Honestly I’m not complaining, I’m also not looking for sympathy so the tiny violins are safe, but sometimes balancing work life and the horses can be quite tricky. Over the last year I have been to 6 different countries over 10 weeks for work. Last year my wonderful husband Dan held the fort and looked after the horses, but this year I had 4 weeks away smack in the middle of pre-season training so I decided to splash out on sending the horses to a holiday livery where Estrid could continue work.
Estrid had 9 weeks off at the end of last season while Dan and I were on honeymoon in New Zealand. Then a week at Legacy equine doing daily treadmill sessions while I was away working in Tenerife. We than had 5 weeks of ridden work before I spent 3 weeks away in Croatia and Estrid went on the treadmill every other day. Now this really isn’t a long term option for me, as you can imagine the working holiday livery doesn’t come cheap, but it has meant that at least I can hit the ground running and not delay my 2026 endurance season too much.
I can’t say I’ve managed to find the balance between work and life yet, never mind my job and horses, it’s a work in progress and I think it’s on the side of burnout rather than balance. But I’m so grateful for all the opportunities I have in work, life and horses, saying that I am looking forward to a slightly quieter 12 months!
Beth Endurance 