to follow a dream or do the sensible thing???

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taracrowe

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hi guys i'm just 15 and my dream is to be a showjumper, problem is my parents want me to be a doctor or something and think i'm mental and would just turn out to be the typical struglleing-to-make-it broke 25 year old.its not like being a doctor or something like that would be bad its just i could never see myself doing anything else.WHat do you guys think i should do????

If i was going to try to become a professional what college course if any should i be doing???? should i get a degree in something completly differnt to fall back on just in case ( :( )...i currently have one seven year old 16.2hh whos just started 1.20 tracks and schooling 1.35 easily at home.I'm going to try to do Dublin young riders qualifiers next year and try to get there and do well in the next couple of years....should i be aiming higher?? if so what???/

I'm basically just wondering where do i start out????? and what i should focus on????if u have any advice please share!!!thanks!!:)
 
TBH Concentrate on your studies for now, see how that goes (talking from experience). I know this will sound cliché but you parents want what is best for you and you have your whole life ahead of you. Study hard and do well - anyone can work in Tesco's ;)

If you want an equine careerer look into getting the qualifications to appease your parents. My dad always said that to do well in horses you need a lot of money to start with and in the majority of cases he is right :)
 
My advice would be to really work at the academic side of things - you then keep that as an option.

Being a showjumper is not a very easy career. Finding people to sponsor you/owners/liveries etc is a very very hard slog and very hard to make a living at, so how about this for a suggestion.

Lots of people take a gap year after their A Levels. If you commit to working your whatsits off to get the grades for medical school (or whatever), then ask your parents if you can have a year off to try the showjumping route. At the end of the year you will either see a way to support yourself being a showjumper - or whether you are better off having a good career where you can pay to enjoy your hobby to the full.
 
I'm going to go against the grain a bit here because I was forced to go to college to study for a 'sensible' job. I ended up going completly off the rails because I was not interested whatsoever.
I now have a 'sensible' job in a bank but am doing my BHS stages so I can become a riding instructor. I must admit I'm looking forward to doing a hell of alot more work for less money because thats what I want to do :)
 
From someone currently studying to be a doctor you have to be seriously dedicated for what ever reason but you have to want to do it. It is intense and you give up your holidays, your social life, your sanity lol to be surrounded by other crazy medical students and it can be quite isolating and you won't end up as well off as you think for quite a lot of years.

So my advice would be yes continue in your education lots of good professional uni courses out there choose one that YOU think you might enjoy and as far as the show-jumping career goes you can take a gap year to get as far as you think you can in that year before uni or take the lovely long summer breaks that normal uni students get to go abroad and be a working student on different show-jumping yards to get lots of experience (this will depend on whether you still have your horse) as lots of yards only need extra people during the summer season etc. Then when you finish uni at 21/22 the world is your oyster :D good luck :p
 
padderpaws said:
Go for what will make you the most money. Then you can do what you like.:)
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^^This.

I know it is probably the last thing you want to hear but people do get good jobs and then take a break to do the things they really want. A friend of mine always wanted to work on a race yard, so she worked a "normal job" and then last year gave herself a year doing her dream job, knowing that the rubbish money was OK as she had already covered it.
 
You're in Ireland right? To be perfectly honest - getting to the top in showjumping is all about having the right backing. You need to be very hardworking, extremely talented and very lucky to make it at professional/international level. Have you much pony experience? Do you get lessons from any professional showjumper national or international? If I were you id try and do a few weeks work experience in a variety of showjumping yards - it should be easy to get some experience with some of the national riders at least. Better you get an idea of how hard some of the national riders have to work to make a livingthan just see the select few for whom money is not the biggest concern. If you are still keen then, you need to try and get a working pupil/stable rider position for a producer/trainer. I would have loved to be a showjumper but I would never have had the support (and maybe would have found out I hadnt the skill anyway). However my friends have gone on to set up yards here and abroad and ride internationally and they still struggle from time to time. For instance, one left a secure "stable rider" position where he had a number of Grand Prix horses at his disposal and was on number of Nations Cup teams and set up his own yard but is struggling to secure a top ride at the moment.

As regards college - there are no specific degrees that will help you to become a showjumper. However going to college would be an extremely smat idea - a lot of Ireland's top riders have been. Trevor Breen was a teacher until recently, Nicola Fitzgibbon went to Trinity, James Robinson (UK eventer) is a vet. On the national scene there are pharmacists, vets, doctors, engineers, physios, eachers etc who are producing top level young horses. Unless you have the support at this stage, it makes sense to follow a career path that can support your passion. So many talented pony riders have gone on to produce young horses and compete at Grand Prix level through and after college. In fact many of the top eventing and showjumping young riders are currently in college - despite the fact that they have obvious talent, its simply not enough to guarantee a future in the sport.

Better to be a competitive amateur than a struggling pro IMO - you can always progress to fulltime in the sport as you build up some owners and supporters.
 
You could maybe compromise the two things - look at getting qualifications in equine based sciences - or perhaps veterinary qualifications? Still long courses, but knowledge that would be hugely important if you were looking to be an equine professional.
 
cloball said:
From someone currently studying to be a doctor you have to be seriously dedicated for what ever reason but you have to want to do it. It is intense and you give up your holidays, your social life, your sanity lol to be surrounded by other crazy medical students and it can be quite isolating and you won't end up as well off as you think for quite a lot of years.

So my advice would be yes continue in your education lots of good professional uni courses out there choose one that YOU think you might enjoy and as far as the show-jumping career goes you can take a gap year to get as far as you think you can in that year before uni or take the lovely long summer breaks that normal uni students get to go abroad and be a working student on different show-jumping yards to get lots of experience (this will depend on whether you still have your horse) as lots of yards only need extra people during the summer season etc. Then when you finish uni at 21/22 the world is your oyster :D good luck :p
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I totally agree with all the above. Learn or earn - I learned (uni) but combined it with horses (equine degree, horsey job) and really regret it now. My career is non-existent, and therefore I don't have a horse as I have no money. I'd love to have a direction in my work life!

You should pick a degree you want to do, or go out there and get a job that will lead you somewhere. IMO, of course! :)
 
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