Lauren Nethery: 30 Things I’m Thankful For in November

If you’re on Facebook, you’re probably aware of, if not participating in, the “30 Days of Thankfulness” thing. Well, Lauren Nethery is here to take it to the next level.

From Lauren:

Greetings, Horse Nation!  You may recognize me from my weekly piece “Why Does My OTTB (insert quirk here)?” on Eventing Nation.  However, I am here on Horse Nation to jump on the Facebook bandwagon of “30 Things I Am Thankful For In November,” to share these things with you, and to put a smile on your face despite the tragic loss of an entire hour of useful daylight and of the warmth that many of us enjoyed in the last 30 days.  Look for one article each week detailing the seven things I am thankful for during that week and I will take this time to go ahead and GOBBLE, GOBBLE in the spirit of Thanksgiving.

1.  I am thankful for blanket weather (complete with neck rugs!) that has enabled me to sleep at least 30 minutes longer on show mornings and avoid the labor-intensive scrubbing that is usually involved in transforming my “dun” horse back into his natural gray hue.

2. I am thankful for the Chronicle of The Horse Secret Santa phenomenon.  Not only do I get to ask for presents that I would never buy myself (think portraits of my horses and the weirdest bits ever made to add to my collection (collecting stamps is for sissies)) but I also get to shop for presents that are actually FUN to buy instead of slogging through Kohl’s, dodging soccer moms on warpaths and grannies in Hoveround’s.

3. I am thankful that I suppressed the urge the attack a certain illustrious clinician when he had the audacity to suggest that my horse’s biggest handicap is the one on his back AND to throw an empty bottle at his face!

^ That ^ Clinician ^

4. I am thankful that Rambo makes both horse and human outwear!  My horses are warm and dry and so am I, despite looking like the Michelin Man only much, much dirtier!

Um, Brrrrrrr?

5. I am thankful for Ariat Brossard Winter Tall Boots that are reasonably fashion forward (I definitely wore them to the National Horse Show Grand Prix last Saturday), warm, waterproof, durable, and (most importantly) ANTI-MICROBIAL.  One of my dearest Dressage instructors ever (who shall remain nameless but that rides a lovely black horse named Nickel) wore Mountain Horse winter boots many, many years ago and seriously, you could smell those things across the tri-county area!  God forbid you had to take a long winter car ride with the heat on and blowing into the foot area of the vehicle.  I think humans are supposed to have hairs in their nostrils but I’m pretty sure mine were singed away in those long, snowy miles!

6. I am thankful strong shin bones produced by years of concussive “bone density training” (running from charging horses in the field, jumping draft horses the land like a ton of bricks over even the smallest fences, and carrying standards heavy enough to bruise the shoulders of Atlas).  This has enabled me to go all MMA fighter on the feed bags whose contents have frozen into solid bricks of concrete and to eventually break them into pieces small enough to actually fit into feed scoops.

7. I am thankful full chaps this time of year.  I may look silly, people may point and laugh at shows, and they may ask me where my cowboy hat is but I am warm and dry so HAH!  Oh yeah, and they showcase the cute butt that all of those winter trot sets give you!

The glory of competing in full chaps in Aiken