Schedule Change For The Better

I'm very lucky that my job lends itself to being more flexible than some. My work can very easily be done remotely, in fact I work remotely one day a week. On top of that, I have been toying with schedule changes that will allow me to ride more easily during the work week.

As everyone knows, training progress requires more riding than just on weekends. As all adult amateurs know, riding during the work week often requires immense amounts of will power and the ability to actually move through space and time.

Typically I've done all my work week riding in the evenings. For awhile I would leave work and drive straight to the barn, requiring me to leave work on time and spend only 90 minutes at the barn. With no one to let the dog out, I needed to be home as fast as possible. Moving into the city allowed me to cut my driving down to only trips to the barn, but it also meant I had to ride the train 30 minutes home before embarking on mid-rush hour drives out to the country. This was not ideal. I found myself getting home at 9 or even 10 pm, and always riding in the dark during winter. Sleep was getting hard to come by, and feeding myself healthy food was equally difficult. I did enjoy taking the dogs with me every day, though.

With growing work responsibilities, I had another problem to contend with— staying late. With more work comes more hours to put in the work. Staying even 30 minutes late could mean the difference between being able to fit a trip to the barn in my schedule or not. After months of having my riding time cut out of my days, I needed a change. So, I proposed an idea to my management and they accepted.

Now I ride in the mornings. The change isn't without it's own challenges, but I am on my second month of the new schedule and really enjoying it.

The idea was to ride before work, coming in late on the days I come into the office and ride (Wednesdays and Fridays). This allows me to stay late when I need to, but still get my horse ridden. The schedule is hard, but takes a lot of stress out of my planning. That makes a huge difference.

Here's what a typical work week riding day for me looks like now:
5:10 am - Wake up, check the weather, get dressed, feed the dogs, make tea, grab a protein bar, jump in the car. (20 minutes)
6:30 am - Arrive at the farm. Tack up the horse. (15 minutes)
6:45 am - Ride. Part of each ride is a hack around the fields with the dogs. If pouring or otherwise needed for training, I might divide my ride between ring and field. (1 hour)

7:45 am - Load up the dogs and head back home. (1 hour drive)
8:45 am - Park at home, make more tea, shower/change, grab my stuff, kiss the doggos goodbye. (15-30 minutes)
9:15 am - Hop on the train to work. (30 minutes)
9:50 am - Arrive at the office and get to work.

My schedule dictates I work until around 6pm, though often I do leave a little earlier or later. I usually try to go for a run when I get home, then settle in to do a little more work or just decompress from the day. I'm typically in bed by 9:30 or 10.

Sometimes we even have time to check in on Pig! Though usually only time to ride him on my WFH days where I save a 2nd commute time.

For those of you noticing I only spend about 75 minutes at the farm? The small amount of time at the barn doesn't really cramp my style. That's all I need to whack the mud off my horse and get in 25-45 minutes of riding. Planning out my riding goals means I arrive each day with what I want to work on. Having a set time limit means I can't let myself pick fights or drill. This actually leads to more productive training in the long run for me. Plus, I save all my longer grooming and tasks for weekends, when I can stay at the farm as long as I want.

Yes, I might be posting sunrise photos just to make y'all super jealous. Is it working?

The fact that I have weeknight evenings to myself for the first time in actual years is wild. The benefits are massive. I'm actually getting to bed on time and sleeping enough. I'm on track with my running goals, and hitting the gym more too. I'm able to go out with friends and attend the interesting events across DC. I stay at work later as needed without feeling guilty or like my dogs are missing out. Plus, the girls get to run around the fields almost every day, which means they're happier, more tired, and more content while I'm gone at the office. Riding in the evenings meant a lot of rides where they had to stay in the car because it was dark and I could only ride in the ring.

While I haven't created time, it feels like there's more for all these things!

On top of everything, I'm even spending less time in the car. Morning rush hour back to the city isn't half as bad as evening rush hour to the country. Doing this drive instead of my evening commute saves me 10-20 minutes. Plus my early morning commute to the farm is extremely quick and easy (well... as quick as physically possible), as almost no one is on the roads that early.

This schedule isn't for someone who doesn't love early mornings, and it requires a support system at work willing to allow some flexibility with work hours. However, I'd recommend this schedule to anyone facing similar issues to me. It really works. Plus, the sunrise view between the ears of your horse is 100% worth the work.

And seriously, those sunrises are always stunning.

Do any of you use an alternative schedule to allow you to ride more often? Have you ever changed your schedule and found it's helped or hindered in the rest of your life?