Wednesday Morning Feed from World Equestrian Brands

Victoria Smith’s query yesterday about balancing horses with motherhood really struck a chord with Horse Nation. Thanks to everyone who offered good advice and encouragement–I know Victoria appreciated it, and I did as well.

Five years ago, the prospect of having kids was one of those things that loomed a little too far out on the horizon to feel tangible. I knew I wanted to be a mom someday, but “someday” felt like a long time away.

Now I’m 30 and six weeks away from being married to a man who can’t wait to be the best dad ever. “Someday” keeps creeping closer and closer. One of my riding students, an OB/GYN, keeps keeps reminding me that my window of peak childbearing age expires in less than five years. I used to think the idea of a biological clock was a myth, but now I know it’s real, ticking in my ear a little louder with every passing day.

The whole thing freaks me out a little, to tell you the truth. Especially because it messes with the overarching theme that I’ve lived by my entire life, a.k.a. “Horse are #1. Everything else is #2.”

I mean, what the heck? For 30 years, this paradigm has been working for me, and then life drops this bomb that something else may someday soon be as important to me as horses? Seriously? I still have so many fish to fry before I have kids: Badminton, Rolex, my Grand Prix showjumping debut, the 2014 WEG….  If I sound a little panicky, it’s because I’m panicking.

So, when I read Victoria’s post yesterday and the insightful comments from our Horse Nation community that followed, I was finally able to breathe a giant sigh of relief. Maybe motherhood won’t crush my horsey dreams after all. Maybe the two can happily coexist.

Go riding moms.

Video: You gotta hand it to them–kids on horses sure are cute. Here, I interview my student Mave, age 5.