By Sam Cesnik

Work-life-horse balance

Ok so this topic must have had one million blog posts+ about it (well maybe if you hold the horse...) but seriously it is really tough. This post applies to just about everyone but I do think work life balance in riders (or people who choose to work in the area of their passion) is a seriously ill considered issue. We are all told the more you can do what you love for a living the less it will feel like work. Well when you have to get up in the dark and the wet to ride someone else’s feral horse because it’s thrown them off more times than they can count it you start to question the whole ‘follow your passion’ piece! – Or so my professional riding friends tell me. What is clear is that just because you work in your passion doesn’t mean you don’t have to have work-life balance, if you ride for a living the below is just as relevant for you as for all the working mums and corporates out there trying to ride for recreation! I am quite open about my decision not to ride professionally and I admit I still don’t have the whole work-life-horse thing totally sorted. I do however fit a lot in and manage to wear many (sometime too many!) hats and it’s led to few key learning’s to share so here goes:

Horses are the ultimate zappers

They zap every resource, time, money and emotional energy. They just like to keep making sure you really want to ride.... resilience is critical.

You only live once

Yeah I know its cliché but given the above make sure you are happy with your choice to ride. Don’t be afraid to take a break for a while, don’t let what people say bother you. If you never come back to horses it will be because something else has made you happier. A scary but revolutionary concept huh! I left and came back, now I never question the decision to have horses in my life and I know I can live without it but for me it’s a half life.

Riding careers last a long time

Not like AFL or Ballet, as a 30yo horse rider chances are you’re about to hit your prime not retirement. Make sure you make time to live, see friends, do non-horse related activities and get an education. It will slow it all down a bit but you will achieve more in the end. Think the hare and the tortoise.

There’s no such thing as luck

You really do make your own luck, whenever someone says ‘geeze your lucky’ I annoyingly remind them I’m not that lucky I just worked hard. Its taken years to see the fruits of riding, studying and building a career simultaneously, now I am lucky but I worked hard to get there.

Make part-time work happen

There is usually a way to find balance; even in corporate I have managed. You do have to be excellent at what you do though and make people want you to work for them so you are holding the chips...

Don’t be fooled into guilt by others

I’m happy to work overtime but guess what, if it’s quiet I leave at 5 and I don’t feel bad about it. Don’t let other peoples values affect your life; you have control over how guilty you feel about your actions. I’m open in corporate about not being a 24/7 person, I’m ok with it I don’t let it make me feel guilty.

Accept help, say no and find balance

So when it gets crazy and I have too much on I start looking for things to say no to. When it’s quiet I say yes, yes, yes until after a while I know I have to start saying no. You also can’t achieve as much without help, get better at accepting help even if it’s from unusual places or people.

Accept you can’t do everything

See- just say no. You can try though, my advice- try until you have to say no. When you have to say no accept that it’s ok to say no and you can’t do it all.

Be present & get it right the first time

So when you are at work be at work if you need to stay back a bit then do so, get it done. When you are on your horse if you need to finish the ‘conversation’ or do one more jump do it. Don’t hurry, get things done right and commit to the activity at hand, you’ll achieve more and be more successful the long term. Getting it right the first time saves time in the long run. Hence, be present so you can focus and not make a mistake.

Make time for relationships/social interactions

They are the underpinning support network you need and for me being around great friends and having a laugh reinvigorates me. Invest in these relationships and work just as hard on them as you would on any other area of your life. After all they are the ‘living’ part of life ;-)

Look after yourself mentally and physically

You can’t be expected to take lots on and do a physically demanding endeavour if you are not well within yourself. Eat well, drink water, sleep, cross train. My favourite is lunchtime activity is yoga or pilates and generally I get away without a shower (quicker to get back to my desk) but mange to cross train and give my brain some space too. Relaxing is important – holidays, baths, lunch with friends etc...

If you ride for a living, part of your downtime needs to be non horsey

OK this one can be hard but seriously normal people go horse riding to do something different. You have to do it in reverse. Go out for breakfast or lunch somewhere where you can’t see a horse, go bowling, go to the movies do something different. Also try to have not just horsey friends; it helps when the horse thing isn’t going so well as they give a different perspective on it all!

Don’t be too hard on yourself

It’s ok to fail, be tired, say no and not cope sometimes. Just embrace the not coping and then move on. The more you fight it the worse it gets. See- make time for friends!

Set goals

Otherwise you’ll get lost, make sure you have not just horse goals but life goals, a bucket list, holiday plans and financial goals. They keep you on track and ensure you don’t keep moving the goal posts on yourself. When you achieve goals spend time to acknowledge your achievement don’t just up and onto the next thing.

Write lists

Like goal setting, critical for keeping you on track and getting thoughts out of your brain and ensuring you don’t lose them. The part two of this is make sure you read the lists!

Have a plan but be flexible

When it all goes to S*&t have a wine or a whinge and then re focus, look at the overall picture and make a new plan. Plans are like rules, they’re made to be broken and horses are the ultimate teachers on that front!!

Hope this helps, remember you’re not alone! We’re all trying to fit it in and balance it. I leave you with a list of my current hats for those who are interested.

2014 hats so far...

• Outplacement advisor – Corporate (4.5 days a week)
• Teacher Equine Studies – TAFE (Wednesday arvos)
• FEI rider  (get the nags ridden daily)
• Newly sponsored rider (still learning thanks, Dressage Selections)
• Small Business Owner – Kinsec Consulting (ad hoc services and events)
• Committee member- Equine Industry Professional Services Group (new networking group I have started, because I didn’t have enough to do!!)
• Blogger EQL (as evident!)
• Partner to another crazy horse rider (try to go on dates, compete against each other and train and live together... blissful but mad!)
• Daughter (love you mum!)
• Friend (wish I could see my friends more, particularly my non-competition friends who don’t get a look in now until after M3DE!)
• Newest hat- Project manager for our current property development (insert mass learning curve here.....)