A few questions for those who muck out before work

[Gypley]

So over Easter weekend myself and friend moved to our new yard. Old 'yard' was just a field so old routine was turn up, feed, poo pick, job done!

New yard, they are all in over night on straw beds. Tomorrow is my first morning of mucking out before work and its a good few years since I've had to do that!

So I have 3 horses on straw beds to feed, change rugs, turn out and muck out before work at 9am. Work is a 10 min drive from yard.

How long would this take you? What time would you get there? How do you not smell rather unsavoury before getting to work?!?

Any other tips are greatly received and rewarded with double stuffed oreos!

 

[Nicnac]

First rule - don't change rugs! They can 'sleep' in their TO rugs quite happily

It takes me 30 minutes to t/o 2 and muck out on shavings, sweep out stables leaving beds up, do water (when it's not frozen ), put out hay for the night.

In the evening I put beds back down, do water if it's been frozen, bring in, ride, feed and put to bed.

Can't wait until next month when they will be back out 24/7!

You may want to look at deep littering to save time.

Mine are at home so can roll back in for shower and change so don't stink too much. Leave to work at 7.30 though so it's an early start. If I don't have time to dehorse myself, I have a can of Lynx in my handbag which I spray liberally in the car and it seems to remove the smell

 

[SNORKEY]

I'd give your self an hour, I've always just worn a long coat and Wellie's and gloves and no ones ever said I smell! You just have to be a bit organised, I dish out feeds, then as i go in each stable to change rugs I take down the haynet and take out any buckets from the night before. Then get them out and muck out quickly.
I only skip out on the days I havnt got much time and do a full muck out when I can.
Oh and take some nice smelling hand soap and body spray up there to use

 

[maxine1985]

First rule - don't change rugs! They can 'sleep' in their TO rugs quite happily ;-)

Definitely agree with this! Nothing worse than trying to change smelly rugs whilst you're trying to stay clean!

 

[magichorse]

I muck out before work. I find that tucking my (long) hair into a hat stops it from smelling horsey.

 

[philamena]

Top tip if you can bear looking ridiculous- wear a shower cap to stop the smell absobing into your hair (that's where it mostly goes!). Shower cap doesn't flatten your hair nor absorb the smell itself. As a back up - dry shampoo in the car / office, works a treat.

For hands: buy a stock of surgical gloves and wear them always including under any normal gloves you'd wear. This stops your hands smelling. And when you wash your hands, wash twice in cold water - if you use warm water it opens your pores and lets the smell sink in in order to come back out later when the pores reopen. Not much fun but def makes a difference!

 

[Gypley]

I think the rugs will be first to change, although its a bit of a novelty atm putting their pjs on! I'm sure the novelty will soon wear off though!

May swap to shavings next winter, in which case I will deep litter, but I'm not a fan of deep littering straw, so for now will leave beds up in the day and lay at night.

So if I give myself 1 1/2 hours tomorrow that should do it!

 

[Pedantic]

Takes me 1hour and 10 mins to do one pony, that is 18mins total driving, the 52 minutes left is feeding, mucking out shavings, wet hay nets/tub with hose pipe done from day before, do water tub change rug and turnout, OH does haynets/tubs/feed bowls, if I had to do that I would be another 10/15 mins.

Others at my yard do straw and deep litter to save time in the week, also fill nets and do feeds for the week at the weekend.

 

[eggs]

I muck out before work. I find that tucking my (long) hair into a hat stops it from smelling horsey.

Scented dry shampoo is also very useful. Wear latex gloves to stop your hands smelling - they are easier to do fiddle jobs eg. Buckles than thicker fleece gloves.

Ditto not changing rugs. Be organised and never make a trip and return empty handed. I have six horses at home and it takes me 75 mins to feed, turn out, skip out (wood pellets) wash buckets, make feeds, put hay in. The lighter mornings are a God send as it doesn't seem to take as long. I have to leave home at 7.30 at the latest.

I make the hay bags up the night before so they just need tipping into the stable and I do a late night skip out.

 

[alsxx]

I wear a beanie hat and twist my hair up underneath it, otherwise it stinks! Oh, and change clothes of course!

 

[EmmaC78]

I don't change rugs either. To turn two out, muck out both and get feed and haylage ready for the evening takes about 35-40 minutes. Could probably do it a bit quicker but am half asleep at that time in the morning!

 

[BraveHart]

Removed comment. It was nonsense since I don't muck out before work- I do it after!

