Work-horse balance
How I make my life work: from eating on the run to meticulous planning and great family support
The McTimoney Practitioner
Rachael Barker, 34, is a full-time equine and canine McTimoney Practitioner based in Sandiacre, Derbyshire. She has run her own company, Optimal Equine, for five years and has four horses. Rachael is a Petplan Equine ambassador and competes in dressage and side-saddle classes.
My typical day…
My day depends on how far I have to travel to treat a horse — 50 miles is the furthest I go. I work all over the East Midlands and see between two and eight horses a day. I have my regular clients who book in for their check-ups like clockwork, plus people who ring when they’ve got an issue and I’ll slot them in. As well as McTimoney, I offer massages and last year I qualified as a saddle fitter, so I offer an all-round package. It takes between 45 and 90 minutes to treat a horse. I also treat some dogs. The days can be long and sometimes I won’t get home until 9.30pm. There might be two horses booked in for a day and I’ll finish early, or it’s the polar opposite and I work from 8am to 8pm.
Finding time to eat…
I eat on the go and I’m a regular at my local burger van. I like to eat enough to start the day properly, because once I get going, it only takes one horse to run over time and then I’m straight from treating one horse to the next and there’s no chance to stop in between. I always have squash in the van and I have a proper meal for dinner in the evening. That’s the great thing about living at home with my parents — my mum, Sharon, cooks.
Fitting in my horses…
I like to get the big jobs like mucking out done in the morning. Then if I get held up somewhere or something happens — like being kicked, which can happen when you work with horses — everything is done other than bringing in from the field and feeding. My work is risky because people call when their horses are sore. They might try to bite, kick or squash me against the wall, because there’s no other way to say “it hurts”.
Finding time to ride…
Some days I’ll have a gap at lunchtime or in the afternoon. Most people want me to visit in the evening after they’re home from work, so I can fit riding in around that. My horses aren’t in a set riding routine, so they’re not bothered when I turn up in the middle of the day to bring them in. If I get a gap because of a cancellation, I’ll ride or try to book a lesson.
How I juggle work and horses…
I plan my work schedule about two weeks ahead. The joy of self-employment means I can give myself one day off a week, usually Monday. At the beginning of the year I put dates on a big wall planner and fill in when entries have to be in so that I don’t miss them. Having Mondays off works well because if I’m going to a county show on the Sunday, I’ll often leave home at 4am and not get back until 10pm. I don’t want to work tired the next day, because I’m not as effective, plus it means I can take the other horses out and tidy up after the show.
My secret to being stress-free…
Juggling four horses with work is tiring and it can be stressful, and being organised is the only way to make it work. I’m very logical — my dad was an engineer so I’ve been brought
up to plan and think that way — and I plan when I’m riding and make time for my own horses in advance. At the weekends I make sure I’ve got enough hay and feed so that I won’t run out mid-week. I can’t wake up in the morning without a plan, because then I won’t fit everything in.
My horses…
I have four horses. My retired eventer, Sleet, who’s 18; Tristan, a four-year-old coloured pony who does coloured and lead-rein classes with my neighbour’s daughter, Lexi Barfield; Lord Gale, an ex-racehorse I compete in dressage; and Goodmans Gift, who I plan to event and ride side-saddle. He belongs to my non-horsey sister, Roxanne, and her husband, whose company Goodmans Corporate Finance sponsor him. I also ride Kingsclough Masquerade for Amanda Chatfield. I compete him the most. He lives with Amanda in Staffordshire, which is an hour away from home, and we meet in the middle about once a month and hire an arena. I’ll also go to her yard to hack out.
Having my own yard…
I rent a yard in Draycott, which is five minutes from home. My family, especially my dad, Ray, are very hands-on and I’ve also got a couple of friends who come to ride. So if I’m running late or something goes wrong at work, I’ve got a good network of reliable, horsey people to call on. If it’s a hot day and too warm for my terrier, Tin Tin, to be in the van, I’ll leave him with my parents and Dad will walk him. I rehomed Tin Tin from Dogs Trust a few years ago.
How I got my job…
After college I worked for a showing producer. But after riding their horses, as well as studying and working in a bar, I found myself losing interest in my own horses. So I looked for something else that was still horse-related. I enjoyed biomechanics as part of my equine sports science degree and I went on to do my masters at the McTimoney College of Chiropractic.
NEXT MONTH The amateur juggling pensions and mucking out
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