2 horses (or more!) - how do you cope?

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cheekywelshie

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If you work full time and they are on part livery - how do you manage the costs and find time to ride them both? Mine costs prob around 400pcm on assisted/part livery plus i've factored shoeing/feed bedding into that. I fell in love with another horse recently that I rode when visiting the dealer/livery yard I bought my first horse from (I went to see my friend who liveries her horse there and we rode out together) and I think I've managed to talk myself out of it, but I am curious how anyone manages it?
 
Mine are faily cheap, they live out 24/7, only have a handful of chaff, I have 6, one will never be ridden, one I am breaking to ride, one I am now breaking to drive and the rest are done, I have the time for them as I work evenings but I only have one pair of hands.
 
I have 3. One is a companion, one is just getting backed and one competes.

They live out with shelter. Its not to difficult, shoeing is probably the big one expense wise.

I have a standing order with my vet which is great as if it builds up they let me know and give me money back!

I also tend to do a lot of ride and lead!
 
i have 3 on DIY
they are out in summer, in at night all winter
2 are youngsters (4 and 6) and one is older (20)
i winter the older mare out as its better for her to keep moving about- so she normally has the winter off on a turnout field up the road.
the other 2 get either lunged or ridden most days. compete once a week/fortnight.
i work strange hours too sometimes as i do on call- some weeks its 48 hours !!
plus i am part way through a post grad diploma.
so im not really too sure how i manage lol- just try to keep on top of jobs and prepare as much as poss at the weekend for the coming week. i do manage to see OH too.
 
I don't think I could :(

Turned down a lovely connie x I was offered by a friend, her marriage broke down & she just wanted a good home for him. He was lovely, good breeding & a real sweetie. Like you, I work full time, but my horse is on DIY livery.

I lost sleep over it, really wanted to bring him home :( But my time & money would've been stretched so thin, decided not to take him on & focus all my attention on my mare.

Was really gutted at the time but think I made the right decision for me now :)
 
I have 6! Currently 2 are in the rest are out! Work Full time in central london (Jockey Club) and at a yard on my own..

Basically get up at half 5 get to the yard - feed turn out muck out etc home by 7.15 on train by 8am in to london then finish at 5 home by 6 and then stables till about 8:30pm...

Very lucky that my dad helps me out and my boyfriend is a lorry drive so very handy when going to shows.

We do showing so all over the country at least once a week and then holiday from work is going to shows!
 
I have two horses and work full time as a nurse. My OH works away during the week and is only home at weekends. They are on DIY livery at a yard on their own with no school. In the summer they live out 24/7, I go and check them and poo pick twice a day. In the winter they are stabled at night - so they have to get used to the head torch and coming in in the dark at odd hours!
I try and ride one and lunge one in the week and go out hacking with my other half at weekends. It's hard work but I would never complain I love being there and looking after them.
 
I stated off with one and ended up with three and hated it. For me I lost the personal relationship with each horse and one was very difficult so he took up a lot of time because of his needs which meant the others took a back seat.

I would never go back to having more than two tbh.
 
We have 3 in total- one is OH's. I work full time 9-5 OH works shifts. we have 2 kids.

Horses live at home....well 200m down the road.....stabled at night to save the grazing. I do them before work- takes about 40mins to chuck em out and do the stables. I don't ride OH's mare. I ride mine weekends and evenings. Daughters pony gets ridden the same plus I school him in the field and take him out on his own ( he's only 5 and still green).

You just find a way to make short-cuts and get a routine.
And no longer have weekend lie-ins- unless you get up, chuck em out and go back to bed with a cuppa:rolleyes:
 
i have 4 , 3 are only babys so just handling etc , and other not ridden .
all for stay out 24/7 all year round , its only hard food , and hay through out winter and a handful of chaff with vitamins in summer , no bed to pay for in winter
however since i brought the extra two my oh helps out , grooming ,poopicking etc
 
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I have 2 and now rent land with a field shelter, so they live out 24/7. I used to be on DIY, but actually much prefer my 'rough and ready' set up. I'm up at 5.45, to go to field feed, poo pick, move horses to whichever part of the field they are going in and walk my dogs. I am back home by 7.15, shower, drive to train station by 8 for my 1 hour commute to London. Leave work at 5, home by 6.20 home, changed grab dogs and/or daughter(s) and back to field to pretty much do same as in the morning, oh and ride Harvey and/or lead Nemo out (he's only 2).
So, I have husband, 3 daughters, 2 dogs, 2 horses and a full time job. My house, however is a tip!
 
Move to DIY or 24/7 Turnout and have a sweet OH be the new stable boy...

24/7 Turnout - cheapest rate I found around me was £55 a month. You've got to pay extra for the facilities, but won't come to more than £100 a month for a horse that uses the facilities. Add feed/farrier/insurance to that though.
 
