"Born to ride .. forced to work" - Professional or Amateur

I saw that bumper sticker for the first time last weekend, and it got me to think about the meaning. Initially I found it funny, but honestly I view it a bit differently. Yes, I have to work to pay the bills, but I also have the privilege to work. I consider myself a "Die-hard Professional", and I have worked hard to get to where I am in my career. It gives me pleasure to create a good work environment, alleviating some of the day-to-day stress, and of course leading a successful team.

But then, when it comes to riding, I am an amateur at heart. I don't want to be a Professional in the horse business. Dealing with a multitude of customers and their egos, green, spoiled and unruly horses that are expected to be 'fixed' in a month, the hard physical labor and dangers that come with training the above mentioned horses, staffing issues (try to find and keep good barn help!), all the while striving to be on top of the competitive game... wow, this is not for the faint of heart! ( I'm not a sissy, but I know my limits, mainly the lack of patience to deal with said customer egos).  Not to mention the 24/7 on-call hours. This truly is "Survival of the fittest". I wouldn't want to fall into the category of professional that loses the love of the horses and the sport due to the daily grind.

Lucky for us, we found a professional that very successfully handles the pressures of her job with grace and good humor, while preserving her love for the horses and the sport.  Chapeau, Judy!

Yesterday Saumur and I had a good lesson, and after a particularly well executed exercise Judy exclaimed "Pretty good for an amateur!" Now, coming from her, that really is a compliment!

Wikipedia: An amateur (French amateur "lover of", from Old French and ultimately from Latin amatorem nom. amator, "lover") is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science in a non-professional or unpaid manner. 

Yes: I am a true amateur in the sense of the word - And not just pertaining to horses! I wonder if there is such a thing as an "Amateur-Wife" :-)?