The Idea of Order: If Neuroticism Were a Sport…

It would be dressage, naturally.
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So, confession time. I *may* be ever so slightly neurotic (I hear you — “NO!? You don’t say?”). 😂🤔

But only about incredibly obscure, useless things – like are all my comic pens laying in the appropriate color order or did I eat breakfast oatmeal with the correct spoon and bowl — nothing helpful that would cause me to have an impeccably clean house or fastidiously stay on top of things. 🤭

I suspect this aspect of my personality may in part explain my being a dressage rider. While I am not stylish enough to be triggered by marginally disparate color combos, I certainly know a few who are. 😂

*Note: The boots are, in fact, NOT Olympic Blue.
**Second Note: As someone with diagnosed anxiety disorders, my original use of OCD in this comic was a way to laugh at myself — which seems like a vitally important skill, particularly if you are me 🤔😅. That being said, as mental health awareness is hugely important and my goal with my comic is to bring humor not trigger people (I do enough of that in person with my sunny personality 😳😂), I swapped OCD for a more applicable term. ❤️

Morgane Schmidt is, among many things, an equestrian who still hasn’t quite decided what she wants to be when she grows up. Author of Life with Horses Is Never Orderly, she knows all about the madness that comes with the equine territory, having owned and competed horses in eventing and dressage for years. A lifelong fan of the classic equestrian cartoons penned by internationally renowned artist Norman Thelwell, she began her own comic series in 2011, sharing deftly funny reflections on life with horses on Horse Nation as well as her personal website. A native Floridian, she spent a decade in Reno, NV, where she was able to confirm her suspicion that snow is utterly worthless (she has since regained her sense and moved back to the Florida swamp). Though she has run the gamut of equestrian disciplines, her favorite is dressage. She has completed her USDF bronze and silver medals and is currently working on her gold. Generally speaking, her life is largely ruled by Woody, a 14.2 hand beastly quarter horse, Willie, a now beastly 11-year-old Dutch gelding, and Milona DG, a 5 year old KWPN chestnut mare (you can make your own inferences there…). Visit her website at www.theideaoforder.com.