1. Caffeine is your new best friend

      Not only are you doing manual labor, you will be working some pretty crazy hours. Horses get fed early. So it’s not unusual to be up at 4:45am to get to the show grounds and feed before your trainer comes out to start hacking horses and stay until after the Grand Prix under the lights is over. Coffee, Coca-Cola, and Monster will become your best friend. Caffeine and sugar will literally keep you going. And the barn Keurig that goes to horse shows? That is a prized possession.

2. Lunch breaks are for the weak

     When I say lunch breaks are for the weak I really mean that the only way that you’re getting one is if you’re dying of starvation or by some miracle there is actually time. That caffeine I said was your new best friend? Yea, that’s your lunch. Seriously. You are constantly moving so if there is any time to eat, it’s generally while biking across the show grounds to check people in at the ring. The only real meal you can count on is dinner, and eating 3,000 calories in one sitting in an attempt to make up for the lack of food you’ve eaten that day is totally normal… right?

(“Multitasking at its finest” picture shows me scarfing down a doughnut while riding a bike to the ring PC: Sarah Black)

3. Monday is the best day of the week

     While the rest of the world complains about how awful Monday is, “Monday Fun-day” is no joke for those of us in the horse world. Most barns operate Tuesday-Sunday making Monday the only day you get off. Mondays will become the one day you get to sleep in and not smell like horses. It is also the one day that you get to hangout with your non horsey friends… or your horsey friends because seeing them 6 days a week at the barn still isn’t enough. Mondays will quickly become something you look forward too.

4. You will probably want to quit

     Some days your entire day goes right and some days… it just doesn’t. There will be days that you want to quit because you belly flop in the mud in your brand new white pants because you fell off in the schooling ring right before the classic, you haven’t eaten in 12 hours, and you’ve only gotten 5 hours of sleep in the past 2 days. You have to keep a positive attitude and shake it off. Your mood will affect everyone else in the barn and trust me, horse shows are much more fun when everyone is laughing and having a good time

(“Belly flop!” Picture shows me in a unicorn mask soaked in mud after falling off PC: Christa Jeffs)

5. Barn friends are the BEST friends

     Caffeine may be your number one, but your barn friends are right there at number two. The friendships I made while I was a working student are truly irreplaceable. They are the people who have seen you so defeated that you just stand in the pouring rain wondering why you didn’t just give yourself a normal summer and go to the beach with your family. They are also the people who have seen the biggest smiles after an entire day runs smoothly and you get off early enough that you can (literally) run through the Gettysburg National Battle Park before you have to go back for night check. Some of my craziest stories come from being with these people. Seriously, they are the best, and without them you probably won’t make it through your time as a working student. 

     Flashback to May 2017, the day I got back to Virginia for the summer, and also my 19th birthday. I showed up to the barn for what I thought was going to be a lesson with my best friend who had just gotten back from school in Kentucky. I walked into the barn and was greeted by my entire family and a beautiful palomino Thoroughbred gelding covered in red bows in a decorated stall. Yes, I was surprised with a horse for my birthday… every crazy horse girl’s childhood (maybe even adulthood) dream. It was perfect. I had tried Sunny in Ocala during my spring break where my trainer, dad, and I decided he would be a great project for me. After he was vetted, my dad and trainer lied and told me that he had failed the vet check and we were back on the hunt for horses (ironic… I know).

     Of course, it couldn’t all be perfect. A friend of mine who works at the barn soon informed me that the vet had already come to see Sunny for a cough. He was originally diagnosed with nothing more than just allergies. He was put on Zyrtec and we moved on. Long story short, it was not allergies and after 6 more vet visits, 10 different diagnoses, and a move to Georgia, the cough had only gotten worse. I’m not talking “Oh, he coughs a little more than he did originally”, I’m talking “My horse is coughing so bad I can’t even ride him without him losing a lung.” No one could figure out what was wrong with my horse. So, after another visit with the vet in Georgia, we were referred to the University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

     At this point I lost it. My only thoughts were, “This is it, my horse is dying from some crazy incurable disease that no one knows of” and “There’s no way I’m going to be able to afford this vet trip.” Two days later Sunny was admitted into the UGA vet school. We trailered him over around 8AM where a vet student who escorted us into the building greeted me.

     Sunny was a champ; he walked right through the automatic doors and up onto the scale where they measured his height and weight. He was complimented on his behavior because apparently that doesn’t generally happen. We were then escorted back to one of the cleanest and biggest stalls I have ever seen. Not even 5 minutes later Sunny had a team of 5 different vet students, residents, and specialists looking at him. They started off just running through the basics, taking his temperature, heart rate, and respiration rate, all while making sure to get as much history from me as possible. The weirdest part for me was signing the medical information release form. It truly made me feel like I had a child in the hospital as I put down my mom and trainer as emergency medical contacts. After that I had to go to class, but not to worry, one of the vet residents sent me text updates after every procedure. It was such a relief that I didn’t have to wait until I went back to know how everything was going.

