Horse World 101- My Life With Horses
If you’re reading this you probably already know me, but I am Meg McDermott, I’m an international level show jumper, among other things. In honor of the 2026 Lunar Year being the Year of the Fire Horse, I’m starting a blog to share a bit about my life with horses, and the equestrian industry at large. Part of this will be answering questions about the “horse world,” but I’m going to start here by providing some background on what my life is all about.
So for those of you who have no idea what I even do for a living (…most of my close friends), here’s the brief run down:
I run a barn - Counter Balance LLC - out of Ridgefield, Connecticut. This entails managing a group of showjumping horses (somewhere between 6 and 10 horses, at any given time). My “job” is essentially being a Parent / Fitness Coach / Pilot / General Manager for the horses:
Parent - I decide and ensure the horses’s diets, therapies, play time, schedules etc. It’s also my responsibility to manage their veterinary attention, dental work, and their monthly shoe changes, and coordinating travel, etc.
Fitness Coach -I am the sole rider for the horses that I manage, so when they get ridden (read as “work out with their personal trainer”) I am prescribing / carrying out the workout.
Pilot - When the horses are “showing" (competing at a horse show), I am their rider, so I continue the full management, and also am the rider of the horse in the actual competition.
General Manager - I manage a team of grooms (groom defined as a combination nanny / pit crew for horses) taking care of the horses (feeding, grooming, preparing for exercise/competition, administering therapies, clipping hair, and keeping things clean and organized), as well as managing what horses do which jobs and where they rank within my own barn hierarchy.
*Humble brag*: My horses live extremely well, they enjoy tons of play time in the fields, our farm is kept extremely clean, and they are well fed, well loved, and kept in top condition, and I love them so much! :)
Why do we do all of this?
The operation exists all for the love of the game, so that we can ship the horses all around the country/planet to jump over fences, as high and as fast as we can, to try to win horse shows, and prove that it’s all amounting to something important.
I can’t speak for all riders, but for me the bond between horse and human is transcendent and sacred - being so tapped in to the animals that they do something so beyond their nature - jump over obstacles with speed, synchronicity, and precision - is an incredible expression of trust, and a unique form of Art. It is the epitome of what nonverbal communication can achieve. I am proud of the unique system I have developed to train and condition my horses; it’s my art. Competition is the best way to test and express the results of training and bonding with the horses, so all the details along the way are important.
How do we make money?
There are, thankfully, a few paths to produce income in showjumping, so I have a multi-pronged approach.
“Flip” Horses - Buy/sell (flip), like you would a house. Buy > appreciate in value > sell.
Broker - facilitate horse sales as a broker for a commission.
Teach - Teach lessons to / train other riders.
Train - Ride / work with / train other people’s horses.
Win - Win prize money in competition.
Congrats, you’ve made it to the end of the first bit of Horse World 101!
I’m looking forward to answering some of your questions in the coming articles, and am wishing all the good people of the world a blessed and beautiful Lunar New Year!
