Balancing School and Riding

As we all know, school is important. However, just because you’re hitting the books doesn’t mean your riding goals need to come to a halt. We chatted with three high school students—Lila, Emma, and Ryleigh—to learn their tips for balancing riding horses and school.

Lila is in 9th grade and is homeschooled. She has been riding for around three years and focuses on eventing. She is competing her lease horse, Viva, at Beginner Novice. 

Emma also events. She leases a horse, Oliver, and is in 10th grade at a public school. She, along with Lila, are members of the Keeneland Pony Club in Lexington, Ky., and participate in camps, rallies, and other Pony Club activities.

Ryleigh just finished high school and is now aiming to ride dressage professionally. She attended cyber school and has big riding goals. She also plans to start her own training business. 

What is your typical daily schedule like?

Lila: I typically get to the barn every morning around 8 a.m. My mom and I do chores, which usually takes about an hour. I then come inside and do my schoolwork and relax a little. Around 1 p.m., I head back out and start riding and doing horse chores.

Emma: I go to school from 8:25 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. I try to make it to the barn by 4:30 p.m., then be home by 6:45 p.m. to do homework.

Ryleigh: I usually spend the mornings at the barn, working and riding, and then do schoolwork in the afternoon and into the evening.

How do you make up missed schoolwork while attending horse shows?

Lila: As a homeschooler, it is much easier for me to make up my work. I usually will just do my work over the weekend if I miss weekdays for a show.

Emma: I try to ask my teachers a couple days before I miss school what I will need to make up for the following days. If it’s something easy or something that I have already completed, I will do it before the show. 

Ryleigh: I either get my schoolwork done before I leave for the show, or I stay home from the barn the day after the show to get caught up.

How to you keep your priorities focused with both your academic and riding goals?

Lila: I like to set up a weekly school calendar. That way I know what I need to complete every week. I set a goal at the beginning of the year so I know when I would like to have all my school finished. I know what I need to accomplish in the school year, so I make sure I do enough every day and week. I don’t really do many other things other than school and riding, so meeting goals and expectations in both tends to be easy for me. 

Emma: I think that it’s very important to have goals set in both academics and riding that you are working toward. I know that almost every kid would much rather ride all day than sit in school. However, school is very important. Having specific goals that you are working for help you remember to balance both. These goals can also change multiple times over the year, depending on what happens in school, outside of school, and at the barn.

Ryleigh: My mother plays a big part in keeping me focused on schoolwork. She’s the main reason I got it done. I am very goal-driven with my riding, and I knew I had to get through school to be able to ride. With cyber school, having live classes made it easier to follow along, but I also had the option to get my work done beforehand and skip the live classes. But the live classes made it so that if I had questions, I could ask them. 

How does your schoolwork help with riding goals?

Lila: I am currently studying acupressure with my daily schoolwork. I hope in the future to do equine acupressure as either my main or side job.

Emma: In my opinion, riding goals are harder to meet than school goals because horses can be unpredictable. However, schoolwork can teach you the importance of deadlines, the repetition of certain work, and focus.

Ryleigh: I plan on getting a business degree online to help me build my dressage training business. I want my own business to be successful and I know that a degree will help with that. 

What are some benefits of your type of school?

Lila: Free time and flexibility. As an equestrian, I am always busy! Being homeschooled and having that flexibility to change things around is very helpful and takes a lot of the stress off.

Emma: Riding is a very time-consuming sport. In my experience, it can become your main focus when you spend all day at the barn. However, in public school, I have made so many friends that have nothing to do with riding and I have met so many people outside of riding. The diversity is good. 

Ryleigh: The flexibility is huge. I can work, go to clinics, and go to shows.

Are there any negatives to your type of school?

Lila: One downfall of being homeschooled is losing communication with friends you met in school, if you started off going to school in-person. 

Emma: You have less time at the barn. My school days are close to seven hours long, and I still have homework to do after. Trying to fit in eight classes per semester while riding can be hard. Staying focused on my goals in both school and riding helps! 

Ryleigh: The flexibility! You have to make sure you actually do your schoolwork and not just spend all day every day at the barn.

What advice do you have for other kids going to your type of school?

Lila: The best advice I can give is to stay organized. Keep a weekly or monthly planner and plan out your schoolwork. That way on busy days, you already know what works needs to be done. 

Emma: I know that horses will almost always come first in our minds. However, make sure to pay attention and try hard in class. Going to school to get a job is what will help us pay for our horses when we are older! 

Ryleigh: Make sure you have a schedule. Don’t stay up until 2 a.m. getting your work done and then go to the barn at 6 a.m. the next day. That doesn’t work very well. Making a schedule that works for you and gives you enough time to keep your horses going is very important.

What made you decide to go to your type of school?

Lila: I decided to home school in the middle of 5th grade, before I even started riding. Being in a school environment was very stressful for me, and homeschooling was a good option to take the stress away so I could continue excelling in my academic career.

Emma: All of my siblings and I have always been in public schools, and I have always liked it! 

Ryleigh: I chose cyber school for the flexibility and to have enough time to get everything done. I like having teachers available for all of my classes to ask questions when I need, which I wouldn’t have with traditional home schooling. 

When was a time you had to balance schoolwork and riding goals?

Lila: There have been many times when we go cross-country schooling or go off the farm with horses. In the car on the way to where we are going is when I would typically do my school work, and if I have more, I do it later that night.

Emma: Last year, I went to an event in November at River Glen in Tennessee. I had to prepare for the event after school. Because of this, I got all of my schoolwork done a few days beforehand so that I could pack up and clean all of my tack the without having to stress out about my homework.

Ryleigh: Last year I did a intensive summer training program with Lendon Gray. My classes started before I got home, and I was able to do schoolwork during the lunch break or in the evenings so I didn’t get behind. I still had time to take care of the horses and got to go train while also going to school at the same time. 

Emma, Lila, and Ryleigh all work hard to fit everything into their busy schedules, but with some careful planning and staying focused, you can keep your riding goals going strong this school year!

Read More: Balancing School Work and Riding

This article about balancing school and riding horses appeared in the September/October 2023 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!