A Fresh Start

 The start of resurrecting a part of my life that has long been subdued....

 Yes, the Tack Abyss....

Through the past few years it's swelled and grown, mostly due to the fact that I buy fantasies it seems. At least, that's how it's felt these past few years, because daily chores and buying bargains seemed as far as my horse adventures went.

But that's not entirely true either, as I did teach myself leather working a few years ago, with the goal of making my own gear- but more on that later. 

   But aside from an annual tack cleaning, everything has pretty much been in storage and not much has been worn by an actual horse on a regular basis. This has been due to several factors outside of my control, and several within that have just fallen to the wayside. 

1. Family needs- though that is slowly getting better, our family suffered a loss a few years ago and all the changes/challenges that came with that are still being navigated. However, my own children are grown and as there is no longer a dependent adult in my life, some changes and boundaries are necessary, as I have my own life to live and no longer put on hold. This has been met with some resistance but luckily my spouse and children are supportive. 

2. My horses have had changes too, at the very least so much time off that it's starting at the bottom again.  I lost Twista a month ago, and it's still painful. Tango had foundered on grass a couple years ago, so there's that. Cim will be 30 next spring, but he's the same as ever. Still, he is retired. Dusty is himself but occasionally I notice his scar tissue seems to give him a hitch in his walk, he too I haven't ridden even if I had time. And Sierra was never finished breaking cuz all the mayhem seemed to happen just as she was coming of age for it. And then the same thing happened with Tango, but she is hopefully still young enough to still finish. At least that is my plan/hopes. 

Phoenix is my only rider left, and she would still need a refresher cuz it has been years. But more on her later. 

3. The farming has changed for us. We've gone bigger into other venues and cut back on some things. This leaves us with more animal chores but not the stress of crop farming,  so it's an even trade off but more work nonetheless. And my role thereof is alot more hands-on and my time is tied closely to seasonal needs of the flocks. 

4. Then there is me myself! I'll be the first to admit I'm not in shape for riding, and with a bad ankle and a bad knee I know things aren't going to magically be perfect- this is going to take some work to get back to myself "being sound" for riding.  

Hence this blog as a way to record my journey back to who I was. And I'm sure there's zillions of people that are going through the same process, so maybe it's encouraging just to learn "Hey, I'm not the only one!" even if it might seem like it sometimes.