Commuting and Horses

[evsj]

This is a question for all those who live and work in the London area.....

I live an hour from London (train) and am considering a new career based in Westminster but working shifts. Sadly, I have to work to pay the mortgage and more importantly for the horse.

Am I in serious need of a reality check - i.e. it's either have a horse or the career or do any others out there juggling long commutes and horses? I would be interested to hear. Occasionally I read about mad events riders who drive from the city to the stables 3 times per week to scool their horses at 8 pm but then they probably earn tidy salaries to pay for the full livery...I won't be earning that much!

 

[CSYMolly]

I used to live in East London, travel 45 mins each way to work them hop in car and drive another 45 to the stables. Now I am about an hour on the tube to work but yard is only 5 mins from station which makes life much easier. It is possible but gets quite tiring in the winter. Make sure you always have a back up plan and someone to help out should you get stuck at work or on trains etc.

 

[Petrie]

A few years ago, I used to drive 60 mins to work (from Northants to Milton Keynes) and keep a horse. My hours were fairly long, Mon-Fri. I had the horse on part livery, they did the mucking out, bringing in and out, feeding etc, and I did all the rest. I did a bit of PN eventing with him and local dressage/show jumping/hunter trials. So it can be done!

In the winter, I would occasionally ride after work in the floodlit school, but he went out every day, so if I couldn't ride him it didn't really matter. So, he would get ridden 3/4 times a week in the winter, which was enough for hacking, lessons, bit of dressage/show jumping etc.

In the summer, I rode much more after work, and he was plenty fit enough for a bit of low level eventing. It depends what you want to do with them and how fit they need to be.

Now, I have forsaken the career for horses and I work three days a week, have two eventers (one at Intermediate and one 4 yr old) on a rented yard, so I do all the looking after. Quite a change, and to be honest, I much prefer it.

As to whether it can be done, I think depends on the following:

1) The discipline you want to do and how seriously you want to do it
2) How much help you can afford - even part livery is expensive in the London area
3) How much turn-out there is - if the horse is not allowed out during the winter, it has to be ridden every day.
4) The horse's age and stage of training - an older, more established horse can probably be kept ticking over with 3 rides a week, maybe even just weekends.
4) How much social life you are prepared to give up!
5) How much you OH needs to see you!

I remember the worst thing was feeling guilty that I wasn't riding the horse enough during the winter, but we all survived. And I bought him as a 4 yr old, so I even managed to cope with that! Go for it!

 

[Parkranger]

I think if you really want something you can do it. I moved back into my old role in Croydon so that I could keep my boy 10 mins drive away and my quality of life has improved (as has my salary!)

Think it's all about a work/life balance - if you're commuting and not happy then it's not worth all the tea in china!

 

[Rambo]

I commute 2 hours each way to the City and have 2 horses that I exercise every day after work. Admittedly they are on full livery....well, they get fed and mucked out for me everyday at least...I do the riding, grooming and tack cleaning.

Oh, and i'm not a mad event rider earning a tidy sum for riding them either, but I do end up riding them till about 8:30pm every night

 

[TGM]

I used to commute into London every day - journey used to take 1hr 30mins door to door. I kept my horse at livery where mucking out, feeding, turning out, bringing in etc were done every day, but grooming, tack cleaning and riding was down to me. I found it worked OK and was able to ride 4 or 5 times a week. I found it best to go straight from the station to the yard though - if I went home first I often didn't want to go back out again, especially in the winter!

Would be a lot harder on DIY livery though

.

 

[Kelly1982]

I work up London and it takes me about an hour and a half to get to the yard after work.

My horses are on DIY so i do everything myself apart from muck out one of them during the week. I dont usually leave the yard til 8.30pm and then have a half hour drive home again.

Once you get into a routine you will be fine but sometimes i do wish that i could work closer to home so that i can spend more time with them and i HATE the travelling even when i didn't have horses.

I am usually up there for about 2 hours everynight and make up the lost time by spending all day with them at the weekends.

