^{EC Pro's comment: The following email was sent to us in response to last months blog post. We have published it with permission, though we've kept this shy EC Pro customer anonymous per her request. Thank you Anonymous Author!}

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When I read An Open Letter to My Fellow Control Freaks, I just sat there and laughed, because it felt like someone had been spying on me.

Two years ago, I was that barn owner.

Clipboard in one hand, phone in the other. Constantly rearranging lessons, texting parents back late at night, double-booking horses, and trying to remember who I promised what to.

It was all on me and I thought that’s just how it had to be.

For the 18 years before my personal epiphany, I scheduled every single lesson myself. At first, it worked, but as the barn grew, I couldn’t keep up. I couldn’t be away from my phone. My family got tired of always waiting for me to finish “just one more text.”  My phone dinged all through movie night.  Soon, I started resenting something I used to love.

I wasn’t running my barn anymore.  My barn was running me.  And my family.

The Wake-Up Call.

Like many of us have done, I sought the help of consultants.  It really hit me when I added up the time I spent moving lessons around. Ten hours a week. Ten. Hours.  A week.  That’s 40 hours a month—basically a whole extra job just for juggling schedules.

I knew something had to change and I was at my breaking point. I was ready to close my doors and “retire” or train dogs or something like that.  So I decided to do something rash.  I decided to try letting clients book their own lessons without me in the middle.

At the advice of my consultant, I used EC Pro (Yay!!) to build a self-scheduling system and handed the reins over (literally and figuratively). Students could see available times only suitable for their riding level, with horses and instructors appropriate for them, book themselves, reschedule if needed, and get automatic reminders.  All the things I had to do and remember.

I was nervous at first, but then I saw the results.

Wait, what? Everything Got Better!

It didn’t happen overnight, but clients became more responsible. They planned ahead. They didn’t forget their lessons as often. And when they needed to reschedule, they could do it themselves—without blowing up my phone at all hours.  They took ownership of the lessons they had booked and paid for and started treating the schedule like a commitment.

Even better? My horses were protected. That one gelding who’s great for confident kids but not ideal for the beginner's sloppy aids stage? EC Pro makes sure he only gets assigned to the riders who can handle him.  Just like I would have done myself.

No more explaining (again) why that horse isn’t a fit for so-and-so. The system handles it.

People can summon a rideshare, book concert tickets, get groceries delivered, and refill prescriptions with just a few taps on their phones. Why are barn owners still expected to manage scheduling by hand like it’s 1998? It’s time the horse industry caught up.  And we can, because I did and I am no rocket surgeon.  It’s not perfect, but I also made mistakes (and blamed those around me.)

Letting Go Was the Best Thing I Ever Did

Just as your team member wrote in An Open Letter to My Fellow Control Freaks, I lost the reins and found the wind. These days, my team teaches the lessons. I’ve stepped out of the day-to-day completely, and now I get to work on other projects, grow my business in new ways, and actually take care of myself for once.  I check in frequently, but mostly out of FOMO, not because they can’t handle it.

Letting go of the reins didn’t mean I lost control.  It meant I finally had space to lead.

Anonymous EC Pro Customer

Sulphur Springs Riding School, Central Texas

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So if you read our Control Freak post and saw yourself in it, here are the takeaways:

Give your clients the tools- they will use them.
Give your horses the protection - we owe it to them.
And give yourself some breathing room - Lord have mercy!

You deserve it.

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