Horses Vs Work

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jane_dixie

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Hi all..

As I will shortly be beginning my final year of university, I am starting to consider what career path I would like to take upon graduation.

It is very difficult to know what to do with my horses.. whilst away at uni they stay at home with my mum and I just ride them in the hols, which works fine, but I am aware that if I have a full time job 48 weeks of the year squeezing in riding time could be difficult. I don't want them sat in the field doing nothing all year (although essentially they do that for half of the year at the moment) but we are equally reluctant to go down the sharing/loaning route as in the past we have heard of some quite terrible stories.

Obviously, if I can't work anything out we will sell them, but was just wondering how other people cope working full time and managing to ride/compete alongside this? Have no idea what kind of job I would like to do, but if anyone has any suggestions of jobs which would allow me at least some daylight hours off in which to ride I would be most grateful!

Many thanks

Jane
 
I work 9 - 5 with an hours commute each way and I ride after work :)
When the winter closes in, i'll move my hours forward to 8 - 4 or if I can drag myself out of bed 7.30 - 3.30 so I can still ride after work.
 
You get up bl**dy early and go to bed very late! You are always exhausted but then I'm the mother who works full-time (usually 12 hours a day) with horses at home and daughter lives elsewhere!

As long as you live relatively near the horses, anything is doable it just depends how much you want it and what sacrifices you are prepared to make in order to keep them.
 
jane_dixie said:
Sounds like you have a good set up there then (and an amenable employer!) :)
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It's an office job at a global company, which is fab because it means I can start pretty much whenever I want and still have stuff to do/people to have meetings with who are the other side of the world sometimes. Not the most fun job in the world, but it pays for the horsey and also is fairly flexible :)
 
I can't work that one out - what is the point in doing a degree if you have no idea where you want to work? Your degree might not even be the right degree. The first question I would be asking myself is what job can I do that pays enough for me to keep horses? Time is not necessarily the limiting factor... You need to decide sooner rather than later as you will be up against people with job specific degrees and also work experience in 'industry'.
 
When I had a regular 9-5 office job it meant getting up very early and devoting the weekends to the horse :) Now I work as a carer my hours are never set and my days off vary every week, so it's much easier since many days I finish work by 3pm or start work at 3pm. I'm sure you'll figure out a schedule to suit you OP, but it might be comforting to know that after a long day in the office the best thing was seeing the horse!
 
I am both a student and work full time (in the holidays).

When at Uni it's really easy, one horse comes with me, the other two stay at home with mum. I ride every day, often twice a day, as a student I have plenty of time for the horse, although my social life doesn't quite live up to the "student stereotype".

In the holidays I work full time 9-5 along with a half day Saturday. The horses are at home, but I have no facilities at home, so if I want to ride we have to box up to hack, or go competing (e.g evening SJ). Up at the crack of dawn and often don't get home until gone 10pm! Definitely don't have time to be sociable and I have a brilliant mother, who works in a school so is often at home when I'm working, which means she can them sorted, I get home, get changed, load up, jump in the car and go.

Over Christmas they only get ridden weekends, but I like them to have some downtime anyway.

If I had a school of some sort, it'd be easy peasy.
 
I work evenings and nights leaving days for the ponies - except this week when I've decided (somewhat idiotically) to do 5 day shifts and 5 night shifts ... I've still ridden 3 times - but I've paid someone else to do the 'chores'
 
I know, would be so much more straightforward if it wasn't for the horses though! Have been applying for grad schemes etc but they are generally in London, which is about 2 hrs from where we are now.. I think it is just a case of finding a job and then hoping something sorts itself out for the ponies
 
Sounds like you have your hands full! Would have loved to take one to uni with me, very jealous! :(
I agree about the school situation, a floodlit menage would solve so many problems!!
 
jane_dixie said:
I know, would be so much more straightforward if it wasn't for the horses though! Have been applying for grad schemes etc but they are generally in London, which is about 2 hrs from where we are now.. I think it is just a case of finding a job and then hoping something sorts itself out for the ponies
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Or you could move to/near London like I did ;)
 
I work full time 9-5pm and have 2 small children who are with a minder during the day. I moved my horse to a yard beside work and go out at lunch time Tues-Fri (Monday is his day off), one evening midweek, Sat and Sun. I only get to ride for 20mins at lunch but little and often works well for us and we can do longer work/hacks on the weekend.

I think if I could do it over again, I'd go with Splashy pony and become a teacher! :) Good luck with the search!
 
This is why so many of us oldies gave up on horses for so many years, to do the career/children thing, and then went back to it when more time was available. Only so many hours in a day and you just have to make a choice. It's harsh, but without back-up or lots of funds, you just have to do it.
 
