I think we all do this… maybe not.  Maybe just I do this…

But you know when you meet another horse person and you ask that person, “What kind of horses do you have?”… and you wait for the response to form an idea about the person in front of you?…

This happened to me, in reverse, this weekend.

I was working at the winery – and ladies who were dressed in total 3-Day Eventing garb came in to buy a few bottles for their show stay at the Olympic venue down the street.

I said eagerly, “Oh, I have horses, too!”  One of the ladies pretty much ignored me but the other one asked me, “What kind?”

When I told them, I could see the wheels turning and the opinions being formed.

And I had to laugh to myself.

I do the exact same thing, I thought.  In fact, I was doing it back to them when I realized that they were judges at the show.

I find this so interesting.

The fact is, one of my best friends in Grass Valley, has mules only.  Another, only gaited.  My horsey friends here, only have quarter horses – ONLY.

Yet, after knowing these ladies, my friends, I never think about the type of horses they own – fitting who they are as people.

Except, maybe stereotyping is true in many cases, or else there would never be a word “stereotyping”.   But then, where do I fall?  I have all kinds of horses… Maybe my stereotype is that I only trailride now.  ??

Or maybe the type of horse you own is tied to your first introduction to horses – and that remains your ‘type’.

Dunno.

But all three of us ladies did the judgey thing to each other on this day at at my work.

And I’m thinking I’m not going to assume anymore.  Sure, I may not be going riding with an endurance rider …  but that doesn’t mean the hearts of most ethical horse people aren’t very similar to mine.

I’ll let the horses judge whether we are good people or not.  They always know.