Horses VS Career

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bhpride

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I notice that lots of people work hard on here schooling hacking competing and caring for their horses whilst working full time.

Does anyone feel if they didn't do so much with their horse their careers would be progressing better or more quickly? I know there's never one answer for everyone, just wondering really.

My horse is now a spoilt pet basically and I'm really enjoying it - gave up riding her and put work first and I've made a lot more progress in a short space of time - I've got more energy than I had when I was riding her and more spare time to really get my head down and study for work related qualifications passing first time. Anyone else done the same at any point?

Just pondering about it really
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Me too! I've got a reasonably good job but am certainly not what you would call career minded!! Sure had I not had the horses though I would be working in London now (and probably hating it as I am not a city girl!!)
 
This is a really hard one that I'm debating at the moment. I have just finished my Masters and if you had asked me last year what my plans were after graduation I would have said 'move to London, progress my career and play hard'. Unf I got rebitten by the horse bug and have just got my own. I can't imagine life without horses now but at the same time I want to do well in life (if only to afford said horse)!
I have come to the conclusion that I could have both if I work really hard in my current job to work towards a well paid career in London. Aiming on living in Surrey with the horse. So I think it is possible but incredibly difficult.

If at any point in the future I felt I didn't have enough time for the horse then I would consider a loan till I got back on my feet.

Would you consider putting the horse on loan for a while to give yourself a complete break?
 
Ditto here too - chose horses over my career but can say that I'm very happy, have a job that pays enough to keep my horses and time to compete too! I know far too many people who have put their careers first and regret it later.
 
I put horses on hold for a few years whilst I did all my accounting and insolvency qualifications. It gave me time to get rid of student debt and save up for a nice horse with a decent pot of money. Once I got him I stepped back a little career-wise (changed from London job to local) although I seem to have moved sideways and then upwards rather than downwards, if you know what I mean. I'm now in a much better job with great prospects than I was in in London (though money not as good).

I think putting horses aside for a while is no bad thing - it means so much more to you when you come back to them. And it means you can spend loads of time planning your horsey wardrobe to perfection and deciding exactly what sort of horse you want when you do come back to it.
 
Gave up Veterinary nursing after 5years, purely as I suddenly realised that competing was taking a back seat and its my real passion.

So horses all the way I'm pleased to say!
 
this is really interesting ... I was a mad, mad child for horses but was not in a position to either own or loan, although my cousins were talented showjumpers with a yard of horses (i was never allowed to ride them
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Anyway, i took the career option which has afforded me the life of luxury (luxury being my 3 horses) and they are all spoilt as I'm sure everyone's are. I have managed to combine my business acumen and my love of horses in creating manage my horse (which is a dream come true to combine them). None of this would have been possible if I'd had 'owned' horses in my twenty's (as I wouldn't have concentrated on anything else! I find it hard now!). I took my twenties to build up a career get married and have children, and then came my own horses. I suppose I strongly believe in fate and whilst I hated not having them earlier I now realise that this was the way it was meant to be, for me.
 
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Would you consider putting the horse on loan for a while to give yourself a complete break?

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This will sound odd but I love just looking after her. There's no pressure now to school or to progress..I think that's why I'm enjoying it so much
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A lady at my yard the other day said its a shame she's going to waste which wasn't nice but true I suppose in the ridden sense only. although lady doesn't work so the circumstances are different.
 
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A lady at my yard the other day said its a shame she's going to waste which wasn't nice but true I suppose in the ridden sense only. although lady doesn't work so the circumstances are different.

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There were times when I was busy with business that mine had to have time off and having them at home meant they still had so much attention, which i love (!!!) giving them. I just didn't have enough hours in the day to get them all ridden but they didn't mind in the slightest and it certainly didn't affect them adversly. They were very very happy and I didn't end up going mad worrying.
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I put horses on hold whilst I sorted out my career...and had children.....however, at one point I had 2 small children, 2 horses and an MSc under way.....
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My job pays well, enough for me to have 3 horses ( well, one is OH's) and a nice standard of living.....so I suppose putting career first for a while paid off for me
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Ooh no!

Work to me is simply a way of affording the rest of my life
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Ditto this - I turned down a promotion last year as I'd just bought C and I didn't want to all of a sudden be working longer hours which is what would have been required.

I'm now in a position where I would consider furthering my career to a certain extent but only because I want more money for horsey things not because I'm particularly career driven
 
i am about to turn mine away as i just dont have the time to study, look after the kids/house/husband as well as ride .

no idea if i will keep them as i have 4 years of studying ahead, but my studies are going to have to come 1st
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I am studying/working full time.I first felt guilty not riding because people at the yard I was at used to put pressure on me to ride all the time so I know what you mean there! It's hard isn't it, I'm studying accounting and think sometimes my studies have been affected by my riding, the time of the year doesn't help either! I've just finished my exams for now until Feb so am taking a studying break and just working and riding, I think it's easy to concentrate on work and horses but trying to go to work, ride and study is too much, when I start studying again in Feb, the riding may have to take a back seat for a bit!
 
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