Since She Rides Horses
Good new travels far and wide. All the way from Texas, my wife's Uncle Doug heard that his niece found a new hobby down here in Panama and he sent the following email to Belinda late yesterday: "Since the addition of horses in your life, I thought the attached song by Barefoot Man (Cayman Islands) might appeal to Scott!!"
The lyrics of the song are eerily reflective of reality:
Since she rides horses I don't see her no more
She only comes home to clean her boots and saddle then she walks out the door
Oh I miss her more than ever before
Since she rides horses I don't see her no more
We all need a hobby we all need our space
But I'm started to think that four legged stallion has taken my place
Got a fridge full of carrots, can't find a cold beer
And she is burning up my credit card on on her riding gear
Since she rides horses I don't see her no more
She only comes home to clean her boots and saddle then she walks out the door
Oh I miss her more than ever before
Since she rides horses I don't see her no more
Now I know it is not just ME! REALLY>>>How accurate can a song get?!!! Wow! I have really missed my girl this past year and the nice people at the horse store know me by name....."Señor Belinda". The horse store in Panama City is call El Corcel, but I affectionately call it the FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR STORE. I naively thought the most expensive part of buying a horse was actually buying the horse, ha ha ha....as it turns out that the horse purchase is just a bar tab compared to all of the horse related stuff that must be purchased to have a happy, healthy horse....
For many years I have seen Panamanian horses living outside frequently grazing by the roadside, but these are apparently not happy horses. They look happy, but they can't be, because they don't get their special 500 dollar store vitamins and don't have a roof over their head....you know, a horse house. I have learned that the horse house is called a stable. And, think about it....could a horse be really content and fulfilled without 40 or a 100 acres on which to run, play and fertilize? I think not.
The property we found is way, way out in the country. Perfect for livestock, but no so much for people, lacking a few simple things like electricity, water, garbage collection and pizza delivery....which may explain why there are no people living out here. Anyway, we had enough money saved up after the move to the country for a swimming pool (it is hot down here) or horse stables. A swimming pool would have made the heat more tolerable since we have no air conditioning. AC requires grid electricity. We break ground on the horse stables next week.
We are looking forward to getting the horse stables built so Tornado and Apache can check out of their current accommodations. The two boys currently reside about 45 minutes from here at the Grand Hyatt of Horse Stables in Boquete....it is actually a country club for horses. They have tennis courts and a swimming pool in addition to their private pedicure guy who trims their hooves. No kidding. Anyway, the monthly stable fees and related expenses are about equal to what we paid for each horse. It would be like buying a new car for $25,000 that cost $300,000 a year and year to fuel and maintain. What was I thinking? The only thing that costs more than the stable fees is the diesel fuel and tire rubber that is burned going back and forth to the Boquete Country Club where her two baby boys live in their private Equestrian suites.
So, I'm looking forward to getting the stables built and we can move the horses onto this property and put them in our private stables. This is going to save us about $600 per month and if I live to be 168 years old we will get all of our money back by amortizing the land and the construction cost of the stables, which will have hot and cold running water, solar electricity, fridge (for horse treats) TV, an apartment so Belinda can sleep with her horses when they are not feeling well. Some of you, by now, think I'm kidding and not just embelishing. Not so....
Did I mention that our horses cannot eat just plain Panamanian pasture grass that grows naturally? Our horses get imported Peruvian Alfalfa, which is why Tornado and Apache (we are fairly sure) are so much smarter than all other horses. It's the diet, plus the excellent training they get from Belinda, who is a great teacher in her own right, but just to be sure our horses get the best possible advantage, she has hired a renowned horse trainer....I think the trainer was in the Olympics or something like that. Don't even ask me what this is costing....I'm not going to ask. The trainer really seems to know her stuff and we are lucky to have access to her expertise at any price. She told us that owning a horse in Panama is MUCH less expensive than in the U.S. I can not imagine! Guess we will stay in Panama.
Since She Rides Horses! It is my new theme song! But, horses make my Belinda happy and I wouldn't have it any other way!....even if I have to dig my own pool.
