In Our Children's Eyes

Have you ever wondered what affect the passion for our "hobbies" has on our kids? The following is a paper my daughter wrote when she was seventeen.  (I typed it word for word and if she messed up be kind.  She was just a youngster). She did embellish the facts just a little, but what the heck - it was all in fun.  We haven't had any foals born on our farm for about five years for various reasons but we did breed one of our mares this spring and are expecting a mid-May baby next year. I have missed it tremendously and look forward to watching and waiting. Hopefully you all will check back periodically and share this exciting time with me. Continue reading to see just how deep my passion is rooted at least from my daughter's eyes. Enjoy!



My parents, like most people, have hobbies they like to do in their spare time. One of their many hobbies (and probably the most obvious) is racing and breeding Thoroughbred horses. Horses have always been my mother's passion. This has been her dream since she was in grade school. She works double-time to maintain the horse farm she has established with my step-dad over the past 10 years. I just wonder if her life gets turned updside-down as much as mine does because of her love for the animals.


A recent example of this crazy cause an effect situation would be the impact the next three months are going to have on my life alone. We have three brood mares which are pregnant, each due to give birth about a month apart. Starting in April, my mother will be sleeping on the couch in our living room to be prepared when the babies come. We have a TV set up next to the couch, and the TV is connected to a video camera which is hooked up in the barn. This elaborate electrical set-up took a lot of time and effort to construct, not to mention the high electric bill we are going to have.


I will trip over these wires and cables approximately 58 times before all of the three foals are born, and I may possibly suffer from minor injuries such as a bruised knee or stubbed toe. The last time one of our mares was pregnant, I accidentlly ripped some of the cable out of the back of the TV. Woops!

Another effect of having three pregnant mares is that I will be woken up in the middle of the night many times during those weeks with cries of, "Hurry, John (my dad)!!! She's in labor! I think this is really it this time!" when these prove to be merely false alarms. I'm a very light sleeper, and if I get woken up in this manner, I get cranky. It's not a pleasant experience, for myself or those who have to deal with me during these times.

My social life as I know it will cease to exist until the foals are all born. I'm famous for my late night phone calls, but with Mom right on the other side of the wall, those calls will have to be suspended for a while. This also means no late night chatting, web surfing, midnight snacks, or loud music. I wonder if this is what prison is like?

If I am late for curfew, I can't just sneak in the front door -- the couch is off to the right of the door. I'm rarely more than ten or fifteen minutes late, but when I am, I can normally manage to sneak in quietly without being noticed. Now that won't be possible. I guess there's always the window, though.

Another effect of having three pregnant mares is that my mom will be using my bathroom since it is closer to her "bed" in the living room. During this time, my supply of toilet paper will mysteriously greatly diminish. This also means I will get hounded on that it is not clean enough, I forgot to put a fresh towel out, or the trash can needs emptied. When I am faced with comments like these, I have to wonder why this etiquette does not apply to her own bathroom?

If you have ever witnessed a birth of any kind, you know it is a messy ordeal. Horses are no exception. For the last foal that was delivered, about eight towels were used and two or three blankets. Multiply that by the three babies we will have this year---that's 24 towels at least! Wouldn't it be cheaper to use paper towels? I just hope I'm not expected to participate in the "clean Up" when the time comes. Yuck!

As anyone can see, three pregnant mares equals a lot of time, stress, and disrutpions in normal life. However, I'd have to say the stubbed toes, ruined towels, high electric bills, sneaking in the window, hours of lost sleep, and absence of a social life are all worth it when summer comes and I get to watch the foals play in the fields. I may not share my mother's passion for horses, but I do appreciate the innocence and sweetness of youth---even if it is a pain in my butt for three months.