H&W Stables, LLC was born today!

Okay, I guess I can tell you why I have been running around for the past two weeks like a chicken with my head cut off. The alarm went off at 6:00am today but I kicked Michelle out of bed and I continued to sleep. That extra 20 minutes really didn’t quench the sleeping desire but I pulled myself out of the bed and got ready for the day. By 7:00am Brianna and I were out at the barn feeding and cleaning stalls. Once we were through there Brianna escaped and went over to her Mimi’s house to play with her cousins while I cleaned out a freezer that no longer worked to be used for horse feed. Michelle had avoided this pleasant task because she was in Bartow attending to her civic duty. The freezer got scrubbed and began baking in the early afternoon sun so I decided that I needed some lunch. I moseyed down to Jack’s Diner for an awesome slaw burger. Man those things are good. I got home and was anticipating some down time before the big finale but just as I eased into the couch my phone rang. Ggma needed some help at her house so I changed clothes, I was filthy but I needed to freshen up so I could get filthy at her house, I know great logic but just roll with it, and went over to her house. I scrubbed the pool deck, cleaned some chairs, swept the carport and in less than an hour was back at the house. Now I got my sit down time and enjoyed all 45 minutes of it. I needed to change clothes again but this time I needed to look somewhat presentable. At 4:30 I was dressed in a nice polo, jeans, and my boots and sitting at a closing table. That will make sense in just a moment. You see, as soon as the closing was over I had to head out to the barn to feed and move the horses for the night. The closing was for the barn and stables that I was now a partner in. H&W Stables, LLC began operation at 5:00pm this afternoon. For two weeks I have been meeting with the former owner going over all his operation tactics, meeting the current boarders, and just learning the ropes. The stable has 17 stalls and sits on over 8 acres of property. There is a full riding arena, 2 pastures, and an obstacle course. Each stall has automatic water for the horses and they get fed twice daily. This new business could not have been possible without the efforts of all involved and the former owner. He has been so kind to work with me on the general maintenance side of things. I have a lot to learn, hence the early mornings and late nights but I am truly excited to have such a wonderful facility to grow from. H&W Stables will also be the place where Brianna can hone her skills when she is not at Ms. Kathy’s. It is three minutes from the house and will give us a great opportunity to give Brianna all the riding time her little heart will desire. She also has her chores on property that she is responsible for. By the way, scooping horse poop is one of my daily chores and it really isn’t all that bad. Today was a big day and could possibly be one of those life changing moments in a person’s existence. I guess time will tell. It’s funny because as much fun as we all want to have out at the barn none of those involved can forget that we are running a business and we are responsible to our customers, even when they are our friends. The drive to succeed at this business will not diminish my desire to be the best coach I can be at FSC. The only difference will be that my free time will not be on a couch watching television but with boots on working on my stables. Come check us out and giggle all you want, I’m used to it and the rest of the people involved already know we are crazy. I knew I was going to have a wild summer I hadn’t planned for two weeks to completely change my way of life.