I miss my horses! Yeah, it's only been one day since I was out at the barn, but now that I'm accustomed to going out there nearly every day I feel like I'm slacking when I do take a day off.

Also, going to the barn is easy exercise. Going off-topic for a bit, I've been on a diet/exercise routine for about 3 months. Ok, so I've been on a semi-diet for 3 months, a serious diet since April 5 and have been trying to exercise for about a month.

The barn is like a giant, dusty, poopy gym, but it's way more expensive. However, unlike a gym there are repercussions for not doing what you went there to do. If you don't work out at a gym, you just look like a tool...if you don't do your barn chores when you're at the barn, ponies literally go hungry. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't want that on my conscious.

Another great thing about the barn is how it doesn't really feel like you're exercising. Riding my mare doesn't seem like work, it's fun! Grooming two horses for 15-30 minutes? That's not exercise, that's preventative maintenance. Lunging or round-penning? Isn't that more like exercise for the horses? Packing supplements, hefting bags of feed, hauling shavings, shoveling poop? Well, it all has to be done, right? Actually, all those things are amazing workouts!

I was thinking about it the other day and I pack supplements and feed for both horses every Tuesday. Just looking at what I pack for the mare, each scoop of feed that goes in her bag weighs between 1 and 3 lbs. Let's just say 2 lbs each. She gets 5 scoops in each bag, 7 bags a week. That's 35 reps, dude! And that's just for one horse. I know lifting 2 pounds isn't mind blowing or anything, but compared to doing say...NOTHING? Yeah, it helps.

It's the little things, you know? I actively exercise 3-4 days a week outside of going to the barn, but on days where I do go and I work hard, I feel like it counts as a workout. That way I can act all sanctimonious and be all "Yeah, I work out." :smug: