Shortly after graduating from college with a degree in public relations, I was at the beach with my parents and revealed to them I wasn’t sure if I actually wanted to pursue a career that related to my degree. Thanks to a less than enlightening experience meeting with a PR executive and an internship that made me intimately familiar with the walls of my cubicle and not much else, I became a bit disenchanted with the field. So while I figured out what to do, I went back to work in my home away from home – the barn.

“My office view for four months each year. Ringside at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival.” Photo by Laura Cardon.

I’d ridden horses since childhood and had worked in the barn at least part-time since obtaining my first work permit in high school. Horses have been my passion and a huge part of my life, so when I was looking for work again a few months later, I thought, “Maybe I’ll reconsider working in PR.” A company I had followed closely for years posted on their Facebook page that they were looking for an intern for one of the most prestigious equestrian competitions in the world – The FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival.

I still vividly remember reading the email that asked me to pack my bags and leave for Florida. I couldn’t have been more thrilled; the internship seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to continue working in an industry I loved, and I dove in head first. In a matter of days, I was headed south for the winter.

My internship turned into a part-time job, which turned into a full-time job that allowed me to meet some of the sport’s greatest athletes and work behind the scenes of the country’s most renowned competitions. My incredibly generous boss recommended me to her network of well-known equestrian journalist colleagues, and within a year of starting with her, my articles were published in multiple magazines. I even got the opportunity to be a freelance writer for the most prominent and respected publication in the industry.

I learned and experienced more than I could ever put into words during the last 18 months, but for all the incredible opportunities I was afforded, there was something eating at me. A need for normalcy. This job, on the outside, was very glamorous, but once you look closer, it also requires substantial sacrifice.

The horse show circuit follows good weather, and I spent my time traveling up and down the East Coast to various venues. I spent nearly four months of my year in Wellington, a small town in Florida that revolves around a horse show, far away from my friends and family. When I wasn’t in Florida, I was traveling elsewhere for a week or a month at a time.

I had just moved to Denver, and I realized I was barely able to enjoy actually living there. I have a wonderful boyfriend that I wanted to spend time with, and as my busy fall travel schedule rapidly approached, I made the decision to start looking elsewhere. I wanted an office…or even a cubicle! I wanted a place to work from in an actual building (not a tent, or a single-wide trailer) that I didn’t have to pack up every night and take home with me in a backpack.

I wanted to actually be able to collaborate with my colleagues on a regular basis, instead of having to look forward to seeing them two times a year at a horse show. It was time to move on, so I started reflecting on what else I loved and if I could find something I was equally passionate about.

Thankfully, working in PR allowed me to cast a wide net. I could work for an agency or for an individual company, and I eventually decided on a non-profit dedicated to preserving Colorado’s great outdoors. In a few weeks, I’ll go into an office at the same time each morning, dressed in clothes that are not my pajamas (bad things happen to good people that work from home too much), and sit down at my computer that stays at the office each night when I leave.

As I tell more of my co-workers that I’ll be leaving the horse show life soon, they often ask me whether I’ll miss it – or assure me that I will. The experience I have gained from a career in the equestrian industry is irreplaceable – it is difficult to find a set of harder working people. I will miss some parts of my horse show life, but I’m even more excited to have my only horse show days be the ones I will be attending as a spectator or competitor. But for now, I just can’t wait to start decorating my desk.

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Laura Cardon is a public relations professional living in Denver, CO. Originally from Maryland, Laura enjoys riding horses, hiking, and volunteering at the Denver Animal Shelter. In her spare time, Laura also shares her passion for the great outdoors with fellow beginner outdoors enthusiasts on her blog, Outdoors Beginner
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