 

[Littlelegs]

Be organized. I usually allow 30 mins to feed, swop rugs, turnout & do all jobs except bed down, mine takes half that time but daughter (8) takes longer to do her pony. I hay on the floor but at wkend I put hay in nets or tied up with twine so it just needs emptying out. And put a bale of straw on daughters bankings so she doesn't have to bring clean in daily, do the same with mine then just throw 2 leaves in ready to bed down at night. Little things save time, eg filling waters while I sweep & tip barrow, & never walking anywhere empty handed.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I allow 30 mins to do 2 to:
feed, turn out with putting hay out, change rug or hood on 1, muck out, do water/hay & prep feeds for evening & next morning.
All I need to do on return from work is to bring in, sort the rugged one & feed & wave bye if am in a rush, otherwise will groom & poo-pick paddock

As said above, cover up (not that easy when you get warm!) and take complete change of top clothes for the 1st few times you are doing the yard & going direct to work. As you get used to doing them & dodging the dirt & wafts you will soon work out what you dont need to take

 

[stargirl88]

Top tip if you can bear looking ridiculous- wear a shower cap

That's brilliant. I really, really want to turn up to my new yard one morning in a shower cap now

 

[mrsbt]

Agree with all said before.
I have 5 to t/o and 4 muck out before work. I t/o the 2 boys together then the 3 girls (a bit of a walk so 15-20mins to turn out).
No rug changes as live in their turn ours. The 3 big ones are on wood pellets so 5-10 mins per stable, the pony is on shavings but clean so the same.
If you can have haynets prepped so quick to pop in, I try to prepare the nets each evening for the following day or make up 2-3 in advance. All 4 doing everything usually takes me an hour and 15 mins including to and from home (yard is 10 mins away).
I then shower once home as make sure I'm on the yard for 6am to give enough time and head off for work around 8am.

 

[Gypley]

I'm pretty sure I can only dream of operating with the same military precision as you lot tomorrow morning

 

[Spottyappy]

Make up any feeds at the weekend, they can be left in bags in winter. Also,Haynets can be made up at weekends,which saves alot of time in the week,especially when rushing to work.
Carry a small penknife on you as saves times trying to find scissors. I have one attached to my keys so its always handy.

 

[Holly Hocks]

Deep litter on shavings through the week and take out wet at weekends when you can have a shower afterwards.
Fill spare water buckets the night before to top up the ones in the stable and have haynets ready to put in and feeds made up the night before.
I can do two in 20 minutes, but prefer 30 minutes to do it without rushing.
Ditto what someone said about turnout rugs - leave them on.

 

[dieseldog]

Do you need to muck out before work, if you are turning them out they wont be standing in it all day. I would just put them out in the field - or better still pay the yard owner to do it for me.

 

[Gypley]

T/O's will most probably be left on as of next week when the novelty of putting on jim jams wears off!
Plucked an old shower cap out of the cupboard ready for the morning (not sure this trend will catch on :/ although I think its blinking fab!!)

Its taking the wet out that's going to be the worst job! We don't have a muck heap atm as were still weighing up wether or not to get a trailer or start a muck heap. The lady who had the yard before us used to bag it all and leave it out for the local allotments to collect (she did this for 3 years! I think she deserves a medal!!) I'm at my wits end just doing it for the last few days!

 

[FionaM12]

So, are people saying smelling of horses is a Bad Thing?


Damn.

 

[Scotslad23]

Over the winter ive had my morning routine down to about 20 minutes ... 17 on a good day
Deep litter shavings so my routine as follows.

Turn up, tie up outside stable and feed. Skip out poo, tidy bed.

Tie up new haynets done the night before.

change water.

rug change or if dry the night before and kept in t/o rug just go staight to turnout.

leave for work, get changed at work into suit. At the end of the day i then get changed again into yard gear (at work) and head to yard to ride, refill haynets for next day and sort dinner and the next days breakfast. Honestly it really doesnt take long and a ten minute drive to work ... thats luxury. I do this all and then drive ONE HOUR to work

Not sure how long it would take to do whilst on straw but would potentially just leave it till the evening and if i was only ten minutes away i would pop down at lunch and do it

 

[Kat]

Wow! You lot are super speedy

I did the horse before work while she was on box rest this winter. Just one to do, took about an hour. Including mucking out on shavings, changing water, weighing hay and filling haybar, and feeding. Always took off her rug, even if it didn't need changing and picked feet out.

 

[Gypley]

Haha Fiona, it doesn't bother me! (Infact I find it quite a comforting smell) its just the people at work it seems to offend!

 

[Irishbabygirl]

Turnouts left on, water containers filled ready to top up stable buckets and I muck out and do nets round them whilst they're having their breakfast, then turn them out and go! Takes me half hour for two. Oh and I put haylage out in the field for the morning the night before when I go to bring them in. Saves a trip.

 

[pistolpete]

Did this for two years until I discovered part livery. Love my new yard! Always wear gloves and wear a hat. Wet wipes and perfume in the car! Oh and a hair brush! Always fancied getting a boiler suit and wearing clean clothes underneath never didi it though!

 

[Kat]

Oh and I changed clothes before work. Wore scruffs to the yard and put office clothes in the car. Hair tied back, gloves, then good hand wash and spritz of deoderant and perfume when changing clothes.

 

[noodle_]

takes me 15 minutes to do feeds, water, haynets, muck out and bed down....and thats when im ambling....

shes on matting.... sweep out - bed down fresh while water is filling up via hose...also do feeds on the way into tackroom to collect tools... once mucked out =- chuck muck on the way to do haynets (or no time - throw hay on floor)!

job done


as above - gloves/shower cap is a brill idea haha

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I'd be leaving the mucking out until after work.