Real Riders, Real Life: Beyond the Barn
There's a whole life behind every rider you see in the saddle. Real Riders, Real Life is our series celebrating the everyday adult riders who make up the Free Ride community: the riders hustling, the moms, the business owners, and the shift workers who balance full lives and still find their way to the barn.
You don't need a professional career, a big following, or a stacked show record to have a story worth telling. This month's rider proves it. She works 12-hour hospital shifts, homeschools four kids, and spent 33 years holding onto one childhood wish: a horse of her own.
Meet the Rider
- Who: Jenn W., nurse, homeschooling mom of four, and dog mom to three rescues
- Horse: Grey, a quick, opinionated mare who loves to jump
- Riding: On and off since childhood; riding consistently as an adult for about 3 years.
It Started Next Door
When I was five years old, my next-door neighbor took me to the barn to see her horse. I don't remember every detail of that day, but I remember the feeling. I came home and started begging my parents for riding lessons and a horse of my own. Honestly, I never really stopped.
I was the black sheep of my family, nobody else had any desire to have horses in their life the way I did. I took lessons on and off as a kid, but nothing ever stayed consistent long enough to stick. Horses lived in my heart, just not in my schedule. Life kept moving: school, nursing, marriage, four babies. The dream didn't go anywhere. It just waited.
Back to the Barn, Thanks to My Daughter
What finally brought me back wasn't my own plan. It was my oldest daughter. During COVID, she started riding as a form of therapy, a place to breathe when the world felt upside down. Somewhere along the way, it turned into a sport she loves.
So every week, there I was at the barn with her. Standing at the rail, watching her ride, soaking it all in. For a few years I lived vicariously through her, and I was genuinely happy doing it, but being that close to horses again stirred something up in me. With the encouragement of a friend, I finally decided to stop watching and start riding. I signed up for lessons of my own a couple of years ago, and I haven't looked back.
Meet Grey
I took the fast track to horse ownership. After riding consistently for a little over a year, and with the help of my amazing trainer, I bought my mare, Grey.
Grey has my heart. She is smart as a whip, fast as lightning, and can turn on a dime. She's selective about her friends, opinionated about pretty much everything, and an absolute cookie monster. She's also the best groomer: while I'm brushing her, she's busy licking me right back.
She loves to jump, and she is the best partner and teacher I could ever ask for. I have grown so much with her, as a rider and as a person.
Life Outside the Barn
I'm a nurse on our hospital's newborn admission team. On my days off, I'm homeschooling my four kids, ages 12, 11, 9, and 7, and whenever I can make it happen, I'm at the barn.
Our house is full. My husband and I have our four kids plus three rescue dogs. My girls all ride, and they also compete in travel gymnastics. My son is a taekwondo black belt. My husband travels for work. We live close to our parents and my siblings, so we're surrounded by a very supportive circle, which we absolutely need.
And then there's my best friend. We bought our horses around the same time, and now we juggle work, kids, CrossFit, and chaos together, and we ride together too. Having someone walking the same road makes all the difference.
In our family, "hard work pays off" has always been our motto. So has never letting fear stop us from chasing our dreams. My youngest daughter wears a bracelet that says "fearless" to remind her how courageous she is. Some days in the saddle, I think about that word too.
The Balancing Act
A typical week for me includes two or three 12-hour shifts at the hospital. Those days are long and hard. I work a lot of weekends so I can be home during the week to homeschool. My kids do a homeschool hybrid program and are on campus two days a week.
On home days, we get schoolwork done in the morning and try to get out to the barn before afternoon activities start. On lesson days, we ride in the evening. There are a lot of plates spinning and a fair amount of schedule coordinating that goes into making sure I get to ride. And every once in a while, I get really lucky and sneak out for an early solo morning ride. Just me, Grey, and a quiet barn. Those mornings are gold.
The hardest part isn't the logistics. It's feeling like I'm not giving everyone all of me. My kids are young and need so much of me, and I'm a Type A perfectionist overachiever. I want to give everyone my all, and sometimes I feel like I come up short. I work very hard to give every human and animal in my life the very best of me.
If you're asking whether there's been a season where it all felt like too much, I think I'm still in it. Between gymnastics, taekwondo, a husband who travels, hospital shifts, and homeschool, it's a lot. We make so many sacrifices, but we also make the effort to do the things we love because that matters too.
Do I feel guilty? All the time. That mom guilt is real, and it comes for both the horse and the humans. When I'm at the barn, I think about my kids. When I'm home, I think about Grey. What helps is reminding myself that "me" time isn't selfish. It's self-care, and I'm setting an example for my kids about what it looks like to take care of yourself and go after something you love. I couldn't do any of it without my husband, my family, and my best friend. They are my support system.
The Real Cost: Making It Work
Let's be honest: horses are expensive, and there's no magic trick. Here's how we make it work:
- I pick up extra on-call shifts at the hospital.
- I half lease Grey. It keeps costs manageable, and it means my girls get to ride her too.
- I have side work. I do legal nurse consulting and remote nursing on top of my hospital job. Always grinding.
To anyone who thinks riding is only for people with endless money, I'd tell you you're wrong. Endless money would be nice, but it's not our reality. We work hard to make it work, because we love it.
Growing With Grey
Right now, I'm working toward becoming the best partner I can be for Grey. Specifically, I'm working on being softer and more decisive.
The moment I'm proudest of doesn't involve a ribbon. When Grey first arrived, she and I had quite the learning curve. She's a smart mare with big opinions, I was still a fairly new rider, and there were days it would have been easy to doubt myself. I'm proud that I stuck with it. She has been the best thing to ever happen to me, and I love her so much.
My goals have never really been about ribbons. They're about self-growth and setting an example for my kids. I want them to see that hard work and sacrifice are part of achieving your dreams. From the time I was five, my wish was to have a horse and I never gave up on it. Thirty-three years later, that dream is my reality.
What I'd Tell You
If you're a rider who feels like it's all too much, between the bills, the schedule, and the self-doubt, here's what I'd say: you don't have to figure it all out overnight. Make a list. Figure out the things you can do to make it work. Make a schedule. Collaborate with friends. Having my best friend on this journey with me has been so helpful. And don't give up.
The thing I wish I'd understood sooner? Patience. Certain skills and knowledge only come with time. Don't rush the process. Enjoy it. There is always something to learn.
What Horses Give Me
Horses give me the freedom to be myself. They clear my mind and fill my heart and soul with so much joy that my whole body and nervous system are truly at ease when I'm with my horse.