Horse Illustrated Magazine

Thanksgiving is a fairly low-key event in my house. My family celebrates the holiday a thousand miles away, and given Thanksgiving’s inconvenient proximity to Christmas, I prefer to save the air travel fund for the latter. Additionally, I don’t eat turkey, so a holiday centered on consuming poultry doesn’t do much for me. And let’s face it, the whole tradition is founded on a rather dubious American myth, but I digress.

What Thanksgiving does offer is a chance to take stock of what we have to be thankful for, which is especially important at the end of a year full of economic turmoil and a steady stream of bad news. Sure, I could (and probably should) reflect on life’s blessings every day, but like most people, I tend to get caught up in the pace of daily life and rarely stop to take note of how lucky I am. This Thanksgiving, I realized I have a lot to be thankful for. Here’s my list.

Thanksgiving weekend. Sometimes it seems like we’re always going at a fever pitch and the year flies by. Turkey and Pilgrims aside, it’s really nice to have that late-fall four-day weekend to just step back and take a break. I’m also proud to report that I made it out to the barn every day and rode three of the four days (the horses deserve to take Thanksgiving day off, too, right?) Apologies to those of you working retail who most definitely did not get a relaxing weekend. I don’t envy you!

A supportive family. I was always the horse-crazy little girl, and never really grew out of that phase. My parents have been sort of baffled by it, but eventually they figured out that this whole horse thing was more than just a hobby, and they’ve been encouraging my equestrian endeavors ever since. My parents and grandparents have all taken road trips at one time or another to Really Boring Towns in the middle of nowhere just to cheer me on at horse shows. They may not fully understand the whole horse thing, but I’m lucky to have their support and encouragement.

The world’s best job. I get to spend my days keeping up with horse industry news, researching equine-related topics, and taking photos of horses and horse farms. If I won the lottery and didn’t have to work, I’d probably spend my days doing much of the same (I’d just be doing it from the office of my beautiful new barn.)

A happy, healthy horsey. What can I say? I love my pony. And I will continue to love him even if one day the only thing I can do with him is sit and watch him eat grass. So I’m super thankful that he’s still sound and somewhat energetic and he’ll still take me on hacks around the farm or the occasional show. I’m lucky to have such an amazing old horse and I’m especially lucky that he’s healthy and sound.

Leftover pie in my refrigerator. Thanksgiving does have some offerings for us non-turkey eaters.

What are you thankful for this year? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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