Riding Against The Grain

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to jump a horse that used to do the big 1.50 jumps!? Have you ever wondered how you could ever get there because you’re a full time employee?

This guy right here used to do them where he was bred. He has so much potential to take me further in the show world and I have the goals and aspirations to do it.

Work Life Balance

I want to talk about the work life balance between nursing and being an equestrian. A lot of people think that being a full time employee stops you from having hobbies outside of work which is not true.

I am a full time nurse that works night shift. I spend a majority of my time sleeping when the rest of the world is awake. As hard as it is for my social life, you can still put hard work and dedication into your horse life.

Per Robinson, 66% of Americans claim that they are burnt out from working. The world today, myself included, think that money is the most important factor in life. We spend so much time worrying about money and how to make more. There is this constant need to work over time and to pick up more shifts and to tire ourselves out because we need more, more, more.

Some tips for encouraging a healthy work life balance include taking the time off you need. If you’re starting to feel like you’re approaching burn out, take a break at work. Take a vacation. Even if it’s just a staycation and just a couple days. Just the chance to step away can really help ease your mental space. When you’re at work and feel overwhelmed, go take a 10 minute water break. Drinking cold water can really reset the brain. Take a bathroom break, take an early lunch break. All these things allow you to step away from whatever is wreaking chaos on your brain and allow it to reset and relax.

It is incredibly important that you are putting yourself and your health first. Money is an important factor to sustain hobbies, especially in the equestrian world, but your mental health matters. Make sure that you are prioritizing your home life and your outside life before you’re making yourself a machine at work. Burnout a real deal.

Your mental space is so important. If you want to continue to enjoy your hobbies (equestrian life) outside of work, prioritizing your mental space while at work is the number one step. Work is the one thing that takes up the biggest part of our lives. It consumes most of our thoughts and space due to the need to sustain a normal living.

Riding

One thing that I have noticed about people, and even myself, that tend to struggle about meeting their goals or have a hard time getting to them, is that they are not putting the time into the riding. I get it, I want to go out and be with my friends too, but I also want to do the big shows and travel with my horses. I want to do the big equitation classes, do the medals and do the jumpers with Oberon that he was bred to do. I would be doing my horse a disservice if I wasn’t going out and putting in the work required to keep both him and I in shape.

When it comes to a work life balance, it is very important that you are making sure that you are taking the time you need that is essential for you and your family, social life, and your horses. Now, if you’re anything like me, that’s a lot of stress. It all comes down to priorities. For me, I have goals. I want to ride as much and as often as I can. Since I work night shift and work long hours, that can be difficult. I have to wake up to an alarm almost every day, pull myself out of bed, and go down to the barn. It’s the most difficult in the winter because, who am I kidding, no one likes the cold.

On the days that I can ride, I make sure that I am giving it my all. I make sure that Oberon gets the best workout he can get during our training rides and I make sure that my riding is to the best of my ability. I try not to let my energy level from working a night shift let my riding that day go to waste. I also try to always get a lesson in once a week to make sure our training doesn’t fall behind.

Another thing that is very important for a work life balance within the equestrian world, is making sure you don’t burn yourself out. Yes! It can happen during your hobbies too. You don’t want it to start to feel like a chore. Enjoy yourself. Go for a trail ride. Take a book and sit outside while your horse grazes. Make cute videos. Take self timer pictures. Make fun enrichment kits for them. Not every trip to the barn has to be a severe training session. Sometimes barn days can just be spent grooming and enjoying your horse too. Especially if you are starting to feel tired and need a break from the world. This world can be cruel.

As for horse shows, this can be a little more difficult with managing time. Many horse shows require you to be there for multiple days at a time. If you have a job that is 5 days a week, you might need to be able to take the week off. Or at least a few days off. Save your vacation time, sick time, PTO time or whatever it is that your work allows you to take throughout the year for the important horse shows and use it.

Another option for if you can’t get the time off for horse shows is to allow someone else to work with your horse while at shows or even while at home. Sometimes there might be days where you can’t make it out to the barn and that is okay. Life happens and we are only human. Allow someone else to make your life a little easier! Let them help you.

Something I had to come to terms with over the years as a nurse, was that I’m not a super human. I can’t be in a million places all at once. I also have to be able to prioritize my own mental space and health in order to enjoy my horses and horse showing. Allowing help from people allowed me to get back to a place where I started to enjoy my showing and going out to ride my horses again.

Sources

Bryan Robinson, Ph.D. “Job Burnout at 66% in 2025, New Study Shows.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 10 Feb. 2025