I have 5, one 2, one 4, one 5 and one 6 year old and my mum's 16 yr old
2 yr old - handled, shown in hand
4 yr old - broken, competing, lessons etc - FOR SALE
5 yr old - broken, training and schooling - aiming at BYEH and BE 5 yr olds later in season
6 yr old - BE eventing, SJ and DR
16 yr old - mums hack
I work full time and have a very understanding OH who is none horsey. My mum rides her horse and i ride the others. In summer they are out 24/7, winter they come in at night.
How do i do it? I just do what i can really, some weeks depending on their weekend competing some might have quiet weeks, sometimes i ride all of them. Last night i hacked 2 and this morning i hacked one and will jump the 4 year old tonight when it is cooler and the 5 yr old is having a day off. I don't stress if i can't fit it all in or if i need to spend time with OH/friends but generally it works well and i love it. When i get back to 1 horse i get a bit bored! Financially its draining, i have a SO to the vets each month and save for shoeing so its not a surprise!
I wouldn't have it any other way :)
 
I have 2 and on DIY and was working full time. I was competing them both which was really hard work it felt more like a chore that fun.

My 1 got sick and now can't be ridden plus I no longer work so now I have too much time!

I can do 2 stable, haynets etc in 40 mins and then my friend brings them in at night (in the winter).

I don't think I would have 2 together again, I'll get another when mine are old and slowing down and then go down to just one.
 
i have 3 now however only one is ridden, other 2 are youngsters and have my own place i rent so no one to help but so far its been ok. I ride before work and lead out the yongsters after work for walks. 2 live out other gets stabled its just a case of fitting everything around them and not being able to go out for the night after work. I try to poo pick every day if i can as well. Then at weekends go to shows with them or fun rides as well.
 
I have 5 - 3 in work and 2 retired. The only way I can keep them is by renting my own yard/land, which for me works out far cheaper than even the most basic grass livery round here. Costs are, of course, crucial. But equally important for me is the fact that I can keep to my own timetable, as I have no way of being at the yard at the same time every day and keeping to a routine. Mine, living out 24/7/365 don't fret if I'm not there to feed them at a precise time, because it's what they're used to. (But, before anyone comments - they are always seen to every day without fail).

Take yesterday for example, a typical weekday for me - Full time job is supposed to finish at 5.30pm. I actually left the office at 8.10pm last night. (Rarely get away before 7). Got to the horses at 9pm, no riding, and got home at 10.20. Then started on second job (freelance secretarial/IT/Admin) and worked from home till 1am.

I ride only when I can on weekdays, which on a good week would be on 2 evenings. It's constantly a case of thinking "I'll ride tonight" then the day job keeps me late yet again and I have to abandon all thoughts of riding because I've run out of time yet again. It's difficult when you're trying to keep 2 endurance horses and 1 dressage horse fit for competition (funny enough, it's been about 9 months since I've managed to take part in a dressage competition).

I also have a third ad-hoc job in human and equine therapy which I fit in mainly at weekends.

Oh and as you have probably guessed, the house is a tip.

Life never used to be this stressful, even with 5 horses, but OH's business has taken a turn for the worse so yours truly has had to take on more and more in order to survive.

Things might be bad at the moment, but I'm too damned stubborn to give up my horses!

If I can cope, doing the hours that I do (albeit having to cut down on a fair few of the events that I would ideally like to do), then anyone can - that's if you've got the desire, determination and dedication to do so.

One thing I do know though - even if I did have more time and more money - I would still keep my horses at my own (well, rented) place, out 24/7/365 rather than going on to livery. I believe my horses to be happier and healthier for it and, believe it or not, doing all the work yourself actually makes it all far more worthwhile in the end, because any achievement, however large or small, is completely your own.
 
I only have one but know several people that have more than one and I think how hard it is depends on how near your yard is to your home and work and also your yard set up.

I just would not have time to have two to ride but at some point I will probably end up with two when my number one pony retires (hopefully not for a long time as he is only 7!)

There is a lady at my yard who has had various combinations of two horses over the years but like my pony they live out. She has sharers for both her horses so that helps with the extra costs and time.
 
I have 2. At the moment have no transport so they are only used for hacking hopfully next year will be able to do pleasure rides/endurance. I have someone i know occasionally come and ride one for me but i have now started doing ride and lead. Which i highly recommend for people with more than one needing exercised.
I rent a large field thats split into 2 With a large field shelter and a huge shed for a tack/rug area. Both my horses are barefoot which is saving me a fortune. I have a school i get free use of which is a 10min hack away. I am on maternity leave just now (have 2 children) and my OH works shifts so my riding is sometimes a bit patchy.
 
I think the finance would worry me - if I had two at the same yard it would be nearly 800 a month! But i do use all the facilities, i have no transport and can do shows half price. Perhaps I should stick with my lovely (but stubborn!) Welsh D and bring him up to the level I'd like...
 
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