EN Today: Tips for eventers living in itty-bitty apartments in the city

Yvette Seger is back with another round of suggestions aimed at helping horsefolk successfully disguise themselves as normal people.

From Yvette:

Tips for Eventers Living in Itty-Bitty Apartments in the City:  The Back to Work Edition

Happy New Year, Eventing Nation!  I hope that none of you had to resort to a diet of saltine cracker mashes to recover from wild New Year’s Eve antics, but if you did…SEND VIDEO!!!  Just kidding.  Sort of.  (Pictures would be fine, too).

Anyway, I spent my last day of freedom bonding with my furry birthday boys, reacquainting myself with the business side of my closet, and trying to remember what it is that I do when I’m not running an Equine Patisserie out of my itty-bitty apartment.  While it will be “back to business,” I find that the first day back after the lengthy holiday break is a little different that coming back from your average old vacation, mainly because a) nearly everyone  (except the “new guy” who hasn’t been there long enough to accrue any leave) has been gone for the same amount of time, so we’re equally out of practice, and b) it’s a new year, and everyone’s trying to turn over a new attitudinal leaf.  While these two factors may seem individually innocuous, combined, they lead to an increased risk of…

Awkward office chit-chat.

See, I think my coworkers are awesome.  They are super-smart, laugh at my jokes, and hey, we make clients happy.  But as one of the few singletons in the company and my distinct lack of human children, I’m treading on thin ice.  I mean, I can’t even talk about my equine holiday gift haul without sounding like I freelance in an S&M dungeon after hours (seriously…I challenge YOU to start talking about your new chaps, whip, spurs, and stud kit at lunch, and you’ll understand).  Therefore I try to stick to neutral topics – random tales from my trip home to Ohio (this year’s tacky excursion was to the house from “A Christmas Story”, where I resisted the urge to purchase a pink bunny suit for future EN videos) and awesome post-Christmas sale deals on office apparel – rather than what I actually did (you know, make a video about baking birthday cakes and cookies for horses, watch a lot of cheesy reality TV, and spend hours upon hours upon hours freezing in the barn doting on my horses).  In return, I hear a lot of stories about kids…actual genetic progeny, nieces, nephews, cousins, siblings, etc.  Which is cool, because as an oversized child myself, I think kids rock.  In fact, I spend a lot of my free time hanging with some of the coolest kids in the country through my involvement with the U.S. Pony Clubs.  One piece of advice, though…

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Tip for Eventers Living in Itty-Bitty Apartments in the City #22:

As much as it may seem like your horse is a legit dependent – especially considering all the time and money you invest in their housing, clothing, food, and education – when talking to non-horse people, it is CRITICAL that you remember that they are not actual children.  It is also a waste of time to try and convince the IRS of your horse’s “dependent” status or apply for financial aid to pay for your horse’s “tuition” (trainer fees).