Horses and the workplace
Over the last year or so, I’ve found that my sport no longer has a place to be discussed at work. It’s not that I’m not proud, or less involved, or even doing less. My coworkers and management team seem to perceive horses as 1. only for fun, should always come second to work and 2. for the rich.
I have some basic problems with #1, but it’s above my pay grade to solve. I’ve opted for “out of office” on my calendar during my barn hours.
#2 is definitely not true for many of us. I was earning close to minimum wage for the area when I got Fetti. I just made very different choices than many of my peers. I’m making more now, but still less than most of my colleagues (tech problems when I’m not an engineer). Nonetheless, “horse” still carries an elitist connotation, especially in an area of the state where it’s super uncommon and I am almost certainly the only equestrian they know.
For now, I’ve opted for completely separating my work from the rest of my life. I don’t talk about what I’m doing on the weekends, I don’t tell funny pony stories (oddly enough, a highlight for some customers at my last job!), I removed any pony photos from my internal bio.
How do the rest of you handle pony/work separation? Any recommendations?
I used to have a great boss and co-workers who understood my child had 4 legs, needed to see the doctor (vet appointments) and loved to hear our adventures. Now I don’t, and just keep it to myself, their idea of adventure is taking a walk around the block. I don’t even explain my weekends. I guess one more reason to blog!
Animals in general are one of the few personal things I will talk about at work, I’ve gotten a few odd comments from a superior “All you talk about is horses” (damn straight, I want to keep my personal life to myself, thank you very much, lol), but most of the folks I work with directly love animals, have dogs/sheep/cows and had horses/kids had horses. It’s not seen so much as a luxury here: a lot of folks have their horses on property (and boarding options are few!!). The Bay is certainly a strange strange bubble, for sure! Lots o’ hugs! And we love hearing about your horsey adventures!
My boss has two horses on his farm, but he’s allergic to them and doesn’t get them personally. Still, he’s never hesitated to give me the time I need – I’ve called out sick more than once for vet emergencies.
I think my coworkers mostly roll their eyes at this point.