Working and Winning - James Ferrier

James Ferrier - Eventer and Graduate Landscape Architect.

James, what does a normal working week look like for you in your job as a Graduate Landscape Architect?
At the moment, my normal working week is Monday to Friday 8.30am – 5.30pm in the office which means that I have to be up and on the first horse by 5.00am to get three horses done before I leave home at 8.00am. I’m usually on a horse by 6.15 – 6.30pm in the evenings and can have two horses done before 8.00pm. We have lights on the arena which helps when the daylight hours get quite short.

What commitments do you have at the stables before, and after work?
I don’t actually have any stables yet, although they are on their way as we’re building a new shed but generally I don’t do feed up AM or PM as we run an agistment business from the property so Mum is usually in charge of that with her three canine offsiders.

How many horses do you have in work and what is their workload?
It tends to fluctuate week to week but I can have as many as eight in work at any one time. I currently have Sidestep who is looking like he will have a 3* (or is it 4*?) start this year in addition to two horses competing at EvA105 level, two EvA80/95 horses plus a youngster that we bred. I also ride some client horses throughout the week either at home or at their properties of an evening if they have lighting. Sidestep is in work six days a week and the others are between three to five days a week at the moment but leading into a 3DE they might add an extra fitness day in here or there depending on how they are feeling.

Eventing preparation takes a lot of time and effort, how do you make it all happen and keep your horses fit on limited time?
It is very much just about being organised. I have a roadmap for each horse for their season goals and then work backwards from that to work out how large their workload is week to week and then assess them based on that during events and in training. I’m very lucky that my partner Danielle is also a professional rider and trainer so she is able to help me out with tacking, untacking, and riding in the mornings when she has time which is a huge help. I also try to be very efficient with how I work the horses, which is something that you learn with experience as you have to make every single stride count, ride every stride or footfall otherwise you’ll be floating around the arena without having actually achieved what you set out to. You also have to recognise when the horse is physically, or more importantly mentally, over the workout and call it earlier than you think you should. I’m very privileged to have dedicated workspaces for both flatwork and jumping so setting up jumping exercises is something I try to do over the weekend for the week ahead. My parents are also very supportive of the lifestyle and with the agistment business Mum is generally around during the day if there are any appointments for the horses such as farriers, vets, physios etc.

Do you do any fitness work other than riding?
I try to get to the gym three to four times a week for at least 30 minutes. I find that it is good for injury prevention and helps your mental resilience, which is something we often neglect when focusing on riding the horses. You can learn things from other sports or exercise that you cannot learn whilst riding a horse. I find that what we learn outside of the arena, defines our capacity to be a good rider/trainer just as much as what we learn on a horse.

What are some of your proudest moments in your riding career and in your job?
There have been a few. Certainly completing my first 1 star and 2 star events were big milestones. Last year, however, was probably my most successful in terms of competitions as Sidestep had some good placings at 1 star level, won the Aquis Racehorse Retraining Triequithon at Doomben before picking up his first official win in the 1 star at Warwick. We finished off the Queensland season with a 2 star win at Tamborine before heading to Wallaby Hill CCI two star to finish 8th around a tough course. That last event was probably the most special because it confirmed in my mind that he was a proper horse.
I haven’t been long in the job but I guess that working on projects that substantially improve the quality of life that people have through well considered design is certainly satisfying. For instance, the office is currently working on a number of projects for aged care facilities specifically aimed at people with Alzheimer’s disease which requires special design considerations that can help people re-wire their brain and assist in jogging their memories.

Do you have a strapper to help you on the morning of a competition and what jobs do they assist with?
Dani and I tend to assist one another although we do occasionally conscript students or their parents into holding horses or untacking/washing them. Otherwise I always do my own tacking, as then there is no one else to blame if something is not done correctly. We’re looking at hiring someone to assist at shows and during the mornings once the stables are up and running.

What do you do after a weekend comp, to prepare for the next weekend’s comp?
We try to avoid back to back competitions, both for the horse’s sake and our own. Generally the first job is unpacking and cleaning gear and then replacing anything that lives in the truck/float ready for the next show. I try to trot each horse up on Monday mornings just to make sure they’re feeling good.

Out of your four weeks annual leave, how much of that is used for competitions?
Not much, maybe a few days as I try to take some time away from horses over the summer when it is too hot to ride. Obviously interstate events may require a day or two off either side of the major events.

How many events would you do in a year?
In December, January and February there isn’t much on in Queensland due to the weather but we try to limit ourselves to two shows per month, although with the show schedules that may vary. We’re planning to do some more jumping and dressage shows this year and only target specific eventing competitions due to the time factor. In terms of travel, we usually limit ourselves to two to three interstate events each year due to the cost and the time lost. Luckily in Southeast Queensland many of the events are closer than three hours from where we are in Samford, north of Brisbane.

Do you do anything in the off season with your horses?
Not really, the top horses usually have three to four weeks off after their last show and then come back into light work three days a week, and then ramp up their workload from there. In the off season we try to focus on the young horses that need some extra attention or just take some time off for ourselves. The horses might do more hacking out and focus on having fun rather than doing arena work.

How do you balance work, family, social life and competitions?
With difficulty. I certainly haven’t worked out a perfect solution and honestly I don’t think there is one for every situation. I’m very lucky to have a supportive partner and parents who make the whole thing much easier, but some days you do feel like it’s all a bit much, but then you have that one ride on a horse that decides that today is the day to do perfect flying changes, or really try over a jump, and somehow it all seems worth it.

What sacrifices do you have to make to do it all, and do it all successfully?
Look you have to make compromises in every area in order to make it happen. You have to be determined to do it otherwise the reality of how many hours you will spend on your feet will overwhelm you.

What words of advice can you give to other amateur riders who want success in all aspects of their life?
Be determined to succeed but don’t restrict yourself with a preconceived notion of what success is. It is all relative to your own situation and looking at what other people are doing through the lens of social media is only going to make you feel unsatisfied with your own achievements. People only post the good moments of their lives and create a curated image of themselves so don’t get too caught up with feeling like you need to catch up. Be patient, opportunities will come to you and you will learn how to recognise them and never pass up an opportunity to learn something new, even if it is learning how NOT to do something.

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