Years ago Cooky McClung, popular writer for The Chronicle of the Horse and other publications, wrote a book Horsefolk Are Different. When she checked again, she found that Horsefolk Are Still Different!
In fact, the stories about the oddities of people attached to their horses abound. Tim Mays recounted several in his book, Horse People are Just Different: Stories of the People, the Horses, and Me. In the last Chapter "The Life," Tim explains the experiences that make horse people different:
"Maybe it is not a life that somebody else would necessarily choose, but to us 'Horse People' nothing could be better. The outside world could not understand that things like the morning sunlight just breaking into the new day as I clean stalls every morning as being the favorite part of my day. Appreciate moments such as that young horse hitting his first lead on cue. Sitting in the saddle and stroking the horse's neck at a job well done. The exhilaration of being called as the winner of the class on a horse you have trained from a colt. Riding to the top of a hill on an unexplored trail to see a breathtaking sight. Making a clean jump of a height that you never made before. It is moments like this and a million more that keep and encourage us to continue in this sometimes challenging and demanding lifestyle."
Tim Mays is an equine nutrition consultant for Cargill. He has ridden in horse shows and rodeos since age 6. He lives in Oxford, MS. His book was published in 2009 by PublishAmerica, Baltimore, MD.
In fact, the stories about the oddities of people attached to their horses abound. Tim Mays recounted several in his book, Horse People are Just Different: Stories of the People, the Horses, and Me. In the last Chapter "The Life," Tim explains the experiences that make horse people different:
"Maybe it is not a life that somebody else would necessarily choose, but to us 'Horse People' nothing could be better. The outside world could not understand that things like the morning sunlight just breaking into the new day as I clean stalls every morning as being the favorite part of my day. Appreciate moments such as that young horse hitting his first lead on cue. Sitting in the saddle and stroking the horse's neck at a job well done. The exhilaration of being called as the winner of the class on a horse you have trained from a colt. Riding to the top of a hill on an unexplored trail to see a breathtaking sight. Making a clean jump of a height that you never made before. It is moments like this and a million more that keep and encourage us to continue in this sometimes challenging and demanding lifestyle."
Tim Mays is an equine nutrition consultant for Cargill. He has ridden in horse shows and rodeos since age 6. He lives in Oxford, MS. His book was published in 2009 by PublishAmerica, Baltimore, MD.
