1. Boot buying is serious business- Not all boots are created equal and some brands last more rides than others. Horse girls are VERY picky about what boots we wear wether it's color, brand, or style. I still catch myself checking to see if the heels are thick enough to hold a spur, and I haven't worn spurs in a good 4 years. I am extremely loyal to those boot brands that have treated me well and I don't tend to stray from tradition.
2. We are expert braiders- Tails and manes don't braid themselves so we got A LOT of practice. Plus it's like riding a bike: you never really forget how to do it. Banding manes for show prep falls into this category too.
3. Secretariat is one of your favorite movies- You were one of the few people in the movie theatre that knew how it was going to end, but that didn't stop it from being absolutely amazing. Your heart was bounding the whole lap of the Belmont, even though it was common knowledge to every horse person that he was a Triple Crown Winner. I mean they wouldn't make a movie about a horse that didn't quite win them all.
4. There was at least one horse in your senior pictures- I have a whole page in my senior album dedicated to pictures of my steed and me. They are also some of the best pictures from the photo session. Horses are just so darn photogenic that it's hard to pass up on a photo op with them.
5. When you put your hair up you have two options- Low bun or high bun. No in between. It had to fit with a hat/helmet so that's all you really could do. You also find yourself hoarding an insane amount of blinged out baseball/cadet hats since those were your go-tos on show/rodeo day.
6. There's at least one Breyer model horse hiding in the back of your closet- They were the prized Christmas/birthday gifts that we just can't seem to part with. I'm still convinced plastic Seabiscuit will be worth big bucks some day, even though it's highly unlikely.
7. All our jeans are longs or extra longs- My biggest pet peeve is having jeans that are too short to wear with boots. I don't think I own a pair of jeans amongst my dozens that have an inseam shorter than 34".
8. You correct anyone who calls a horse "pony" or vice versa- There's a big difference and you cringe every time you hear somebody call a 16 hand horse a pony. Just no, it's not.
9. Your riding hand is your dominant hand- Yes I write with my right hand, but basically everything else is done with my left hand since that was my riding hand. I also notice I always mount bikes and 4-wheelers on the left side like when I would mount a saddle.
10. You'll always have a soft spot for those hay burners- The day my grandpa died, my first break up, whenever my friends were mean, I always went for a ride. My geldings saw more secret tears than any human around me. When things get rough even now I'll still sneak off to the barn and just love on them. They may have thrown me off a couple times, but I could never stay mad at them. They were the first ones who showed my what a real loyal friend is supposed to be like and I'll never forget that.