Riding Against The Grain

If you’re anything like me, your days are a puzzle of shifts, sweat, and saddle time — and some weeks, it feels like something’s gotta give. Between a full-time nursing schedule, riding Oberon, and making it to the gym, I’ve had to learn the hard way that balance doesn’t always mean equal. It means intentional.

Here’s how I’m learning to juggle riding and training without running myself into the ground — and maybe something here helps you too.

✔️ First: My Real-Life Schedule

I work 3–4 long nursing shifts a week. That means 12+ hours on my feet, often back-to-back days. On work days, I don’t expect myself to ride and lift — I pick one (or neither) depending on how I feel. Some days, recovery is the work.

On my off days, I usually plan one “push” day and one “flex” day:

Push Day: Ride + gym (but not max intensity)

Flex Day: Choose what feels best — sometimes a long ride, sometimes just groundwork or stretching

✔️ Where Riding Fits In

I’m not riding to compete. I’m riding to connect — with Oberon, with myself, with the version of me that feels grounded and real.

That means I don’t force a ride after work just to check a box. Some days I just groom him and let him graze while I decompress. Some days we go out and move together like we’re flying.

Riding is physical. But it also fills a different tank.

✔️ Where the Gym Fits In

Lifting helps me ride better, recover faster, and handle barn life (hello, hay bales). But it’s easy to overdo it — especially when I’m already physically tapped.

So I simplified my routine:

– 2–3 strength sessions/week

– Focused on compound lifts, low reps, slow tempo

– I treat it like support for my riding, not a punishment for missing it

If I can’t give 100%, I don’t skip — I scale.

✔️ So What Keeps Me From Burning Out?

Permission to pivot: I used to feel guilty for not “doing it all.” Now I just check in: what do I actually need today?

Prepping the small stuff: If my riding boots and gym shoes are both in the car, I can follow through on what I have energy for.

Defining success differently: It’s not about hitting every session. It’s about feeling strong enough to enjoy both riding and training — and still show up for work (and my horse) with something left to give.

✔️ Final Thoughts

You don’t need to hustle harder. You need a rhythm that respects your energy.

Some weeks, I hit every lift. Some weeks, Oberon gets more attention than the gym. And some weeks? We both rest.

That’s not failure. That’s sustainability.

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What helps you balance your life in the barn and beyond? I’d love to hear from other riders doing this juggle — let’s stop pretending we’re supposed to do it all alone.