Three hundred sixty-five days. They stretch out before us not unlike the snow many of us woke up to on Christmas on this side of the country–clean, undisturbed, quiet, and full of fun possibilities. (You just want to go careening through it, celebrating its trademark “squeak,” right? Or turn the horses out and watch them play.)

Then suddenly it’s December 30 and you’re wondering where the last aaep-20063.5 increments of 24 hours went. When somebody says something about the fall, you actually have a fractured moment of thought where you wonder if fall even happened, or if it’s still ahead. I actually had to stop myself earlier this week and think about it. “Fall? Oh yeah, fall.” When I’m thinking ahead to spring and summer of 2011, I tend to forget where I am on the calendar at times.

Yes, that was 2010 for me. A year full of big changes, big blessings, and colossal learning experiences. A whole lot of big. (I think World Equestrian Games fits into that category, too, don’t you think?).

I’ll pause to reflect: I learned a phenomenal amount this year, more than I could have even imagined that I’d learn:

  • I’ve learned just how passionate horse owners are. I’ve been interacting with readers of The Horse/TheHorse.com for going on 11.5 years. But this year is when I became supremely aware of the passion that each reader, each owner, brings to the table. You are a dynamic, dedicated, enthusiastic group. You don’t sit by the wayside. You express, you share, and you hold accountable. I’m excited to be a part of an industry that isn’t rife with apathy. You still care. And that is one of the things that keeps me hopeful in an age when there is so much apathy about so much else in the world

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