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What Matters? Gratitude Matters.

Thank you. Two of the most powerful words in the world. Give Thanks. Two more words but more action oriented.

These are challenging times; maybe the most challenging of most of our lives. But we have so much to be grateful for.

We have this beautiful American Saddlebred breed. When God made a horse, he had the American Saddlebred in mind. Spirited; Beautiful; Intelligent; Inquisitive. What a gift to each of us. Give Thanks.

We have the people who take care of our horses and our horse activities. Trainers; farriers, grooms, veterinarians; haulers. We have to people who support us and support our activities. Announcers, secretaries, show boards, ringmasters, paddock masters, organists, and more. Give Thanks.

We have the people who are able to participate with our breed. The smile of a child learning to ride. The joy of a senior who can still ride. A competitive sport and a backyard trail ride. Teaching and learning. Horse and rider. All of the time. Give Thanks.

We have each other. We have a community. People far and wide who take care of each other. People who share a passion; share a laugh; share a cry. Give Thanks.

It’s challenging times, to be sure. And there are many ways to Give Thanks. Earlier this week, there were several communications that came out from the Joint Leadership Council (we can also Give Thanks for the great cooperation among our breeds and associations), showing us ways we could Give Thanks monetarily.

We heard about programs and ideas such as Tip Your Groom Tuesday, Buy a Round for Your Barn, Feed Your Favorite Lesson Horse in this release: JLC Works Together to Support Barns Through COVID-19

We learned about the Horsemen’s Relief Fund to help our trainers and instructors to make ends meet during this challenging times: JLC Presidents Partner for Horsemen’s Relief Fund

Soon, we will hear about other ways to support the people who support our industry as well.

However, these are not the only ways to Give Thanks. Many of our friends in this industry are home sequestered or are fairly alone in what were recently barns bustling with activity. You could make a call to Give Thanks; do a video call (I assume we’re all learning to use Facetime and Zoom); send a text or write a letter. They will be quite thankful to hear from you.

The other side of this thing is not that far away. We have to do what’s right and social distance. We will see each other soon. Give Thanks.

In the immortal words of the great American sage, Matthew McConaughey, “It is a scientific fact that gratitude reciprocates.”

What Matters. Gratitude Matters.