Women don't 'Whoa' Part I
The equine industry is pretty much 24/7 for anyone who owns an equine or works in an equine business. Male, female, and gender neutral this is the case for all. Whether you are involved in equestrian sports, leisure, breeding and / or racing; no aspect will discriminate against the time involved.
However, let us focus on the female participants. Those fearsome females who not only are involved in the equine industry but have other businesses, jobs, a house to run and either have or are planning a family.
There are only 24 hours in a day yet they fit it all in, everything, inside they may silently be screaming afraid they will drop one of their many balls, but, on the outside they are conveying unquestionable competence going through what needs to be done with military precision.
To ensure things run as seamlessly as possible entails a huge mental load. Even if we are not physically 'doing' we have probably had to mentally organise it. If we have asked someone else to complete a task does it end up being a case where it would have been easier and quicker to do it ourselves? What exactly does this mean? Let us take a family with a child for instance - in basic terms was it all on us as a female to schedule; to coordinate and plan e.g. organise dinner; know when the child has to be picked up from school/creche; know the bedtime routine; have the clothes washed for the following day; make the decisions AND still have to go to work. Have some of these tasks been outsourced BUT we still have had to discuss what happens, when and how? How often is it the case where all these other duties have been done without us having to think about them?
This is the mental load. This is where women on the most part do not 'whoa.' We cannot. We do not know how. We have not been taught or offered the appropriate tools to help deal with this current society of work, work, family unit, work, friends, household running and yes more work. The burden of invisible labour. The never ending to-do list that is running through our head 24 hours a day. Having to spend an hour or so before or when in bed running through the list for tomorrow and the day after instead of sleeping and recovering.
To the ladies that carry the mental load......I see you.... I hear you.....!!......
.............and I have a few things that I have put in place myself that may help you in part II.
