Trying to balance horses and life can feel like being in a battle with the clock—there’s never enough time to do everything you hoped to when you woke up in the morning. I love seeing the day-to-day doings of the average adult ammy’s life, so welcome to (almost) 24 hours in mine.
I’ve done two of these before, one during college and one shortly after I started my job, but it has been three years and life has changed a bit since then.
Wednesday, March 13th, 2019
7:00AM – Groan because I told myself I would go to the gym before work but daylight savings was a few days ago and getting up half an hour earlier feels like an hour and a half. Proceed to lay in bed and contemplate not going but decide that I am already too awake to go back to sleep, so I might as well not be lazy.
7:15AM – Stuff work clothes, some post-gym toiletries (so I don’t smell and feel gross all day at work), and riding clothes into my bag; grab dirty tall boots off the floor; somehow balance holding my lunch, phone, and keys in my other hand; and head out the door.
7:30AM – Get to the gym, swipe in, and ditch my jacket and keys in the locker while praying no one steals anything. Get to sweating—scroll through social media during cardio (because distraction is the only way I can put up with cardio) and be thankful I don’t have to steal the weight machines from anyone because it’s seven-freaking-something in the morning and no one is at the gym. Fangirl for a minute when whoever runs Laura Graves’ Instagram likes a photo of her on my photography account.
8:15AM – Realize that I should’ve gotten up earlier because now I have to cut my workout short to get to work on time. Run back to the car. Still find some time to stop at Panera (bless the drive-through) for a bagel and some caffeine.
8:35AM – Get to work and just barely punch in on time. Mentally thank whoever invented makeup/cleansing wipes as I try to scrub away the sweaty evidence of the gym off my face. Change into normal human clothes, do my brows in the dimly lit bathroom mirror, and pile on the deodorant all while discussing the weekend’s shenanigans with my co-worker.
8:45AM – Finally sit down to go through the weekend’s emails and organize my inbox. (I can’t do anything else at work until this is done or I might explode from the feeling of disorganization.) Spend the next hour posting press releases online, updating social media platforms, and being thankful that this is a pretty chill time at work because I’m tired.
10:00AM – Spend the next few hours editing freelance articles for the next issue (May, which is confusing when you’re still signing off on April and it is March in real life) because my freelancers are the best and send stuff in early, find photos to go along with said articles, send emails, and do other work-related things. Start working on my columns for the next issue and be surprised that I somehow have my shit together and am not rushing to meet my deadline. Spend a few hours researching, writing, and photo editing for said columns.
2:00PM – Realize I’m starving and eat my lunch at my desk while scrolling through social media because god forbid I just sit and enjoy something (that something was delicious sweet potato gnocchi and broccoli from dinner the night before) without a distraction. Post and update things on my blog and photography websites. Get hit by my daily “two o’clock low” that makes me feel like I just want a nap after lunch.
2:30PM – Spend the rest of the day answering emails, working on columns and editing various things in preparation of next week’s edit close deadline, and scheduling ads and various posts for the website.
4:45PM – Grab my barn clothes and quickly change so I am 100% ready to go when the clock turns to 5:00.
5:00PM – Punch out, lock up, and head to the barn, appreciating how light out it is and thinking that maybe daylight savings isn’t the worst thing in the world. Thank whoever created podcasts for making the drive less torturous.
5:45PM – Get to the barn, trudge through the mud to bring Ax in (the warmth has started to melt the snow, which really just made the ground covered in two inches of mud), stuff him full of cookies and have a quick snuggle, groom, tack up, and walk down to the indoor.
6:15PM – Mount up and ride for 30-ish minutes (because I usually ride longer on the weekends when I have more time, weekdays are often light hack days), being sure to give him a long, focused warm-up because the warmer temperatures have Spring Ax on the verge of coming out and I’m not ready for him. Head to the outdoor to play around in the snow because the indoor is boring and we’ve been in there for months. Hang on when Ax tries to buck me off for the first half of the right lead canter. Cool out on a loose rein and enjoy the little sunset.
6:45PM – Dismount and head back up to the barn, stopping to take a cute photo or two of Ax along the way. Untack, give him a good grooming, put all my stuff away, put his blanket back on, and stuff him full of more cookies.
7:30PM – Give Ax one last snuggle and a “see you tomorrow; be a good boy” before leaving. Drive home while listening to one of my favorite podcast’s new episodes.
7:45 – Walk into my apartment to my kitty, Aquinnah, demanding attention and plop on the couch to oblige. Stay there for longer than I should because, again, I’m tired, and then realize that I still have stuff to do before I can relax. Shower because I’ve basically been covered in dried sweat for 11 hours at this point but be too lazy to wash my hair (thank god for dry shampoo).
8:30PM – Make dinner (this night it was kale salad, salmon, and some pasta), eat while watching something on Netflix, make lunch for the next day with the leftovers, and dig into the stash of Girl Scout cookies I hid from myself in the freezer. Clean everything up, make sure the doors are locked, and finally retreat into the bedroom to relax (kinda).
9:30PM – Remove dirty gym clothes and work clothes from my bag, get my clothes ready for the next day, and continue watching Netflix and scrolling through social media while snuggling the cat until José gets home.
11:30PM – José is finally home, so I ask him about his day at work, snuggle the cat some more, and set my alarm for the morning.
12:00AM – Finally go to bed so I can wake up and do it all over again.
Breeches & Boat Shoes 
Thanks for sharing your experience. It has been very useful!
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