     The number of tests and procedures they did on Sunny was incredible. We had a full set of X-rays done on his chest, blood work, an ultrasound, a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), and they scoped him. Not to mention the full physical exams they did on him at the start. By the way, a BAL may be one of the most terrifying and interesting procedures I have ever seen done. Basically, they stick a tube up the horse’s nose and into the lung to rinse the lung out with a saline solution in order to collect cells to test. During this procedure Sunny (of course) got a nosebleed so I’m standing there watching him cough and bleed everywhere while he’s heavily sedated thinking about how sorry I was and trying to telecommunicate that it would be over soon. Lucky for us, the BAL is where we found our answers.

     The lab results from the BAL confirmed that there was blood and inflammation in Sunny’s lungs. The diagnoses: Inflammatory airway disease (IAD) and exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhaging. He was then prescribed two different inhalers to help open his airways and reduce inflammation. We finally got to leave around 5, but honestly, I found myself wishing he could stay overnight just because of how nice everything was. Between the giant stall (with a window to the outside), feed selection they had given me incase he did have to stay overnight, and the quality hay that was provided for him during his stay, it was like we were checking out of a five-star hotel.

     So at this point you’re probably wondering, “Are you homeless form these vet bills?” Or maybe, “How many organs did you sell to pay for this?” Let me tell you that this was quite possibly one of the most affordable vet visits I have ever had. My show bills are more than what this vet bill was and I was in shock. Yes, this includes the stall, hay, sedation, and all the procedures. The vets were extremely thorough and personable. The facility itself was amazing. I truly cannot stress how impressed I was by this entire experience. If you live near a vet school and you have the option of going, please, do not hesitate. You can’t beat the technology and facilities that they have, especially the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

     For those of you wondering how Sunny is doing, I completed his treatment and he did get better. However, his diagnosis is something that he will have the rest of his life. Because of this I felt that the job that I was giving him was too stressful and that it was unfair of me to ask him to perform at the level I wanted him to be at. That being said, Sunny is with a family friend in North Carolina, living a much easier life on a cattle farm. I get updates often and am able to make sure he is in a home where he is well taken care of. While this may not have been the outcome I had hoped for, I do believe that it was the right choice for Sunny and his health. If I hadn’t gone to the vet school, Sunny’s diagnosis would have been much more delayed causing way more stress on him and me. I cannot thank the UGA Vet School enough for letting me in… even if it was just for a day.

1. Drop those stirrups

     If you saw Taylor St. Jacques go at the Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal finals this past year, without her stirrups, you’ll understand this goal. Riding without your stirrups can be the worst, but there’s so much to benefit from it. However, I wouldn’t go ripping your stirrups off right away. That’s how you fail to achieve your resolution. Start slow, maybe 5 minutes a day for the first week, and build up from there. I promise this will make no stirrup November much less painful.

2. Get to the gym

     It’s so easy to think that just riding your horse is enough exercise for the day. However, this is far from true. Athletes from every other sport are training constantly, working on strength and cardio fitness, apart from their practices. So, why is riding any different? We’re an Olympic sport too. So, ggo hit the weights, jump on the treadmill, or if that’s too boring, try a boxing class, or swimming. Improving your overall fitness will make your riding easier and goals much more achievable.

3. Dress for Success

     This goes for you and your horse. If you look good in the show ring, you’ll feel good. Well fitting clothing and tack helps your trainer see your position, and helps your horse perform better. So, go grab yourself a new, embroidered baby pad and a fancy stitched belt, and get yourself and your partner looking your best every time you step in the ring.

4. Learn you something

     I am constantly learning new things in the horse world. There are so many disciplines, so many types of horses, and so many different ways to care for our partners, that there really is a never-ending wealth of knowledge for us to obtain. So, make a goal to learn something new, at least once a week, to improve your overall horsemanship. Take a lesson, go to a clinic, or read a book. You never know when you’re going to need to know something.

5. Try something new

     It is so easy for us to get stuck in our ways, but how will you ever know if you like something if you never try it? In the horse world there are 1000 different training techniques, tack options, and products to try. So if you find yourself unhappy with something, or you feel that your progress as a rider has plateaued, maybe it’s time for something new.

6. Just do it!

     There is no time like now. Seriously, stop procrastinating. Drop those stirrups today, clean your bridle today, stop being scared and go to that show, you are ready! Stop saying you’ll do things tomorrow; otherwise, it’ll never get done. Doing things now gives you more time in the future to do others. So, stop putting your progress on hold, and start getting things done.

7. Take care of yourself

     You are the most important part of your own riding career. If you’re not healthy, your partnership with your horse isn’t healthy. This begins with simply eating right. So next time you go out to get Mexican with all your barn friends, maybe opt for the taco salad, or just make healthier choices throughout the week, so that you can eat that burrito-mex with steak when you go out.

8. Think positive

     Sometimes your mind is your own worst enemy. I am constantly being held back by fears that really stem from one bad experience. I challenge you to think of the best thing that could happen, rather than the worst; otherwise, you’ll be stuck in the same rut, until you overcome your own negative thinking. Try reading a book on positive thinking, seeing a sport psychologist, or even trying a power pose before you go in the ring . However you choose to change your mindset, simply thinking positive will help you continue in your riding career.