The work-life balance

With horses taking priority, time off is often seen as a luxury, not a necessity, for most professional riders. Ellie Hughes chats to those who do make time for themselves and their family, and finds out how they do it

- Ellie Hughes

IF there is one thing Jonelle Price savours as much as whizzing round a five-star it is rustling up a Sunday roast. A sit-down lunch with husband Tim and their young children Otis and Abel is a weekend ritual the 2018 Badminton champion particularly looks forward to – especially during the offseason – having spent most of the year living out of a horsebox.

“We would normally go to New Zealand in the winter to catch up with family, but with the pandemic that wasn’t possible,” she says. “But we are still very strict about having family time. We only ride Monday to Friday and spend the weekends doing things together with the children.”

Work-life balance is a subject to which Jonelle has given much consideration.

“I like to think we have got it about right,” she says. “It’s something that has always been important to Tim and me, but now that we have two young children we’re adamant about it.”

In some ways the Prices are in the minority, though. Performance psychologist Charlie Unwin, who provides mental coaching for riders through his programme Centre 10, says riders are notoriously bad at taking time off.

“Riders are very good at coming up with excuses,” he says. “Too many horses to ride, too much admin to catch up on… And there is this outdated, bullish notion that the more hours you spend in the saddle the more likely you are to succeed.