12 hour shifts and horse-owning...how does it work?

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tetij

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Another work-related thread! I'm considering applying for nursing (dual reg so Adult + MH, not sure which one I'd end up in) and know that I'd be working 12 hour shifts for at least the first few years...does anyone do/has done this and fitted horses around it? Are you permanently exhausted or is it manageable? I know shift patterns would change week on week - are livery yards likely to be able to tailor a part livery package around this, or would full be the most sensible option? I don't have my own at the moment but thinking ahead. Thanks :)
 
My work schedule changes a lot, some days can be crazy long, and the job is very demanding (not in Health care) I have sometimes just had to drop everything and go.
I found a share and are very lucky his owners are incredibly flexible, I try to ride at least 5 times a week, I do him on the days I ride, otherwise they are happy to muck out and feed and anything else that needs doing. Occasionally if they are going to visit family or anything I will pop over just to put both their horses to bed. It’s just trying to find something that works for you.
 
My mum used to do twelve hour shifts as a palliative care worker and it meant either getting up at 6 in summer, 5 in winter, and having help/not doing them herself in the evenings because she finished at 8.
(From ten, I got up with her and was the help lol, before that they were on livery rather than rented grazing. Whilst on livery duties were split with others on the yard so she did things for them on days off/shorter shift days.)

It's doable but hard, really hard - a sharer is a good idea if part livery isn't financially feasible for you.
 
Ours live out and the neighbours have our phone numbers so they can keep an eye too. That way you can only go down once a day if needed.
 
I worked full time nights when I was younger, and I have done 12 hour shifts, but not now. Most people like them because you spend fewer days at work. So I would worry more about the rota, if you have your three days together, and then are off you only need someone to do them for you for those three days, so you have far more time to do the things you want.
One of the jobs I had were only five hour shifts, in the evenings, which I thought would fit in with animal care but it actually just meant I was more tied than working two twelve hour days. I have also had 24 hr shifts, which was easier, I needed less help.
So things to think about, how will they group the shifts, will they expect you to do overtime as standard and that can include training, and can you get cover for the days when you can not do them. If your constantly doing overtime on top of your normal shifts, they do not seem to understand that sometimes time is worth more than money, you end up working two jobs.
 
When I was doing 12 hour shifts, days/nights , plus short 8 hour shifts, Mr H was on full livery. Fortunately, the large salary which accompanied the job was fully able to soak up the costs.
Now that I'm retired, he's on a tiny private yard with a (relatively) tiny livery bill. It's grace and favour because he was bred there.
 
Mine live out and I have a camera on them so if I can’t get there at one end of the day it's ok. They don’t get ridden a lot in the winter but we manage to keep going until the lighter evenings.
I absolutely could not do it if they were stabled unless on full livery
 
I did this for years ( also a nurse ) and it worked fine, although I did have a fab yard, that I was on DIY livery, that offered pay-per-event extras such as turn out, bring in, muck out etc. I worked 3 nights per week, for 3 weeks, and then 4 nights on the 4th week, to make up full time hours. 8pm to 8am. On first night, not an issue. Got to yard about 0845 on the first morning, let out, muck out, re-bed, sort hay and water, and YO would bring in. Same on 2nd shift. 3rd shift, I'd still have everything sorted, so I just needed to bring in that afternoon. One of the things I found helped, was not going to bed after I finished work. We don't do it for day shifts, so staying up til early lunchtime was the same as having an evening awake after a day shift. I would plan to be in bed by 12, awake at 6pm, breakfast and work. On day shifts, still 0800 to 2000, i did the horses before work, and YO would bring in. It helped that we didn't do overtime - shifts ended, you left work. On days off, I would need naps though !
 
When I did 12hr shifts I had to get either 3 or 4 full livery days because it wasn’t feasible to get to the yard before or after. Honestly it made horse owning a pain but in summer he was out 24/7 thankfully. I couldn’t do 12hr shifts again and have a horse. I do 24hr shifts now and they’re a godsend cause I just leave twice what is needed for the day and yo/others are happy to bring in (we have a yard rota for turnout and pm feeds so everyone takes their turn and I generally bring In a fair few or so vets/dentists etc cause I have so many days off)
 
I know a nurse who does a lot of night work. The horses live out, there is plenty of shelter. She rides and does all the things like poo picking when she gets home from work. They get fed once a day in the mornings, on a fibre based diet.

Then she goes home to sleep and when she wakes she can go into work without having to anything more with the horses, although she had good neighbours and OH will keep an eye out too. She competes at the weekend.
 
Honestly, I'm also gonna stalk this feed lol. I always recommend to plan as much as you can and if you think you can do DIY make sure the yard does services and put a little bit more money aside just in case you need services for a whole week. I'm planning to get my own horse when I start full time groom work and it takes me an hour to walk there and work 8-5 and walk home. So, crazy long days but definitely plan to have services on a day off here and there!
 
A lot of yards now do assisted DIY certainly my yard does. So on days you were working and could not get there the horse can go on part livery for the day.

So many people have work commitments now that means they need extra help assisted DIY is more common.

There are professional people working in medicine and law etc on the yard I am on that can't come very often sometimes as well as people with family commitments.

You just need to find the right yard and be prepared to pay for the services.
 
I'm rostered 10 and 11hr shifts but end up working more quite a lot! I have to be on a yard that is flexible about when I go up there. Sometimes I need to feed/bring in at 2am and that's the only time I can do! I currently rent by myself as most livery yards are too restrictive with times you can go up. I just do the horses either side of whatever shift I'm on, they cope fine. I have a set up where they can choose to go in the stable or field.
 
TheSubwayDino said:
Honestly, I'm also gonna stalk this feed lol. I always recommend to plan as much as you can and if you think you can do DIY make sure the yard does services and put a little bit more money aside just in case you need services for a whole week. I'm planning to get my own horse when I start full time groom work and it takes me an hour to walk there and work 8-5 and walk home. So, crazy long days but definitely plan to have services on a day off here and there!
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Do buy yourself a bike. You don't want to have to walk an hour each way every day.
 
I do 15 hour night shifts- but only 3 maximum of 4 a week :) I average a 40 hour week so some weeks I only have 1. I commute 100 miles each way… Works better for me than 5x 11, 5 miles from home…! Gives me the time to see my animals during daylight.
 
Me and my best friend have a pact that we stay together and keep our horses together. Both NHS, she is a nurse I'm an ODP. In the summer they live out with daily checks, over winter we've tag teamed - friend works nights so has turned out and started stables in morning, I've gone up and finished stables and brought in at night after work. Its worked really well.
 
When I go for a job I tell them the amount of hours I want to work, depending on the length of the shifts, so I do the amount of shifts I want and no more. They will be flexible if you ask for it there are so many vacancies. Don't assume it has to be full time, P/T can be almost F/T if you want it.
 
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