21Jun 2015 by myexracer

Barn Rats

Barn tales, Rant
[caption id="attachment_1778" align="alignleft" width="204"] Future Barn Rat[/caption] I was recently criticized for using the term "Barn Rat" I called myself (and others) barn rats in a blog post about about the woman who taught me to ride. I didn't come from money, in fact I grew up rather poor. I got a job when it wasn't even legal for me to work in order to buy a horse of my own. The barn rat route was what was available to me to learn everything I could about horses and maybe earn more ride time. I was kinda stumped at why offense would have been taken at the term barn rat and let me tell you LOTS of offense was taken. In an effort to educate those who might be clutching…
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23May 2014 by myexracer

Smart Pak sold

Rant
[caption id="attachment_1306" align="alignleft" width="300"] Advertising and Marketing?[/caption] I'm not sure how i feel about this one. When the email showed up in my inbox I was kind of at a loss. I love Smart Pak and i've been vocal about that. I don't want them to change. That doesn't mean i don't want them to grow but i really don't want them to change. They are a very customer service oriented business, their customer service in the horse world is head and shoulders above most if not all. Their products are solid and i am a fan. I also enjoyed the fact that they were a small company, if you can call 350 employees small. I felt like they were all invested in their customers. With this acquisition by Henry…
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16Apr 2014 by myexracer

Barn cats

Barn tales, Rant
[caption id="attachment_1193" align="alignleft" width="300"] Flossie- The best kinda barn cat![/caption] Who would have thought that barn cats could be a contentious issue. They are. I've been in a lot of barns and barn cats are necessary. They help to keep your barn pest free. Barns have rats, mice, snakes, birds. Barn cats help to reduce that. Barn cats are truly working animals. They have jobs, important jobs. In exchange for their work you provide them with proper medical care, a place to live and an occasional scratch. In the winter months you give them some supplemental food and maybe a heated water bowl depending on your climate. Barn cats shouldn't be completely feral as you should be able to pick them up or at least get them in a carrier…
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11Apr 2014 by myexracer

Facebook fail

Rant
[caption id="attachment_1167" align="alignleft" width="300"] So purty![/caption] As I've mentioned before I am addicted to buying and selling stuff on Facebook, specifically the ETT group. It's a sickness I know but I can't seem to refuse a really good deal. The other day an item on my dream list came up at a great deal and in my size. Herm Springer stirrups! I got to the ad early enough and since it was a "make me an offer" style ad I offered 5 bucks higher then the highest offer and since the seller was local-ish I offered to pick them up so no shipping hassles. I was in like Flynn. I went back and forth with the seller, on day time and location to pick up the stirrups. Everything was worked…
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18Jan 2014 by myexracer

Heartbreak in the making

Rant
Losing something you love is painful, it can rip your heat out of your chest. I do not wish that kind of pain on anyone. Owning animals brings that pain because we out live them. Animals are heartbreaks in the making. They will break your heart. Thats why I do the best I can for them, I am their caretaker. My dogs, my horses, its my responsibility to care for them. When my almost 10 year old greyhound mix cam down with two torn ACL's I borrowed money to get him to a specialist and if the non surgical option didn't work, i was prepared to sell my car to pay for the 16-18K worth of surgery for him. I was lucky i didnt have to sell my car and…
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12Dec 2013 by myexracer

Horse blogs, ugh.

Rant
[caption id="attachment_540" align="alignleft" width="300"] Blah blah blah[/caption] Horse blogs are just as clicky as horse people. Certain blogs come into some kind of fashion I suppose, though I can never really figure out why some are popular and other better blogs are not. I read and enjoy a few, I stopped reading and do not enjoy many more. Most are horribly designed, I'm an ex art director and I think making your blog look good is an important element. Us design-ie people are funny like that. Many horse bloggers it seems use good old blogspot, which has a really terrible interface, is owned by Goggle (eww) and looks clunky and cumbersome. Compared of course to the more streamlined and better interfaced wordpress. Wordpress has the huge advantage of 3rd party…
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