For the last three years since moving to a new city, I’ve been in a really solid spot in ecommerce at a large pet store. It’s self-driven, pays well, comes with vacation time, and honestly. It’s comfortable. I know I could stay here for years and have security.

But the truth is, I’ve been missing the horse world. I grew up as a hunter-jumper rider and while I love all disciplines, I haven’t owned horses for years now. The past 2 years, I was riding at a stable just on lesson horses, when this August I started leasing a wonderful gelding and began jumping lessons again with a new coach. It’s been a refreshing reminder of how deeply horses fuel my soul, but I still feel like im missing something, im always tired from work and home life, and adding the drive to the stable 3 to 4 times a week can take the actual quality time with the horses away from me, even though I dont mean to.

Then out of nowhere - I stumbled across a live-in position at a stunning Dressage based stable (they dabble in jumpers too). I decided to take a shot and applied. To my surprise, I got a response and even an interview.

The position is morning stablehand work with afternoon exercise riding. The facility is gorgeous, the arena has cathedral ceilings, and everything is heated (luxury compared to some barns). It comes with a 3-bedroom apartment, which would be a huge help since my partner is in veterinary medicine school for the next three years. Plus, they’re fine with our animals (dog + 2 cats). Edit: I probably should have prefaced that I have worked at 2 large stables in the past, including a live in position but unfortunately that came to an end when I broke my foot and the owner deemed me useless lol

So what’s the catch? My anxiety.

A: Leaving a great job with steady pay and security.

B: Giving up an affordable, pet-friendly apartment we’ve had for years, with great landlords.

C: What if the work isn’t what it seems? We all know there are some barns that look great on the outside but are not-so-great once you’re in the thick of it.

It feels like the safest choice is staying where I am, but the most soul-fulfilling choice might be taking the leap. I guess this is one of those crossroads where logic and passion wrestle each other. And thats why I am here asking my fellow horse-lovers some insight to my thoughts :)

TLDR: I’m in a stable (pun intended) ecommerce career with great pay and an affordable apartment with my partner. But I’ve been missing horses, and now I’ve been offered an interview for a live-in barn position that includes exercise riding + a 3-bedroom apartment. It feels like a dream, but leaving comfort for the unknown is scary.

Some photos for you to enjoy, I dont want to share too much info though:

Autumn Leaf said:

You should try it! Stepping outside your comfort zone is good at some point. If you don't like the job, you can always, probably, go back to the job you were at before. Also, if you got into this stable, you can probably get into another stable with the same resume easily

FirstLightFarms said:

I'm saying this as somebody who's living paycheck to paycheck and now scrambling to afford emergency vet bills on a horse, physically exhausted and anxious and sad with a job as a horse trainer.

Follow your heart.

We really only have this one life. Horse work can be soul sucking, long hours, and the pay isn't fantastic. But it's not in an office. You're going to see some gorgeous sunrises, amazing sunsets, and everything in between. You're going to be cold in the winter and hot in the summer. And you're going to be so much more connected to the world around you than in an office job.

And honestly, if it doesn't work out, you have the e-commerce job on your resume. You can go back and find similar opportunities. Or use your current offer as leverage to work less hours so you can get more barn time. There are other options- neither of what you have right now is for forever, and that's actually pretty comforting.

Coruscant Farm said:

I'm going to go against the grain a little, as someone that's worked for a stable especially and used to have to basically corner the owner just to get my paycheck because she tried avoiding paying me as much as she could (and I put up with that for way too long, a full year almost), please check the reputation of this place thoroughly before committing to it, and if you can, talk to someone that's already worked for the owners. You said you already had a live in horse job and lost it due to injury. what if that happens again? the older we get, the more of a safety net we need. If you take the plunge, if you can I'd try to hold on to that pet job too for awhile, drop down to evenings part time if you can just in case this stable job doesn't work out, with the hope they'll let you go back to what you are currently working. Especially because if it doesn't work out not only are you out of a job, but also a home. like there is a lot of risk involved here, in an economy that's not very good for that. I'm speaking as someone that got laid off at the beginning of the year too and was very lucky to find a job equal to what I lost, I was scared. like I get follow your heart, and I agree, life is short and we should definitely do things that make us happy. just be smart about it, and don't follow your heart if it's gonna cause you to take steps backwards. especially if you have dependents on you, like your lovely kitty cats. like I'm not saying to not take the risk, I'm saying if it seems like an offer/opportunity that's too good to be true, always take it as being that way and make sure you know what you're getting into before jumping in.

Good luck whatever you decide, I hope you find a place where you are comfortable and happy in your decision and whichever path you take works out and makes you happy!!

Thank you everyone for your feedback and advice! I did end up doing a working day at the place, and ultimately decided to say no. It turned out to be quite sketchy, the owner actually kept making excuses to show me the apartment as well, saying that the previous girl was moving out (which, I understand but if you are moving in the normal world, you still have to show your house to potential buyers or renters)

The trial day itself was fairly standard, but I was really disappointed to learn that their horses only get about 7 hours of turnout a day. That was a big red flag for me. Alot of the horses were in a pissy mood in the stalls, biting and knawing stalls, which from experience I 100% know is from the amount of time in stalls.

When I asked about wages, it was exactly as many of you suspected, there are no raises, even after years of working there. The “benefits,” according to the owner, were things like being able to ride their horses and having a few show expenses covered.

Interestingly, she later emailed me saying it “wouldn’t be a good fit” because she didn’t agree with the questions I asked about pay. So I think it’s safe to say I dodged a bullet!

I just hope that whoever ends up taking the position really enjoys it and doesn’t get caught in the cycle of trading long, labor-intensive days for the vague promise of “riding opportunities” instead of fair compensation or benefits.