Working & Winning - Steph Barrington

This story is from the August 2019 Horse Deals magazine.

Steph, what does a normal working week look like for you in your job as a National Account Manager for L’Oréal Australia? At the moment, no two weeks are the same. It’s a fun and exciting company to work for. Our office is on St Kilda Road, we are lucky to have a beautiful 13-floor building overlooking Albert Park. Most days I’m there, however as I look after our brands in Woolworths, their Head Office is in Sydney, so lately I’ve been flying up there for weekly meetings. I enjoy the travel and the flexibility of being able to work from home sometimes too.

What commitments do you have at the stables before and after work? I grew up down on the Mornington Peninsula at ‘Barrington Park’, however since joining the corporate world I now live halfway between the peninsula and the city. I am so lucky to have had such supportive parents as they cared for the horses at Barrington Park and Rebelle is in horse heaven over at Romsey Park with Greg and Terry. I can still ride before/after work depending on which horses I have in work and which shows are coming up.

How many horses do you have in work, and what is their workload? At the moment because it’s winter down in Vic, the more seasoned horses have had a break; they came in this week actually. I enjoy using winter to train with the young ones. At the moment Katie Sutton and I have a new one in work in partnership with Lyndy Sutton - Daly Downs USA. He’s a gorgeous off the track Thoroughbred who we are enjoying and taking our time with. He will come out later this season, we are really enjoying the process and seeing how the horses develop. We are like proud mums.

The pre-show work of grooming and trimming takes a lot of time and effort. How do you go about making that all happen and what do you do the night before the comp to prepare? Oh goodness. Thankfully most of the competitions happen in summer when it’s daylight savings. Otherwise, I have to plan out my week in advance, knowing I’ve got 5 to do. Time management is a super skill to master when you are trying to get that many ready for a big Horse of the Year show. Luckily I can function well without too much sleep! I would try and start work super early all week (5 or 6am), so I can leave the office with plenty of time to beat traffic and get everything done. I love writing lists.

Do you do any fitness work other than riding? Yes, I don’t actually get to ride as much as I like, especially during winter with the daylight hours being so short. I also love food, so I try and get to the gym 3-4 times a week. This is usually a combination of things, I go through phases, F45, reformer Pilates and running are my favorites.

What are some of your proudest moments in your riding career and in your job?
Riding:
• Winning the Garryowen
• Champion Rider at Grand Nationals
• Pope Cup Winner at Melbourne &
Sydney Royals
• Winning Champion Hack at Barastoc
with Orlando
• Champion Senior Rider at Barastoc 2019
• Best Novice & Open Hunter win with Rebelle at Sydney Royal 2019
Work:
• Winning Spirit of Aus/NZ (P&G) for 2 consecutive years
• Winning Advantage Survey #1 Supplier Award (up from 17th) (P&G)
• Traveling to Cambodia and building a house for HIV impacted regions
• L’Oréal global citizen day 2019, 10 countries
• L’Oréal Excellence award best performance on record May 2019

Do you have a strapper to help you on the morning of a competition and what jobs do they assist with? I am lucky to have an amazing network of friends who support me at shows, some who have been showing with me for so long I don’t even have to say what I’m thinking and they know. Literally everything! Especially when I’m in the ring and we have horses to get ready, or getting up with me at all hours of the morning because I’m a perfectionist. Oh, and keeping me calm! Special mentions to Mum and Dad, John Neal, Elly Rodgers, Channelle Jenkins, Nicole Wight and Sarah Tappy who have been the engines of Barrington Park for years. What do you do after a weekend comp to prepare for the next weekend’s comp? Sleep! Unpack, go to Sydney for work, come back repack and go!

Out of your four weeks annual leave, how much of that is used for competitions? Most of it really. Though it is important to still try and relax. I try and line up interstate trips with meetings to minimise the time I have to take off. I think as long as you are committed to delivering great results to the company, they are pretty flexible and happy for me to work when and where I need. Most nights if I’m home I’ll work until about 10pm so that I stay on top of what needs to be done, especially if shows are coming up.

How many events would you do in a year? Is there a lot of travel involved? 3ish Royals, Grand Nationals/Nationals, 6ish HOTY events, 8-10 Ags. Probably 3 interstate trips, which I would usually fly to due to time constraints. The rest are Ags or at Werribee which, depending on the number of horses and number of days, can be just as tiring! I’ve cut back recently, so this year will have a smaller team as my new job (I only started at L’Oréal Australia in Feb) is more demanding, and Mum and Dad have actually sold Barrington Park. It is a new era for all of us.

Do you do anything in the offseason with your horses? They generally get a break, and then we will start training early June, leading into Adelaide and Melbourne. It’s hard because of the daylight hours, but each of my horses has a child owner/rider as well (none are in full work by me except the OTT) because I really enjoy sharing the sport with other people. I feel like the sport has given me so much that sharing my knowledge with other younger riders is the least I can do. So the girls work their horses a couple of times a week during winter, and I ride/teach them on the weekends.

How do you balance work, family, social life and competitions? Great question! Again, time management and efficiency. Planning my weeks in advance and making sure I get all the important things done. My family is quite involved in the horses and also very understanding about work, as it has to be a priority; horses are my passion, work pays the bills! Also, I do love to live a very social life, however sometimes I do take on too much, and I’ll get a reminder from Mum that I have to say NO to things (I’m not very good at that, I like to please everyone and sometimes I end up quite stressed and tired). My advice would be to leverage support from friends and family and realise that you can’t physically do everything - even though sometimes you think you can.

What sacrifices do you have to make to do it all, and do it all successfully? Sleep! For me personally, it is less about the sacrifices and more about the end goal. Once I have a clear picture of what I want to achieve, whether it be horse or work or personal life related, the sacrifices become insignificant. I mentioned earlier I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so often I’ll dream about work and current challenges only to wake up with a solution. I’m obsessed with learning and continuing to evolve in all aspects of my life. However, many people aspire to different things. I always wanted a successful corporate career and am very intrinsically driven, which helps. I’d say the secret is to enjoy what you are doing and surround yourself with like-minded people. Horse shows are my escape and I do it with my favourite friends and family. Success to me is a bonus.

What words of advice can you give to other amateur riders who want success in all aspects of their lives? Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it, because you can. That being said, hard work pays off. Ride rain, hail or shine. Study. Prepare. Learn from mistakes (God I’ve made billions). Try again. If you have the will to prepare to win, you will win whatever you choose to do.

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