Moving to non-horsey area

[fordtraktor]

Honestly, I switched disciplines.

I was a pure jumper person, but I dabbled in Eventing and am now a pure Dressage Queen. It’s actually a great fit for my very Type A, attention to detail self. I miss jumping sometimes, but I am enjoying being competitive again. I hop my horse over the occasional jump when I feel like it.

I did some barrel racing as a kid—it’s a huge rush. Maybe take a couple of lessons and see what you think? Plus you could maybe retire your track baby to be a barrel horse!

[mychestnutvalentine]

I was in a similar situation to you however I am an eventer- I had no conveniently placed barns within budget, anything in budget was very pricey due to the area and I have an hour commute to work so mornings worked best for me. It was hard finding a barn that would allow me to come out in the early morning.

I ended up moving to a barrel racing barn with my eventer. My trainer would commute out early in the morning twice a month and I would get out in the arena at 6:30, set jumps, be on by 7:15 to be off by 8:00, remove jumps and out the door by 8:45 to drive the 15 min to work.

I really enjoyed the barrel racing barn. They did things a little differently than some English barns but my guy did well there.

I ended up having him leased out by a good friends park district program to be used for novice riders. I sold my horse trailer and am saving for my own property.

It’s hard taking a pause in riding or being in a different than norm situation but there is always a silver lining. I will be in a better financial position and have a better set up for him when I am ready to take him out of the program.

If you can’t seem to make your barrel racing barn work, consider doing a lease in the meantime to get your options together for next year.

Edit: spelling and grammar