If I had known when I adopted my horse that my life would be so hectic now then honestly I probably wouldn't have done so. Things were easier when I got her but my company collapsed and I had to take a less than optional job.

So there was a time when I saw her at least two hours a day and most of the weekend. Oddly, she is still the same with me now when I get to see her; the early bonding paid off.

I would like to get a bigger property and bring her home with us, but then companionship would be an issue. I guess ultimately this is how it will be till my work improves.

Have you had a similar situation? Do you think there are ways you could be more fair to your friend?

I find that if I can juggle my work and my family, I should make the time, no matter how tired, to juggle time with my animals too. It doesn't matter if your dead tired and ready to fall asleep, if the bond is there, the animal will understand (always has in my case). :)

It's not just a case of being dead tired unfortunately. There are simply not enough hours in the day. I would have to lose large amount of sleep to be out there; but I am working on changing my work routine so that I can be with her more. I realise that it is not fair, but she is not alone, I make sure of that.

I've known a couple people who only have time to ride their horse once or twice a week. Since they don't board them in their backyard this means they only see them for a couple hours once or twice a week. The horses didn't seem to mind and one of them decided to find a local kid to part lease her horse and exercise her a couple times a week as well so she didn't get out of shape.

My wife and I had a kid and that really impacted our horse riding. It is impossible to ride on a trail and take an infant along. It wasn't fair to my horses and I finally decided to sell off some. Juggling jobs, family, and horses is a tough balancing act. You have to make many hard decisions.