I have four horses, look after all of them and ride three, two of them are out eventing and the other is my project, and I work full time to pay for them all. It is hard work and sometimes I wonder if I'm coming or going but I do also manage to see friends and go out as well, the horses are important to me and I didn't want to have to sacrifice them for a job. You need to work out what is most important to you and go from there. Good Luck with the job search :)
 
When I worked full time I rode at 5am during the week and at my leisure at the weekends. In the winter it was dark but was wonderful in summer. I still work part time but from home now so can suit myself to a large degree. I did retire once but hubby had other plans so we are both working again. It can all be done if you have the drive and the income to support it all. Good luck.
 
I do shift work which means I get quite a bit of time off during the day and it works well as I can ride in the winter when its still light.
The downside is I work quite a few weekends so I have to try and get time off to compete, but I do like my job.
I chose my career partly for the reasons above and that it payed more than working with horses!
I did have to relocate though, 230 miles from where I was living.

What is your degree in? What were you planning on doing career wise when you chose it?
Someone might have a similar degree and be able to help.
:-)
 
madmav said:
This is why so many of us oldies gave up on horses for so many years, to do the career/children thing, and then went back to it when more time was available. Only so many hours in a day and you just have to make a choice. It's harsh, but without back-up or lots of funds, you just have to do it.
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I also took this route. My parents (understandably) wouldn't support my Uni AND a horse so I had to sell before I went. It took almost 10 years for me to get back in the saddle as I went straight from Uni into management consulting in Central London - I had neither the time nor the funds for a few years, but it set me up well financially and I am now self-employed with time and money to keep a horse here as well as our small 'herd' in Spain.

ETA - good luck with the job hunt!
 
My advice would be to find a job/career that you really love and fit the horses round it. there's nothing worse than working at something you hate for years and years. You may have to give up the riding for a while but as so many have said already, you can come back to it later on. However, fitting in horses around full time work is very hard work but the more you earn the more you can afford to pay for help.
 
I'm 22, so only a few years older than you, and kept my horses all through uni too. I now work from 8.30 am-5.30 pm. With my commute added in, this means leaving the house at 7.50 am and rarely getting home before 6.30 pm. I still manage to have two horses on DIY livery. Although I don't get to ride as much as I would like to, especially in the winter, and have never been interested in competing, if you have facilities such as an indoor school or an outdoor with lighting I'm sure you could fit in as much riding as you needed year round. Rarely getting home before 8.30 pm isn't ideal, admittedly, but seeing my horses is still the best part of my day and, on the bright side, my job means that I earn enough to ensure that my horses want for nothing. So, in my opinion, it's most definitely possible to have horses and a job - just don't expect to be able to fit much of a social life in alongside them!
 
jane_dixie said:
Hi all..

As I will shortly be beginning my final year of university, I am starting to consider what career path I would like to take upon graduation.
...
Obviously, if I can't work anything out we will sell them,
Many thanks

Jane
Click to expand...

Honestly? Having read how confused you are about what you want to do, I'd sell the horses right now (Big commitment and probably the wrong time in your life to be tied to them). Then take different jobs that actually interest you, have a social life, decide what it is you really want - and then come back to horses if you want to.

Horses are not compulsory! Also, don't think you have to be young to enjoy them - look around you, there are plenty of older riders out there, so don't think you are giving up horses, it could just be a break from them. Think of the freedom!
 
I manage while working 10 hour shifts which vary from 7-5, 12-10 and 10pm-7am (last one is 9 hours), just fit the horse round it. She gets ridden almost everyday, but I do struggle to have a social life or anything else around this. Which doesn't bother me so long as I have pony time! I agree with what another poster has said though, while you're so undecided, selling up would open so many more options to you.
 
Until recently I worked full time (Mon-Fri, 35-37 hours per week) and managed to ride 3-5 times a week. It did help that I was on a livery yard with a floodlit school, but I did have Jazz on DIY and did everything myself.

It is manageable, but early mornings and late nights are guaranteed! If I was riding after work I wouldn't be in from the yard until at least 8.30/9ish.
 
It's easy to ride/work full time if you have the facilities! My lad is on DIY and I manage to ride 5 or 6 times a week year round and compete dressage/eventing and still have a good social life! Yes summer is easy and awesome and winter is a drag, I go a few months only seeing my boy in the dark but we have a big floodlit outdoor so in winter I probably school 2 week nights, lunge once, then jump/hack/lessons at the weekend. It only gets tricky if you have a job with silly hours (60+hrs a week) or kids!
 
I was 41 before I had my first horse :( .............I did the work/bringing up children thing in my early 20's; Plus side I have years to enjoy every moment with my three ponies, plus I only work about 10 hours a week, which just about pays for them ( live at home )

Depends how organised you are and if you're prepared for the early mornings/late nights and not much of a social life! If you want to keep them bad enough you will find a way; There are many horses that don't get ridden during the week, although probably more the leisure horse.
 
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