Mary Coleman: Is it worth it?

As a high school student who bought her own horse and pays all her expenses, Mary Coleman gets this question A LOT–but her answer is always the same.

From Mary:

Is it worth it? That’s the question I get ALL the time and most of the time is just annoys me because the people who ask “is it worth it?” just don’t understand.

To me, its always been worth it. The early mornings getting up for school followed by the last nights of work. I never stop thinking about my horse, so usually I find myself passing time by day dreaming about our next ride.

There has been a rare occasion when I’m tired and moody and probably feeling just a tad bit burnt out that I wonder if my life wouldn’t so much easier without Missy in it. I could hang out with my friends on Friday nights and have the name brand clothing and maybe even a nice car. I could have a whole lot of “stuff” that I just can’t afford because there’s always that nice board payment waiting for me at the beginning of the month. It sounds kind of nice for about 2.5 milliseconds.

And then I remember the way her soft mane feels as I brush out the knots and how much I love the sound of her cute little whinny when she sees me walking towards her stall and how even on my worst days she has a way of making me believe that tomorrow might just be better. Missy and I have never had a two-way conversation. Mostly I talk, whether it be about a backstabbing friend or a relationship fallen by the wayside or a bad grade I got on a test, and she listens.

So when people ask me “is it worth it?,” I just stop, smile and politely reply “yes.” Knowing that they can’t possibly know what it is like to love a thousand pound animal, and somehow be loved back.

About the Author: Mary Coleman is a young equestrian with a passion for for dressage. Her partner in crime is a 9-year-old Paint mare named “Missy.” She writes her own blog about the triumphs and trials of being young, horse-crazy, and having to balance both high school and working to pay for her passion at www.simplyhorse-crazy.blogspot.com.