Every elementary school had one — that one girl who was utterly and totally obsessed with horses. Looking back on it, it probably makes you cringe now, but at the time, you thought you were the coolest kid around. If you were her, you definitely did all of these things.
1) Spending hours in the car to and from the barn every week
Literally, when did we have time for homework? Totally worth it, though.
2) Wearing every type of horse jewelry you could find
Charm bracelets? Horseshoe earrings? Chunky necklace? Anklet? All at once! So fetch!
3) Talking about your horse like they’re human
Yeah, I went to visit Freddie last night. You know, Freddie? The tall, handsome one? Black hair? Mohawk? Four hooves? That’s the one.
4) Talking to your horse like they’re human
Hooooooney! It’s time to come in for dinner! Don’t give me that attitude!
5) Pretending to be a horse
We all did it, no denying it.
6) Making your parents buy you every horse toy on the market
It didn’t matter what it was, if it had a horse, you had to have it.
7) And watching every horse movie on the market at least seven times
In the days before Netflix, we had stacks on stacks of horse DVDs. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, anyone? How about Hidalgo? Seabiscuit? Dreamer?
8) Having every Saddle Club thing you could
The marketing on those things were incredible. It wasn’t just books and a show — it went as far as playing cards with the characters. It did have young Chris Hemsworth though, so no one can say we had bad taste.
9) Literally never having any time or money to do anything but the barn
Sorry, I can’t go out, I need to shovel my horse’s poop. Yes, I do have to do that every day.
10) Spending every weekend at shows
Getting up at 4:00 AM is totally cool when you’re going to a show, but your horse always ripped out his braids.
11) But it’s okay because your horse is your best friend
Did you know that horses actually have proven benefits on mental wellness? Of course you did, your horse was your best friend, therapist, wellness trainer, drill sergeant, and practically your boyfriend through your most awkward years.
12) The answer to “what do you want to be when you grow up” was always something to do with horses
Teacher? Writer? Maybe if I get to do it from the saddle, am I right?
13) Having folders on folders of horse pictures on your Facebook
You just had to share them, and now it feels wrong to take them down. Besides, anyone who’s lurking that hard should probably know what they’re getting themselves into.
My actual Facebook (not taking it down — ever):
14) Getting made fun of for it
My first boyfriend even broke up with me for it. But it’s fine, your obsession just means that you actually cared about something, unlike the group of kids who were too cool for anything.
15) Having the strongest legs of anyone in your class
The soccer players had absolutely nothing on you. You run around? I ride bareback. Next.
16) Never really getting over your favourite horse being sold
It was worse than your best friend moving schools. You never give up looking for them and hoping that one day you might get them back.
17) Never really stopping
Even if you haven’t ridden in years, you still hold horses in your heart. You’ll always be a horse girl at heart!