I was always one of those people who could work my butt off all day running a barn for someone else, and still find the time to ride two or three horses a day. If I missed riding for a couple days, I had serious withdrawal. I've had my own farm for 11 years, and was always doing something with the horses, just to be around them. Lately, something has been slipping. I have two kids, ages 4 and 8, 6 horses (actually the smallest number I've had in 15 years) and a farm full of other assorted animals to take care of, and I teach lessons four days a week. Lately, I never ride. When I do feel the start of an urge to ride, my kids always want to, and so instead of getting in the saddle myself, I let them, and play babysitter. Now it's to the point where I NEVER want to be in the barn. I clean stalls reluctantly. I do it, but I dread it - I used to love it. Just putting out hay takes every last scrap of energy. We have no grass, so I have to lug bales three times a day. I still have the passion for horses. I can spend hours on the forum, or looking at classifieds, or watching videos of horses. I love my fur-babies dearly. Every day i wake up and say today will be the day I start riding again, and every day passes without my doing it. And to make things worse, now I feel guilty every time I think about riding or playing with them, because there is always so much other stuff that needs doing. Mowing, trimming, fixing fence, cleaning tack, repairing things, the house, dinner, the list goes on for miles. I don't have enough hours in a day to get my work done, much less play. I'm in a downward spiral and I can't seem to get out of it... :-(