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The other night my husband crawled into bed, we stared at each other, and questioned how it could possibly be 9:30 already. Exhausted, we turned the lights off and went to bed. Well, he did. I stared into the dark room and thought about everything that needed to be done (because we all know that worrying about things solves a bunch of problems).

Whether you have a full-time job, young kids, or other adulting life to take care of, there always seems to be an ever-growing list of things that need to be done. Adulting with horses is challenging because there never seems to be enough hours in the day. It’s all about time management. Have you ever closely scrutinized how you spend your time and whether it’s consistent with your priorities?

In a world with limitless time, my tack would be cleaned after every ride. My bridles would be figure eighted. My horse’s mane and tail would be cut and pulled. There would be a perfectly trimmed bridle path. My horse would not have a speck of dirt on his legs. There wouldn’t be any shavings or hay in his tail when I rode. My hair would be pulled back into a perfect ponytail or bun. But instead, time is not limitless… so I let some things go and I try to be okay with it.

“Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.” ~ Harvey MacKay

Deciding What’s Important

Finding the right balance is the key to owning horses as an adult. What do you have to do? What can be put off for a while? For me, riding is a top priority. What do I have to do to make sure that I can ride? The horses have to be fed and have all of their essentials. I’ve boarded at a few barns where the owners often complained about not having enough time to ride. I’d watch them tend to their amazing flower beds, power wash the barn twice a month, and pick manure out of the pastures with pitchforks once a week. While all of that stuff was wonderful and made the barn a better place to be, was it really necessary? If riding is a top priority and goal, you have to let some of that stuff go! Who is going to make more gains in their riding: the rider that has the horse with the perfect tail? OR the rider that rides three or more times a week? What’s your goal? What can you let go of to allow yourself to have more time to work towards that goal? Now, if having the perfectly groomed horse is your thing, then by all means, you go for it! Do what makes you happy.

Nowadays, my boots aren’t cleaned after every ride. My horse’s crazy mane isn’t brushed all the time. His thick mane grows out to the point that he looks like a wild pony mixed with an Andalusian. But guess what? He doesn’t seem to care.

What I Don’t Mean

While I am probably encouraging you to cut corners in some places, I am not telling you to cut corners on anything that hurts your horse’s health, well-being, or safety as well as your own. If something needs to be done to prevent injury, then that is something you can’t ignore. Throwing a saddle pad over a horse that is caked in mud is not something I’m promoting. Horses can get sores from the saddle pad rubbing on top of the dirt. Skipping out on lunging your horse to save time is not good either. If your horse needs to be lunged for your safety, then do it!

Conclusion

When time is limited, you have to decide what you can cut out of your life to remain focused on your top priorities. This is your ticket to feeling guilt-free about not having to pull manes, clean tack after every ride, or whatever else may not feel important to do. Skip the things that are not essential and give yourself more time to accomplish what is important to you. If you need help figuring out what your goals are check out Goal Setting and Expectations. If you want to read more on improving your focus and how to take advantage of “opportunity cost,” check out this great read by Thibaut Meurisse called “Master Your Focus” on Amazon: https://amzn.to/34ir5r6.