Hey so sorry it's been so long. I waited for a while to post because I didn't want to put anything too bitter out on the internet about Epic. I was really really disappointed when they decided not to hire me. I had been applying since October and over the months my hopes had gotten really high. No one I'd talked to had gotten to the final interviewing phase without actually getting the job, and I was on campus for almost an entire day during which I got to imagine what it would be like to work there, so by the end of all that I was sort of banking on getting that job. It sounded like fun and everyone I met was great and I liked the idea of it a lot. But, when I'm completely honest with myself, the main reason I wanted that job was because it sounded so very very nice to not have to worry about money for a little while. It would have just completely taken that set of anxiety off my plate, would have let me pay my loans, my rent, and still save, start a 401(k) and not spend ridiculously lavishly or anything but just not have to check my bank account before I went out to dinner, you know? It would have been nice to be that comfortable. And it's not that the job didn't sound fun and interesting, it really did, but the money was the big thing. I probably could have saved up and taken vacation time to go see my brother, which I really really wanted to do and am scared that I won't be able to now.
But, alas, I did not get the job. I was sad and bitter and I ate a pint of icecream. The worst part really was that a couple days later I put up my resume on Monster and almost immediately I got an email from Epic telling me I was a good candidate and should apply. Really?! You can't take two seconds to check whether or not you rejected someone within the past week before you send out that kind of email? But anyway, even though I am still not financially set, I am glad I didn't get that job now because it led to something so much better!
I had applied to a job with a nearby polo club to exercise their horses and had never heard back, so I called the woman a few hours after I heard back from Epic. She hadn't gotten my email, or at least couldn't find it, but was impressed by my resume (14 years of riding horses) and invited me out to her stable to try out. She was even more impressed with how I handled Remy, one of her biggest horses, and invited me back for a second try out with the other top three. She and her trainer watched us ride and they were both very nice and seemed impressed. I left feeling fairly confident but then didn't hear from them for a few days. Finally I called to check and she said she would make a decision by the next day. I was a bundle of nerves for the next day and a half until she called and said I'd got the job!
I started on Saturday and have been at the stable for at least three hours every day except Tuesday. Most of her horses are Thoroughbreds, which I haven't had too much experience with but are mostly very well behaved. There are a couple who got aggressive in the stall and still kind of freak me out, but for the most part they are a great bunch of horses. The one thing I'll say about Thoroughbreds is that their canters are different. I don't know exactly how, they're just a little hard to get the hang of compared to Morgans. It's weird. By now my muscles are mostly used to riding so often, but the first few days I was ridiculously sore. Luckily, I have a very large bathtub and I bought a box of Epsom salts.
Besides the comfort level around some of the horses (which I'm sure will get better the more I work with them), my only problem with this job is that it makes me miss my horse. Lark is so special and he's getting older and he's far away. It's been a long time since I've ridden him regularly and although he seems very glad to no longer be a show horse I still feel bad. I mean, he's got a good life. He's at a stable where they take good care of him, he's got a herd, he's got food and water, he's got a pasture, Mom goes out to see him, but I just feel bad. I miss him. If I knew I were staying in Madison for at least a couple of years I would move him out here but I just don't know what I'm doing and that is really unfair to him. I feel a little bit like I'm letting him down having fun with so many new horses when he is back in Minnesota. I know that is stupid, but it's true.
On the other hand, I'm really enjoying this job. So far I think my favorites are Aria, Breez, and Raz. They are extremely responsive and Raz is just so ready to go. It's a lot of fun. In addition to the nine polo horses, the stable owner has two fairly new additions: young paints rescued from a nearby farm where the owner was starving and neglecting them. They're very young and very cute. One of them (Tux) is a bit wild but other than that is very well-adjusted. The other (Picasso) is extremely timid. When they first got him he wouldn't let people get near him. He's improved a lot but is still very afraid of people and noises and, well, really everything. He's been lame for the past week but absolutely flipped out when we tried to soak his hoof to help it. I've been tasked with the job of socializing him, which I am just so so happy about! He really is a sweetheart, and he seemed to take to me pretty quickly. I spent a while in his stall today just hanging out and talking to him and getting him used to petting and brushing. By the end of a half hour he even let me put liniment on his bad foot. I'm going to spend time with him every day and slowly get him used to people and movement and all sorts of things. I think he could make a really good western horse eventually. I'm really excited about this project.
I still need to find a second job, but I'm working on it and as of right now I'm just happy to have a fairly well-paying job that I love. It's funny, I've spent so many years paying large amounts of money to ride horses, I never really thought I'd be paid to do it. I'm still worried about the future and many many things but when I stop to think about it, I'm happy. Right now, when I'm not visiting the boy (that is also going quite well, by the way, and we have now been together for over a year! So happy!) my days mostly consist of riding, laying around, and dancing. I know this can't go on forever, but really, life is pretty damn sweet and I intend to enjoy it.
