A New Employee In A Horse and Dog World

            Hey folks.  Let me introduce myself.  Mike Rinier is the name, and I am the new guy here at Horizon Structures on the Customer Service team.

            I have been here at Horizon for about 3 months now and to say I come from a varied background of work experience is a minor statement.

From custom woodworking to sporting goods, lacrosse coach and custom stick stringer to the world of Horizon Structures, where horse barns and dog kennels as well as garages are the main items of interest.  On a personal note, I will say that the things that brought me to work here at Horizon are the enjoyment I get from working with customers to help them make good buying decisions and to provide good information for them is paramount to me and I appreciate good craftsmanship and the fine details in all things.

            I have a great appreciation for both horses and dogs, my sister is involved deeply with horses and when she talks about them my appreciation only grows.  And I can not imagine my life without at least one dog in there somewhere.

            Here is where I hope it gets a bit more interesting for you.  I am an avid bicyclist and when you do a lot of miles like I do in my current training for a lengthy 100 mile ride that I have coming up as well as some other pedaling fiascos that I have gotten myself in to, the mind has to do something on the ride.

            Now while I may never own a horse and have great appreciation for those who take that time in their life to have that emotional involvement with them I’ve come up with a few reasons that pedaling works for me.

*My bicycle does not chew on my garage doors or windows so I’m saving on chew guards.

*I don’t have to clean out my garage daily and put more saw dust or sand on the floor.

*I’ve never caught my bicycle trying to eat my lawn

*When I pump up my tires. My bike has never tried to kick me.  Although I have gotten some crazy grease marks on my calves.

*The last time I saw flies around my bike it was probably from me after a long ride.

When it comes to my dog vs. my bike there are also some similarities.

*I don’t have to buy my bicycle bones to chew

*My bicycle never crowds me out of a chair or sits on the couch.  This is not a hard and fast rule in our home.

*My bicycle doesn’t leave any surprises in the yard to clean up before mowing except the occasional bolt or screw that I might forget.

*Bicycles don’t stalk rabbits they stalk other riders

*I can’t train my bicycle to bring in the paper or guard the house.

All in all though, the great similarities found when comparing bikes versus horses and dogs are not hard to work out.

*Horses dogs and my bicycle all wait patiently for us to spend quality time with them and are there for us without question when we are ready.

*Our dogs and horses love to be walked and ridden to let them get out their energies as I like to ride my bike.

*We walk and ride to enjoy the smell of a fresh morning and even the smell of dirt in a field as we go along.  While my bike can not do this it gets the same enjoyment from a tailwind and a flat fast road.

*Our dogs, horses and bicycles all give us something to invest our time in and although they are unaware that they provide an excellent life/work balance for us they do so without question.

I look forward to working with you folks out there to help you find the right items for you to help you acquire a barn, dog kennel, chicken coop or even garage that you will be able to enjoy for many years to come.