June 29, 2022 
In collaboration with On Course Equestrian.
If I’m being really honest with myself, lately I’ve had to think about this question a lot: am I spreading myself too thin?
I’m used to flying at a 110 mph pace through life. I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember to varying degrees. As a junior rider I was also a working student and a braider which meant waking up at 3am on show days to braid before feeding, watering, lunging, hacking, and eventually showing. I have always loved horse showing, but I definitely have been tired and grumpy a fair share of the time.
Career-wise, I’ve always been the hustler; the one who will do whatever it takes to get things done, and do them really well. In theory, I don’t actually buy into hustle culture at all; I don’t think the only way to succeed is to run yourself ragged and sacrifice other important parts of your life. I also firmly believe that life should be enjoyed and we should all spend our lives doing what we love.
Why then do I often still find myself skirting on the edge of burnout, even after finding “success” in the horse world?
When people tell me to take something off of my plate I get where they are coming from, but taking anything off of my plate would mean sacrificing a) something I really care about, and b) the ability to ride and show horses. As much as we all hate it, participating in horses as a lifestyle is insanely expensive and I for one cannot always keep up financially, even with a thriving new company and a five-year stint prior to that as an executive level member of an incredible team. Add to that the fact that I want to reach some really big riding goals, and it gets even more challenging financially.
Each thing that I do, from launching my new company On Course Equestrian, to training at the barn, to doing sales horses, to managing my own brand, brings part of the puzzle together and allows me to be part of this sport in the way I still dream about. I can’t lie, though, that I’m hoping eventually I won’t feel like I’m barely keeping my head above water and am three steps behind all the time. It’s exciting to pull 20+ hour days to get our new business and first course launch off the ground, but I can’t do that from a horse show (or long-term at all).
I’m tired. Just really, really tired.
It can get tough when you’re sleep deprived, hangry, sore, and still stressed about work and money even when you’re working to the point of near burnout. It can be daunting to try to keep up your work schedule during horse shows when you’re not the kind of person who can take that time off. Is it worth it to be able to ride horses every single day and work in the horse world? For me, yes – and that’s something I have to remind myself of a lot.
I genuinely do love everything I’m doing, I think maybe it’s just too much for one person to keep up for an extended period of time. Launching my new business should bring in a lot more income with a much more manageable workload, and it’s very rewarding, but we’re also in startup mode right now, so it’s extra hectic. Would I give up starting the business? Definitely not.
Would I give up riding? No way. So it really comes down to chipping away at the little pieces that can lead to just a little more rest, a little more balance, and a little more freedom. I think it also is fair to say that we need a cultural shift in the horse world so we stop glamorizing a lifestyle where horse people are praised for getting no sleep, living off iced coffee, and never taking a single vacation.
I know I’m not the only horse person who flirts with burnout and overwhelm for the sake of having horses as the center point of their life. When I talk to members of the equestrian community on social media I hear so many similar thoughts and feelings: everyone is working incredibly hard to keep horses in their lives. I know many of us have stepped away from the horse world for periods of time after burning out, which makes me wonder: is burnout an entry fee to an equestrian dream? Why are so many of us hitting the metaphorical wall when it comes to horses, and is there a better way?
If I really sit back and take stock on everything I’ve brought into my life, I’m essentially living out my dreams right now – especially with the launch of On Course Equestrian and what I’m going to be able to contribute to the equestrian community – but that doesn’t mean that I’m not physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted a lot of the time.
When I see how common that is – from people working 50 hours a week at a corporate job and using their evenings and weekends to ride and care for horses, to professional riders who have three side hustles to make ends meet, to the people sitting next to me in the best WIFI zones at horse shows taking Zoom meetings between classes instead of walking their course – I see the passion that we all have to make this work for us even though we might not be the 1% the sport was designed for. I’m both ok with that – we do what we have to do to do what we love – and also actively working towards shifting the culture towards a place where we can pursue equestrian careers, ride and show horses, make real money, eat an actual breakfast, and feel like human beings.
On Course Equestrian is a digital course and community platform designed to provide resources, tools, support, and education to equestrian entrepreneurs, business owners, side hustlers, and career builders in the equestrian space in an accessible and results-driven way. Use code HORSENETWORK75 for $75 off enrollment in The Equestrian Instagram Academy in June (can be used on top of current discounts).
