It's a horse girl thing

 I work part-time at a tack shop in Denver's horsiest suburb.

Most of our customers are long time, local horse owners. They may browse a little, but mostly, they know want. They're in and out pretty quickly.

Of course, we also get a lot of new riders. I always enjoy outfitting someone for their first riding lesson. It doesn't matter if they are six or sixty, their excitement and enthusiasm is infectious.

Not every day, but just often enough, I will notice a parent/child pair who come in and stays for a really long time. The kid - usually a girl - will wander the store, stopping often to touch and dream.

No surprise, the Breyer area is a magnet for these children.

Meanwhile, the parent sits in one of the chairs provided exactly for this purpose, playing on their phone and looking really, really bored.

Eventually, they make their way to the cash register with a handful of free magazines and a small item. As often as not the parent will make eye contact with me and say sheepishly, "I don't know why we need this. We don't have a horse."

I'll say, "That's okay. It's a horse girl thing. I totally understand."

And I do. Forever and always, I do.