, my horses are no longer being pilloried by flies of all sizes, and the walk from the barn to my horse (who has conveniently nestled himself in the furthest corner of his pasture upon hearing my car squeal up the drive) no longer leaves me drenched in sweat and in dire need of Gatorade. The Bad: All the slacking that I did between Q1 and Q3 seems to catch up to me in Q4 meaning I have some crazy 12+ hour workdays, my once sleek, summer-coated horses are now looking like fuzzy Thelwell ponies (well, at least the pony has a genetically viable excuse for this…), and, oh yeah, it’s like dark by 7 pm.
In the end, I guess my biggest beef is with the waning daylight. Yes, it cuts into my riding time at the most inconvenient time of the eventing season, but I’ve also learned creative ways to convince my employers that letting me leave the office a little bit early to go ride provides a safer work environment for everyone in the company. No, no…the worst part of these shorter days is that I get home from the barn earlier, which in turn means I have an increased likelihood of having to interact with non-horse people. Non-horse city people. AKA my neighbors. After a few hours at the barn. In an enclosed, non-horsey space. AKA the elevator…and no, I’m not talking about a bit.
Long-time tenants of my building know the drill…say hi, ask about the horse, and then move along before they either a) get a whiff or b) I start brushing hay/shavings/horsehair off my coat. They’ve worked out that I want to get up to my apartment and shower almost as quickly as they would like me to…I mean, I get it…I’m dirty and smell!
It’s the newbies in the building that make me want to have a magic trampoline that launches me up to my apartment from street level and entirely bypass human interactions post-barn. They stare. They wrinkle their noses. They may even feel the need to bellow, “wow, you STINK!” while riding in the elevator with you (Thanks for the info, dude…and BTW, I hope you enjoyed that bottle of Jack that I can smell on YOU!).
While this used to make me feel like the school kid who got picked last for the kickball team in gym class, I’ve learned that it’s not me…it’s them. And that it’s always best to take the stairs.
Tip for Eventers Living in Itty-Bitty Apartments in the City #8:
Get a thick skin about the fact that people will either a) wrinkle their noses and step to the opposite side of the elevator when you step in, b) say, “oh, we’ll wait for the next one” even though you’re the only person in the car, or c) run out of the elevator clutching their noses and coughing the second you get in, because let’s face it, Rockstar…you’re dirty and you smell. You have hay in your hair, horsehair and sawdust on your pants, and oh yeah, a nice chunk of fresh manure stuck to your boot.
If you can’t take this pressure, I recommend that you get used to taking the stairs. And not the normal set of stairs…I’m talking about the scary stairwell at the back of the building that smells like some frat boys have confused it with the bathroom.
