Ellie: "I swapped my office for a stable"

Ellie, 33, Cheltenham

After several temping positions and part-time jobs, I finally got myself a real job in a big designer company. At first I was really happy there, probably through pride more than anything else. It was a real sign of success for me, I had social recognition and a nice sort of revenge against all my friends who thought I'd never make it.

But then I realised something wasn't right. My boss was friendly, I got on well with my colleagues and I had a job that many would dream of - most people apart from me. It just wasn't my thing. 

Horses are my world. I love them. I get up at 5 in the morning to saddle up. I take part in horse-riding events every year and ever since I was a little girl, my dream was to become a horse breeder. But I thought I'd become a bit too long in the tooth to do it. I was afraid of my parents' and friends' reactions. Then I realised that I needed to do it for me, not for them. I dropped everything and started from scratch, and I'm now set up as a breeder. The road ahead is long but at least it's the road I want to take.