August 28, 2015 
1000 Awesome Things is a website that celebrates life’s little pleasures. Since it launched in 2008, it’s generated not one, but three New York Times best selling books, and an app. But while its author, Neil Pasricha, may be “the guru of small joys,” he is not, yet, a horse person. Until that fateful day, and the multitude of happinesses that come along with it, we’ve started a list for him. Because horse joys? They top the list of awesome.
1. New tack sponges
Tack sponges get dirty and, if you’re using them with any sort of regularity, they get dirty quickly. But no matter how caked with dirt and soap residue they become, tack sponges never seem to get thrown out until they literally fall apart in your hands. It’s weird. Because they’re probably not “cleaning” anything at the sorry stage. It’s also probably why your tack never seems cleaner than when you hear the dirt-pulling squeak of a fresh, new sponge. Awesome.
2. Clean tack
The smell of clean leather. The symmetry of neatly tied tack. The satisfaction of a job well done. Is there anything more awesome than a row of scrubbed bridles and glistening bits hung neatly in a row? No. No there is not.
3. Worn-in boots
Breaking in riding boots is an investment in time and discomfort. But like blue jeans, there’s a sweet spot somewhere between stiff-as-all-heck and holes-in-the-calves where they perfectly form fit to your leg. It’s like wearing soft, leather moccasins that were custom-made to your foot, bunions and all. And it’s awesome.
4. A crisp new saddle pad
No matter how much pretreating and OxiClean you use, saddle pads never reach the level of crisp whiteness as that glorious first wear. Busting out a new pad makes any occasion special. Especially when you find one that perfectly tucks into the pommel without any weird wrinkles behind—or worse, under—the saddle. New saddle pads are love.
5. Being the first person to use the Porta Potty
Portable toilets, by definition, are gross. It’s literally a hot box of human waste floating in blue water. And if you hit one at the end of the day at a horse show, well, let’s just say it can be unpleasant in there, which is why being the first person to break-in a freshly cleaned Porta Potty is so awesome. It’s convenient, it’s fresh smelling, there’s no mixed bag of horrors when you lift the seat. If you find a hand washing station outside, it almost feels civilized.
6. Bushy forelocks
There are differing opinions on the appropriate cut, length and shape for a horse’s forelock. But few would deny the mischievous appeal of a pony with a shock of forelock, windswept over one eye. Awesome.
7. A freshly bedded stall
Mucking is never going to be the best part of your day. But there is a certain Zen-like appeal to getting lost in your thoughts whilst repetitively tossing shavings against the stall wall. The final product—breathing the fresh scent of pine in a manure-free stall loaded with clean shavings—THAT is awesome.
8. A broom-swept aisle
Sure, a blower will do a faster and often better job of clearing the barn aisle, but the lingering smell of exhaust kills the effect. Nothing beats a deftly broom-swept aisle and the fleeting pleasure of Pine Sol-scented water as it evaporates from the floor.
9. Sleeping in the day after a horse show
Horse shows are exciting and challenging and fun! They’re also exhausting. After five days on the road, fueled by caffeine and high expectations, there is a sweet bliss to a leisurely Monday morning—AWESOME.
10. Finding money in your show kit
It was your money to begin with, but try telling that to your delighted self. Whether it’s a crisp 20 folded in the pocket of your breeches or a crumpled tenner in the depths of your tack truck, the joy of found money is the greatest gift you can give yourself. By accident.
11. Blowing in a horse’s nose
The gentle whoosh of air. The warm, earthy smell of grass. The velvet brush of muzzle to cheek. Blowing in a horse’s nose and the answering exhale is like a breath of love directly in your face. So. Awesome.
12. The sound of horses chewing hay
The methodical crunch and leisurely grind of a horse chewing hay is the auditory equivalent of the fireplace channel for horse people—strangely absorbing and deeply relaxing. It’s the sound track of awesome.
13. A perfectly white tail
Removing yellow stains from a white tail takes months of washing and gallons of blue shampoo, then daily maintenance to keep up the pristine condition. All that effort is but a fraction of the joy you feel when you see the iridescent gleam of perfectly white tail, flipping behind an immaculately groomed grey horse. Awesome-sauce.
14. Picking horse chestnuts
Peeling off the crusty patch of a horse’s chestnut is one of life’s guilty pleasures. Like picking scabs, it’s perversely satisfying to ease off the tough outer layer and gently expose the soft pad underneath. It’s awesome you don’t admit.
