Trainer left for Florida yesterday. This picture is from the first set of horses leaving on Friday, who are shipped commercially in the huge shiny trailer you can see behind trainer’s four horse.
I’m always torn about this annual migration. On the one hand: it’s really sad to see everyone go, and it means that winter is well and truly on the way. I really like my trainer and her assistant trainer, and they always have great working students. I miss seeing horses in really high level work, every day, and there’s a fun buzz of activity around.
On the other hand, there’s a soft calming quiet that settles in once the “show barn horses” head to Florida. Our barn is only about 2/3 full during the winter, and it feels cozier and smaller. There’s less to worry about in terms of activity – all the dogs, all the horses going every which way, always hunting out the right parking spot. It goes from being a barn chock-full of fancy horses to being a barn of lesson horses with quirky, wonderful personalities. Some of them are very fancy, too, but I just feel like I fit in better with the quirky horses.
Does anyone else have a barn that empties – or fills – over the winter? Anyone else’s barn winter in Florida or elsewhere?
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My barn doesn't winter anywhere, but I get the same feeling when a bunch of horses go off to a show that I'm not attending. Some ways I like the quiet, and some ways I feel like I'm missing out on the fun!
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i can see why you like the dichotomy. my barn doesn't have people migrating for show seasons, but we do see a pretty drastic drop off during the winter since there's no indoor…. i'm not really looking forward to that, tho, as i kinda like the buzz of activity
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