Pandemic Rewind

Some must have read this title and thought “Uh, NO! I don’t want to relive any of 2020, thank you very much!” 

But don’t worry! This will not be a bad trip down memory lane. A little harmless introspection, that’s all.

When the pandemic got “real,” pretty much all sports and extracurricular activities were shut down. I had to make some really difficult decisions as to the status of the barn, how to keep it safe, and how to continue lessons (or not). 

We first implemented strict procedures. Since we didn’t know how the virus spread, we limited the people at the barn, sanitized all the surfaces we could, social distanced at the barn and required masks. 

I stressed about keeping the barn open. I worried day and night about my decisions. Since we were outside, were we safe? How do I sanitize halters and lead ropes? Do I need to? Can I safely use Clorox on leather? Are the horses in danger of contracting the virus? If I close the barn, will it be detrimental to the students’ mental health? How do I keep my parents (who live with me) safe if I am bringing high numbers of people onto our farm? All of these questions and more ran through my head on a loop. 

Meanwhile, my amazing neighbor made adorable horse masks for anyone at the barn who didn’t have one. My parents thankfully agreed to stay inside and stay home. All of the clients responded to my barrage of emails with positivity and understanding. Kids kept their masks on at the barn without a fuss and washed their hands.

As the weeks went on and more and more of “normal” life changed, the thought stayed in my head that the kids at the barn really, really needed to ride. They needed the routine, the calmness the barn brought to their lives, the sense of belonging and not banning. The horses brought distraction, a place to escape the chaos of the virus and think of nothing but them and their horse. These kids craved peace, and I (or, rather, the barn and horses) could give it to them. How could I deny them that?

Sure, we had to move the schedule around a lot and that was a headache. Instructors got sick and couldn’t teach because of the “what if?”. All of us had to make sacrifices since we could only hold one lesson at a time. It was incredibly stressful. But now that we have the benefit of hindsight, I am so, so grateful that I made the decisions I did. There was no spread from the barn. I KNOW it was a huge benefit to all of the kids’ (and instructors!) mental health to keep that small part of life the same. 

I’m unspeakably sorry for those who were badly affected by the pandemic. No one escaped negative consequences. I hope this post doesn’t come off as anything but a note of gratitude that horses could offer some healing to some of us. As we return to some old practices, may we keep a new practice of staying grateful for these animals in our lives and mindful of what a privilege they really are.