Life lessons meeting Big J

I was working for big J about 8 years ago. I was young, 18 I think. I did everything she ever asked of me. I bused 2 hours each way to get to work. On 3 diffrent tranist lines.  Then walked another 2 kms. Rain or shine, sleet and snow. Nothing stopped me from getting to the barn every day. I was like the mail man. I nursed a few hangovers on my bus rides. I got paid shit money. Barley enough to cover my bus fares some weeks. I turned more than one head after working in the barn all day when  I was riding the buses. If I was lucky big J would give me a ride closer into town. Sometimes cutting a half hour from my trip home. After long days I would sometimes fall asleep on the subway, waking up at the wrong end of the city, knowing I had started going the other way. None of that really mattered. I got to ride and I was away from the big city.

It all started with an ad in the paper. I wasn't really looking for a job. I was trying to get myself through highschool and survive in the big city. I lived with my mom and sister. We partyed... Alot. 

My friends were not really my friends. Sadly they were my younger sisters friends. But for some reason they accepted the older sister into their group. I was so socialy awkward and extreamly depressed. I had no friends of my own. I truly think they took pity on me. Either way over the years they became my friends too.

Anyway, my mom was getting tired of my behaviour. I couldn't keep my ass in school. I skipped to meet with "my friends."  She knew how unhappy I was. When I mentioned the ad from the paper she encouraged me to send a resume in and take the job. She knew where I was happy. Horse posters covered my walls along with my collection of tack and ribbions from horses I had groomed. So I bit the bullet so to speak. I called the number posted and got an interview after faxing my resume to big J. 3 days later I got on the bus and took the first of many long rides out to the barn. 

I walked the 2 kms to the middle of no where. Big Js "farm" ( I use this term loosely) was... Well sad really. I walked down the driveway to the barn. Big J had told me she had an office to the right as you walk in the main doors. As I was walking down the driveway I slowly took everything in. The farm was slightly neglected. Fence boards were broken and missing. Gates hung with binder twine. It was a bit of a shamble. I walked into the barn and let my eyes adjust to the light. The hallway was clean. From what I could see it looked ok.

 I turned to my right and found big Js office. I introudced myself and got down to the interview. Big J and I hit it off right away. She asked if I would start right away. Ummm I just traveled 2 hours to see a horse... YES I will sign me up!!!! So I grabbed a wheelbarrow and a fork and started to muck stalls. 40 stalls. Every single one with a horse in it. I was out of shape but loving every minuet of it. I got about half way down the barn and big J called me back. She had to leave and wanted to show me how to feed. We fed the horses and big J gave me a ride to the bus stop I had gotten off at. 


"9 am tommorrow? "She asked
"I will be there with bells on!"


  

Monster Man

This is Monster...

The love of my life....

The reason behind my name...

And my blog...

I LOVE HIM!!!!

My Monster!

Starting off...

Well I'm not sure where to start with this but I guess a quick intro is in order.

My plan for this blog to be a random mix of daily life and stories from
the past. I entend to keep everything true to life unless other wise stated. I will try to stay away from ranting as much as possiable but there is no promise there!

I also want to add a little about myself and my choice to start blogging. I'm a mid 20 year old girl, stuck in a confusing world of tall buildings and concrete. I yearn for green grass and open spaces. Horse out my bedroom window and grazing my front yard. I'm working a job I hate and love at the same time but wish I was doing something else. I love my main man (whom we shall call MilkShake or MS) but dream of life alone. I'm a bit of an oddball in many ways. I'm a Jack-of-all-trades. I am VERY independent but so very dependant. I live for horses and the freedom and structure they give me. I guess that's me in a nutshell.

My choice to start blogging was not an easy one. I don't like to draw attention to myself nor do I feel that I am much of a writer. But I have all these great stories in my head that I just need to get out. Really it's just one story, the story of my life (how cliche is that?). I need to get them out on "paper" to slow down the swirlling in my head. I need to explain my choices in life even if I'm the only one to ever read them.

Third times the charm...

Alright. So this is the third time I have tried to write and post my very first post. Maybe just maybe it will work!

So I want to do a quick intro into why I started my own blog after reading other peoples for years. But my iPhone does not think this is a good idea apparently. So I've decided that my intro post will be my second post. I hope!

This post I guess will have to be about why I chose the name for this blog. And my screen name.

So my screen name is Monsters Groom. Monster is one of the many horses I have groomed over the last 10 years. He is also one of the most recent. I LOVE Monster! I think he loves me back too. But in his own way. Monster is well a monster! He is the grumpiest, crankiest, bitchiest horse I have EVER come accross. Untill he is out of his stall. He turns from Jeckle into Hyde the moment his front feet leave his house. He is the sweetest, kindest, most caring horse I have ever met! I wouldn't say he is huggable but he is a care bear. At least to me. He is also the only horse I have ever had to groom standing on a rubbermaid stepstool. Monster is just shy of 18hh at 4 1/2 years old. I should also mention at this point that he is not a Shire nor a Clyde. Actual he has no draft blood at all. He is a reg. Selle Francais. To me he is perfect. He's the best horse in the crossties, he's so very easy to ride when you ask nicely and he has just the right amount of 'tude to fit with me. He is a ham for the camera. He loves his ladies! Just DON'T enter his stall. He will tell you off so fast! Teeth and legs a-flying! He is so big it's really hard for him to spook big. When I ride him I feel safe. I feel more comfortable on my Monster than the 15 hh Quarter horses I use to break and ride. He's so kind under saddle. I've even jumped him over baby jumps about 2'6. That's baby at my barn. Every chance I get I ride the Monster. I'm a fair weather rider these day. I would rather groom, bathe and set jumps for everyone else than ride. In the last 4-5 years I had ridden maybe 10 times. Untill I got on Monster. But that's another story.

Anyway back to the title of my blog. As it says this is my life, my love and all horses that have been along the journey. I kind of hope to tell at least one story about everyone and every horse that has made an impact on my life. I have pleanty of storys to tell and some pictures to post (once I get that figured out).


I hope you enjoy reading my blog and stories! I know I will enjoy writing them!

Untill tommorrow...