Door is Always Open

I thought this a really good post and rather fitting:

http://fuglyblog.com/2012/04/04/guest-post-balancing-real-life-with-horse-life/

I too work 8 1/2-9 hour days and work an hour away from the Sanctuary. Mike helps where he can but isn't involved and tends to focus more on the mechanical issues that seem to appear all the time. When you board, it's easy to point out the little issues or things that are broken, but when you are the owner, it takes more time (and money). I am the sole caretaker of the 17 horses and am also the sole money provider for those horses. To make ends meet and make sure those horses have a permanent home until their last breath, I work. I made a promise to each horse that entered the Sanctuary that they were home. It's a promise that can't break.

I rely heavily on family but they too need help and support as we tackle some family matters. I've also been sick for the past few months. Nothing to worry about but also nothing I've wanted to discuss (I'd prefer to keep this blog about the horses and not my personal life although I know it doesn't always happen). With the added family matters and my health, we've all discussed that the Sanctuary will not fill the gaps when one of the horses passes away. We don't dump our horses when the going gets tough. We also don't have any horses that people would be interested in. They all have "issues" (don't we all). So it would be almost impossible to find a good, permanent home for the horses. I'll not break my promise to them either. I'll struggle and muddle through what needs to be done.

I won't sugarcoat the facts and I won't skirt any issues. I want to put everything out there in black and white from my perspective (even if it's not right). I want to include you in all my worries and fears so that you know where I'm coming from when I fly off the handle (you know it'll happen). I want to include you in all the boring things we do here so that everyone can be included in our big, extended family. As the blogpost said, it's my way of including you in my horse life. The door is always open. If you want to visit and meet the horses, the door is always open. And I promise I won't put you to work unless you want to.