One of the benefits of having kids is that you get to search for all kinds of neat things on the internet. My twin girls are now seven, and have expressed an ever growing desire in horses. So like any diligent parent, I began my online quest to indulge their equine interests. I make no such promises of this kind of diligence when they express an interest in boys however, other than to let any potential suitor know that I own a shotgun, shovel, and 500 acres of unmarked land somewhere upstate. But I digress.

I was absolutely floored when I found my riding instructor from decades ago. It seems she is still on Long Island, and is still teaching. After the initial shock of finding each other wore off, we started talking about where our lives have taken us, and it turns out that my instructor is now a certified real estate appraiser.

Janine’s real estate specialties, in her own words:

I specialize in appraising high end homes in the Hamptons and North Fork of Long Island, and Apartment buildings in Brooklyn and Queens, New York. How diverse can you get?

Her other specialty, once again in her own words:

I also specialize in training “Chronologically Challenged” horse owners who have developed a fear of riding and horse owners who have lost that “special connection” to their horses.

In case you’re wondering where this post’s title came from, it’s simply a quote from one of Janine’s sites – “Will Appraise for Hay.” Horse people are like that.

So why is this on my family law blog? Well, it’s a cool story. But we’re also talking about her submitting some guest articles on my website.

But for now, I suppose my next question is whether I will actually ride again. While my riding days are long, long over, and I classify myself as more of a “never was” than a “has been,” stranger things have been known to happen.