Complexicate

Welcome to a new year and to a new word - complexicate!

I like getting older. Why? Because the layers of confusion people add to life become more clear and are now easier to peel off. Yes I know. This is a sure sign that I am becoming a grumpy old man. Guilty as charged. But do you blame me?

Every year more layers of rules are added to our lives that it’s no wonder older people are left out of these life changes. Fashion, food, finance and friends all seem more complicated to understand than it was when we were “kids.” But if you are less than 30 years old, PLEASE KEEP READING!

Complexicate - to complicate something (life, relationships, horses, etc) that is normally simple in order to make the person more important than he or she really is.

There is another word for this but this is a family friendly blog.  That word is related to what you clean from your stalls every day.

Why Complexicate?

The reason we complexicate the care of horses can be justified by the human need to feel we are more important than the other person. Couple this with the simple fact that caring for horses is a dying art with few credible mentors available to pass on good knowledge. Layer on top of all this are hundreds of businesses with the agenda of competing for your money in the care of horses and this formula becomes a disaster that only us “old folks” can see.

I started with horses professionally in 1973.  That's how many years?

2018 minus 1973…. 8 minus 3 is 5….. 11 minus 7 is 4…. 19 minus 19 is zero. Ah yes! Done without a calculator!

45 years!  Back when floating was done by hand by people who were not veterinarians. Back when people fed grass and hay and if needed, oats with a little corn. Back when farriers and vets were mentored and apprenticed and the hooves and horses were..., well you get the idea.

I still am shocked when a young girl in a barn says to another, “I really like the new way Dr Tucker floats teeth.”

WHAT!?!

My 2018 Goal

So this year I am committing to peeling away the layers of complexity that cover the way horses are cared for.  Maybe another word is needed - decomplexicate (spell check doesn’t like that one). How about you subscribe to this blog through an RSS feed or pass these along to at least one friend every time you get it. Let’s build a network of horse owners and care givers interested in mucking out the horse world of disinformation and yes, complexication.

Thanks in advance for becoming The Horse’s Advocate™

Doc T in front of The Alamo in Texas (2017 AAEP meeting)