Let’s just take a minute and talk about your passion. The thing that’s your final thought at night, and what your mind first travels to when you wake the next morning.  What makes your feet hit the floor, ready to go, day in and day out?  What makes your heart race?  What makes you “tick”?


That.  That thing is your passion.  It’s not what makes you in your entirety, but it’s one of the largest parts of you, perhaps even, one might say, your purpose on this earth. For some it may be a job, a family, or it may simply be a project or hobby.  And for many, it’s not always just one single thing; but in the same way, several things that distract your mind in the idlest moments of your day.

 
For me, one of the things I’m most passionate about is my horses and the lifestyle they have provided me with.  The pedigrees, the sales, the shows and the ropings, or trotting out at sunrise on your favorite horse, every detail that goes into planning breedings for that “magic cross”, sale prep and show prep; the love, and the lessons learned along the way: those are so many of the things that have made me who I am, and why having horses in my life will be an ever-constant thing.
If you’ve ever wondered where you’re meant to be in this world, pay attention to what makes your heart race.  Once you find that thing, work hard at it, day in and day out.  For it’s not just the good times that contribute to your passion being such an influential part of your life; it’s the blood, sweat, and tears, the loss and the second place finishes.  It’s losing a battle one day and waking up the next morning ready to go to war again.  If there is something that you’re passionate about, fight for it, every day of your life.

 
For someone my age, many may think my priorities aren’t where they should be.  I specifically know people who feel as though I should be focused on things that the “normal” (almost) 30-year-old should be doing.  I’ve had people tell me that the significance of horses in my life is obsolete; that “it’s just a hobby”, that “the horses just aren’t THAT important”, or that “they can wait another day”.  For majority of the people I know, that’s probably true.  But I’m not in the majority…I’m me.  I’m the girl who grins from ear to ear when she sees her husband put the first few rides on a promising two-year-old, or who beams with pride when she sells a high selling horse at a sale, then hears the following week how well that new owners are getting along.  I’m the girl who will spend countless hours researching pedigrees and performance records, working to pair up a mare with a stallion that will not only work well with her, but also compliment her.  I still get as excited about going to horse functions as I did when I was a teenager; chasing the dream of my first circuit championship up and down the East Coast, as my parents drove countless hours with some of the best horses I have ever swung my leg over, all while I slept.

 
To a lot of people, I may be obnoxious or “obsessed” because I’d rather talk horses, riders, trainers, and who did well at the last big event, than I would about celebrities on TV, or the latest gossip.  I may be the girl who never truly feels like she fits in with another group of women, but that’s an easy concession, because I’m living my passion.

 
Whether you’re fortunate enough to chase the dreams of your life, to actually go where your heart and soul lead you; or have taken a break from that dream, but hope to arrive back there soon; don’t ever stop pushing toward that thing that makes your heart race, and don’t, for one second, set that passion on a shelf to collect dust forever.  Likewise, don’t let anyone tell you that your passion isn’t substantial or appropriate.  My idea of a fulfilled life may not be the same as everyone else’s, heck, I know it’s not; but it’s my life.  Some nights I fall asleep with the Quarter Horse News in my hands and wake up thinking about what horses need to be worked that day; and then in my sleep, well, I dream horses.