I can’t be the only one? Maybe I’m weird, but I think picking up horse poop everyday of my life is relaxing. How can that be? I’m literally shoveling up something else’s poop. Let me tell you why!
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It’s a good source of exercise.
I’m guesstimating, but a pile of horse manure weighs anywhere from 5-10 lbs depending on the size. I hate doing push-ups and arm weights, so I consider picking poop to be my only source of arm workouts.
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It’s monotonous.
Yup, monotonous can be a good thing. It’s mindless work. I often find myself day dreaming or just the opposite, contemplating something serious, both completely unrelated to the task at hand. It gives you time to think. 
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It’s routine.
Not everyone likes routine, but I can happily say I do. Every single day at 4:30 in the Fall and Winter or 6:30 in the Spring and Summer, I head out to feed everyone and pick the paddock. Every. Single. Day. (Unless of course we’re on vacation. Then someone else does it for us.) It’s a part of my daily routine. I look forward to it, whether or not I’ll admit it on the days when it starts pouring down rain right at feed time.
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It’s predictable.
In a world where not much is able to be controlled or is predictable, this is. I know that every day, there will be horse poop out there for me to clean up. It may sound stupid, but picking paddocks is a predictable constant in our lives.
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It’s time I get to spend with my horses.
I’ll be the first to tell you that I don’t ride my horses enough, but I hope I make up for the lack of riding through the time I spend with them. I’ll take my grooming box out in the paddock with me and pause my poop-picking for a few minutes to brush one of the horses. I talk and banter with them constantly. My neighbors probably think I’m nuts. I check them over for any scrapes or changes. I spend quality time with them every single day while I pick their paddock. It’s good for the soul.
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It’s me-time.
I don’t have children yet, but I still need me-time. Sometimes I take our four dogs out back with me so they can run and play while I pick the paddock. Other times, I turn on some music and add a soundtrack to my life while I pick. Again, my neighbors probably think I’m crazy, but I don’t care. It’s completely carefree me-time. I dance and sing, pick up horse poop and am in my own little, joyous world for 45 minutes. If the husband gets home from work early, he gets to enter into the world too.
It’s a daily chore that has so many benefits, mental and physical. Might as well have fun with it!
thehomesteadkings.com 
Sometimes I wish we could have started our homestead journey before having kids. Conversely I imagine it would be hard to keep routines in the first couple of months with a newborn. Pros and cons….
Yeah… I’m interested to see how it adapts when we have children.
Routine! If only I had the discipline. Monotony is a great incentive though; always something needing contemplation! Ha ha
Beautiful horses ♡
Thank you!
Very like how I feel about cleaning rabbit hutches. I wish I had room for horses. I had a couple when I was a teenager but rabbits have to suffice now. Some of them have ears as big as a horse…
haha that’s hysterical. I love bunnies. Husband says no for now. I had sweet dwarf rabbit when I was a child, so I think when our future kids are grown enough, they’ll have to have some. Wonderful pets for teaching responsibility and tenderness! Horses too!
Your stories are wonderful.
Thank you so much! I’ve been sitting here with a glass of wine writing and scheduling out more. It’s so nice to hear that my quirky stories are appreciated!
And you get fertiliser for free. 🙂
Absolutely! We have manure composting in the garden beds right now to get ready for spring planting. 🤗
Fantastic. My worm farms and pond water do the job but I only have a 200sqm property.
How wonderful!