The Secret to Longevity and Health No Horse Girl Wants to Hear: How to Prevent Burnout as an Equestrian

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead” is a common phrase that circulates through barns full of Horse Girls trying to have it all. As women, you’re not ‘just’ raising children. You’re also expected to bring in enough income to cover basic needs and fund your horse addiction. On top of that you are stacking bales, hauling horses, and fixing fence all without asking for help, because you don’t want anyone to think you’re incapable. 

Yet as you keep going, you can’t help but start to wonder what you’ve gotten yourself into. You love your jobs, your kids, your family, and your horses but sometimes you wish they would all just disappear so you could get some sleep. 

This is where I have been the last few years. Working multiple jobs just trying to stay afloat. Pushing myself past the point of breaking, telling myself that it’ll all slow down eventually, and I just need to hang on a little bit longer. 

Well, it did all slow down, but not the way I had planned. 

I had always pictured my future when my business would be at a point that it wouldn’t feel so life sucking. When I could finally sit and take a breath with a hot drink in my hand. 

But that’s not what slowing down has looked like. Instead of feeling relaxed and free from worry, my body decided it was done waiting for me to slow down and put on the emergency brake. 

I went from tackling all my responsibilities and climbing the ladder to flat on my butt, unable to care for myself. Sitting there rubbing my bruised ego, the thought of how unfair this was kept coming to the forefront, “Why would this happen to me?”.

I was doing everything right, I was eating well, training hard, and more active than almost anyone else I knew. I was finally starting to see the payoff of all my hard work, and now here I am, flat on my back with no obvious way to sit back up. 

I have felt so sorry for myself. But the truth is, the warning signs were there all along; I just didn’t have the guts to listen to them. 

You see, as a female equestrian, resting, relaxing, and recovering are all seen as falling behind. You can’t rest that broken leg or torn rotator cuff - you have horses that need to be worked and a barn that needs to be paid for. 

But when it all comes crashing down like it did to me, that’s when you finally sit and think - “I wish I had listened then…” 

The truth is, if I had stopped to listen to what my body was screaming at me, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this on a dark screen, in a dark house, with tinted glasses to keep the glare down.

I wouldn’t be wondering how I’m going to get my life back - instead, I would be doing what I have always wanted, just a little slower and at a more manageable pace than I was keeping before. 

This comparison game you’re playing needs to come to an end. You have the capabilities of achieving anything you want AND you have to do it differently if you want it to last. 

The secret to preventing burnout as a Horse Girl, isn’t doing more, it’s taking time to do less. 

Now you may read this, roll your eyes and think it won’t happen to you - because that’s what I did  - but stick with me for a second. As an Equestrian Health and Fitness Coach, I have worked with hundreds of women over the last decade, and I have yet to tell a single one of them that they needed to do more to see improvements in their bodies. Instead, I spend most of my time teaching them how to prevent burnout. How to listen to their bodies and how to take to Rest, Recover, and Reset. 

So how do you get started? 

Get comfortable with asking the uncomfortable questions:

#1) Ask yourself AM I? 

• Am I tired?

• Am I going the direction I want to go?

• Am I becoming the person I want to be?

  
  

#2) Ask yourself WHY?

• Why are you tired?

• Why do you want to be that person?

• Why aren’t you taking time for you right now?

  
  

#3) Ask yourself WHAT?

• What specifically is making me tired?

• What boundaries do I need to hold with myself from now on?

• What would future you be doing differently right now?

  
  

Once you’ve asked the hard questions, the next step is the hardest one: actually putting yourself first. 

Be willing to put yourself first:

This is by far the hardest piece for every Horse Girl I’ve worked with - you’ve been taught your whole life to never put yourself first, and that’s starting to catch up to you.

Here are 3 simple things you can do RIGHT NOW to start learning how to take care of yourself so you don’t end up like me. 

1. Schedule time off of work each week

I know crazy! But trust me, I didn’t take a single day off of work for two years. That only led me to extreme burnout, mysterious illness, and the joy I used to feel when riding was stripped away. 

2. Schedule 1 hour a day for ‘Me time’ 

Maybe this looks like settling down with your favorite book, or hitting the gym/doing an at-home workout (hit me up if you need guidance here!). Maybe it’s taking a long, hot bath.

3. Find 1 SMALL habit you want to work on. 

I mean it, keep it SMALL. Don’t go from drinking one cup of water to a whole gallon; step it up slowly so you can maintain your progress long term. 

Some examples:

• Start tracking your steps each day

• Have a cup of veggies with dinner

• Have a protein shake for breakfast instead of skipping it

  
  

The secret to longevity as a Horse Girl is simple: Be willing to put yourself first. It’s not selfish or vain - it’s a necessity. You deserve to be your healthiest, happiest self!

Comment below what small habit you’re going to be working on! 

You don’t have to do this alone! 

👉Click here to join my FREE community of Horse Girls who are learning to put themselves first and discover what it feels like to finally put YOU first.