Many things go along with being a horse person. Spring means you’re covered in horsehair; in summer, it’s a lovely mixture of sweat and dust, fall means mud all over the place, and in winter, you wish your clothing was heated. That’s all completely normal, and getting up at 6 a.m. every day, going shopping in breeches, and using language non-equestrians can’t understand is just the daily business. But there’s even more: When you say, think, or do some of the following things, you can be sure you’re a horse person.
You know you’re a horse person when:
1. You hurt your foot and tell everyone you’re lame.
2. You call your walking speed a “stride” when you go for a walk.
3. You see a handsome man on a horse, and all you do is looking at the horse.
4. You lean forward when you drive your car over a speed bump.
5. You can smell your shoes from afar and can’t remember their original color because they are entirely covered in mud in dirt.
6. You happily get up at 5 in the morning for competition even though you were late for work yesterda because you hit the snooze button a dozen times.
7. You tie your shoelaces with a quick release-knot for horses.
8. You can’t drive past a horse trailer without checking if there’s a horse in it.
9. You prefer mucking out stables to cleaning your apartment.
10. You pat your car for bringing you home safely.
11. You’re on vacation, but call twice a day to check if you’re horse is okay.
12. You see a field and instantly wonder if it would be a sound canter track.
13. You always assess landscapes for their hacking compatibility.
14. When buying a car, towing load and axle load are your priorities.
15. Friends and family are more likely to look for you at the barn than at home.
16. Your haircut has to be practical.
17. There’s just as much horse hair on your clothes as on your horse.
18. Your horse’s shampoo is more expensive than your own.
19. The feed your horse gets is more costly than yours.
20. You’re used to being looked at strangely for going shopping in boots and breeches.
21. Your vet’s phone number is number one at speed dial. Your partner’s number is only second.
You know all that because your partner is an equestrian? Here are 22 facts about living with a horse person.
