11/05/2025
Appreciate your trainer.
We spend way more hours at work than you could even imagine. We are here six if not seven days a week every week. We work holidays. We work weekends. And just because our office is outside and we get to be surrounded by beautiful animals the whole time does not mean we aren’t working. The barn to you is your sanctuary. It’s your escape. It’s your place to vent. Your place to relax. Your place to unwind. That is not what the barn is to us. While we have moments of serenity when everything is quiet, this is still our job. We are still on the clock. We still need to be on our game. Always.
Our job is not just riding. We deal with all of you every day. Long before and long after we have come and gone from the barn. During dinners. During drinks with friends. During family time. On days off. We are here for you.
We care. We care more than you could ever know. Each and every horse is a part of our soul. We know their mannerisms. We meticulously watch their weight, their movement, monitor what they eat and how much of it, how much they work, whether they are happy doing their job, and how to make them go in a way that pleases you without jeopardizing them. We stay up late with them if they are sick. We write down every time they batted an eyelash wrong. And we remember what they need when.
We take pride in them going well for you. We listen to every flaw you find with them, even if it is in fact your flaw, and try to help them do their job better. When you are unhappy with how they go, we take it as a personal failure, and strive to never let it happen again, even if your expectations are unreasonable. We bend over backwards to make your horse perfect, even if what you’re asking for is a horse without spirit, or personality. We stand up for them when we can, trying our best not to make you upset in the process. They are our life’s work, and we know them inside and out.
We listen to you. Whether you are rational or not. We remain calm when you bring the stress of your day job to the barn and take it all out on your horse and on us. We pick up the pieces when you’ve been unforgiving with your horse, who was simply surprised by your lack of patience after a long day. We are their rock, their shoulder to cry on, and yours.
When we go home, we still reply to your texts and your emails and your calls. We are never off the clock. We take in stride as best we can your rants of frustration when your horse or your riding isn’t exactly where you want it to be exactly when you want it. We take the blame. For you. For your horse. For the rest of your life. For everything.
And yet here we are. Still showing up. Still being here for you. For your horse. No matter how you treat us. Regardless of whether you deserve us. We are here.
Appreciate your trainer.
