Burnout in the Horse Industry

better. So what is the point for you?
Suggested Exercise Write down a list of everything that you love or that brings you happiness about riding coaching or running your business. Have a look at the list and think about how you can support yourself to connect to these reasons daily. It might seem silly but this simple exercise is a powerful way to ground ourselves back to why horses and a life with horses matters to us. There is power in taking ownership of your choices and connecting back to the deeply held values that brought you to those choices in the first place.
The final symptom of burnout is an agonizing feeling of not achieving which drives the previously mentioned sense of hopelessness. When I hear from my clients that everything is feeling too difficult I remind them that I know they love a challenge because if they didnt they wouldnt be riding horses. When we become tired and stressed we forget that growing through challenge is at the heart of what we love about horses. After all if we wanted easy we would be spending our hardearned money on holidays to Mexico instead of farrier bills and shavings! Choosing a life in the horse industry means we are choosing a certain amount of struggle. Burnout is less likely when we can expect struggle and accept it as a sign that we are doing challenging things and growing a whole lot as a result. Equally it is important that we do not expect ourselves to be superhuman. Long working hours and relatively little selfcare is highly normalized in the equestrian industry. Consider what you can do to challenge these norms by prioritizing more balance selfcare and fun. Doing so even a little bit will open the door for others to do the same. 
Suggested Exercise Practice finding small moments of achievement in a beautifully balanced transition a client clicking with the new horse you helped them find or a small step forward in your business. The truth is we all achieve things every day yet many of us have conditioned ourselves not to acknowledge these small but important steps of progress. Capture these moments for yourself either through journaling or by sharing them with a partner or colleague each day.
Less stick more carrot 
If you want a horse to move in a particular direction you could chase him forward with
a stick or coax him forward with a carrot. Both would no doubt work but only one would build a strong connection with him in the long term. Now imagine that your drive and love of horses is that horse. If you chase yourself forward towards your goals with unrealistic expectations harsh selfcriticism and fear you will feel more and more disconnected from that drive and love inviting burnout. However if you coax yourself forward with realistic and reasonable expectations kind words trust selfbelief and appropriate rest your connection to your own drive and energy source will strengthen and deepen with time in a way that makes you unstoppable.