Requiem for a Hat

 Today I had to finally throw out my favourite hat. 

Back in 2004 the "World Famous Lippizaner Stallions" in Halifax. This is not the Spanish Riding School in Vienna but was a show based out of North America. A friend and I took our daughters and mothers to the show. I remember being impressed with how beautiful the horses were, even when things were not correct. But most of the people in the audience didn't know that and oohed and aaahed even when it was wrong. I probably began to fall in love with the baroque horses at this show. Either way, as a souvenir I bought a hat. 

This hat became my 'horse' hat. I wore it to the barns that I boarded at, clinics and horse shows. 

Carmen's and I first horse show

When we moved to our farm I probably wore it every day to do chores. 

It kept the sun and rain off. 

It became molded to my head and became one  the most comfortable thing I owned. 

hanging in the field with Irish and Steele

'hey where are you going? Come back here!'

at another show with Ms Carmen

our first obstacle clinic

I  had it when I brought Irish home and when I bought Steele.  I also wore it when I said goodbye to both of those beautiful souls. 

sitting with the horses after saying goodbye to Irish

I wore it when Quaid came home to join the family. 

sniffing my hat on his first night home

selfie with the new guy

When people began to tease me about this worn out hat I would leap to its defence. 'it still has tons of wear. And it's so comfortable. "

I sometimes called it my lucky hat. Not that I believed it but it helped others to understand. The truth was it just was part of who I was as a horsewoman. It just felt right to put it on. 

The hat lasted 19 years. Which is amazing when you think about it. But now it's time to let it go. 

And as silly as it sounds, I will miss it.