 

[katiejaye]

I live in Baker's street and work in westminster (near Ox street) and stable my horse in Radlett Herts. I drive after work 3/4 times during the wk and sat and sunday. It takes approx 45mins. I am on part livery.

I am moving soon to be slightly closer to Louis but I will still be working in town and commuting every day.

I do wish that I didn't have to commute so far every day but I am not prepared to give Louis up so I just have to get on with it. I am normally at the stable about 6.30-7.30pm depending on what time I finish work.

Could you maybe consider a sharer and then switch to full livery?

 

[evsj]

Rambo and everyone else...I take my hat off to you!! I will be based in Westminster but working in a different locations in East London too and I will have company car. And working shifts means I may have more chance of riding in daylight in the winter months.

Tiring I know, last year I worked for a company in Banbury (I live in Kent) and if I did a night shift I would often drive a 4 hour round trip to get home, ride for an hour (or an afternoon Bloodhound Hunting!!) then drive back to work in Oxford with little sleep and lots of Redbull. Mind you, I was earning alot more then.

I guess with this new job I would have to pay for part livery but luckily my new yard does 365 daily turnout - last year it was day in/day out at the old yard! Hence I was driving 4 hours home just to exercise her.

I want to carry on eventing next year - hoping to do our first Nov in late 2007 and I think I'll be able to keep her fit enough.

Would consider a share - but would have to be someone who just wanted to hack...I want to have all the competition fun!!

As for the OH...abscence makes the heart grow fonder, doesn't it?!! Odd - love my OH to bits but I worry more about not being able to keep my horse more than I do him!!!

 

[Petrie]

I can understand that totally!! My attitude is, if you don't like it, you know where the door is!!

How dreadful, what a horrible horse obsessed cow I am!!

I really take my hat off to Rambo, a 2 hour commute, then riding both horses till 8.30 every night. I'll happily ride both til 8.30 in the summer, but not in the winter - ugh.

Unless I had a nice heated indoor school, which was right next to my stable. That would be OK. And I could have the telly on at the same time, with OH making dinner in a little kitchen in the corner. And the dog was on a dog walker.

yep, that would be fine.

 

[Nickymac]

[ QUOTE ]
How dreadful, what a horrible horse obsessed cow I am!!


[/ QUOTE ]
I'm one of those too, but I'm even more horrible if I don't get my daily "fix" of riding my horses.

 

[jinglejoys]

I'm lucky enough to be able to drive my mule to work and back.She has a paddock to stay in while I'm working!

 

[truffles]

I live in S. London, and my yard is in N. London/turning into countryside.
I will be going there on both Saturday and Sunday, and obviously holidays and all that.

The journey is a 45min train, 5min bus, then a little walk down the road. *phew* lol!

 

[4whitesocks]

an hour and a half each way (car, train, bus) and as of tomorrow half an hour from train station to Sid....plan to ride two nights a week and two days at weekends but am on full livery so that helps....persuaded my OH to move to the country so we could eventually have Sid come live with us but the stable fund is getting eaten up by stupid stuff liked blocked bloody drains.....who new the previous owners hadn't empited their spetic tank in about 5 years....

 

[YorksG]

I travel approx one hour each way to and from work, but have the horses at home. Share home and horses with sister, who also works full time. If one of us is late home the other does the yard work, we deep litter during week and do full muck out at weekend. In winter we can only ride at weekends, but we can turn out whenever we like. It's swings and roundabouts I guess, plus have to work to pay for the house and the horses!

 

[Twiglet]

I commute from Essex into London (city), although admittedly the journey is no more than half hour!
But used to do journey into Baker Street and Euston which took well over an hour each way.
It's doable, just tiring. If the slightest thing was delayed on the journey, I wouldn't end up riding.

Now I have him on full weekday livery, but still pop down and at least see him in the evenings.
I can do cr*ppy hours, so I need full livery in case I'm stuck at the office.

One concession I did make was to move him to a yard closer to me. I couldn't take the half hour drive to the yard after all that time spent on tubes and trains. Was the best move I ever made!

Best of luck.