DIY must haves

[ownedbyaconnie]

Hi all,

I’m moving back to diy after a couple of years away and would like some ideas of things you can’t live without! Also any tips for cost/time saving. I was thinking of investing in a boiler suit to stop my work clothes smelling horsey/getting mucky.

Thanks!

 

[blitznbobs]

Don’t bed on straw - I can muck out shavings and change my shoes and go to work - if on straw everything smells

 

[poiuytrewq]

A good broom!! Love a decent broom and it’s surprising how much easier life is with one 😂
Be organised, and stick with a routine. If you have time free do extra bits do it. Ie, I try and make lots of hay nets in one go. I also put my barrow ready at night! Filled with tools, breakfast (horses!) etc so I literally grab it and start.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

Don’t bed on straw - I can muck out shavings and change my shoes and go to work - if on straw everything smells

I despise straw, I could just about manage with old pony as he was very clean but my mare is awful in the stable so I'm not even considering straw.

A good broom!! Love a decent broom and it’s surprising how much easier life is with one 😂
Be organised, and stick with a routine. If you have time free do extra bits do it. Ie, I try and make lots of hay nets in one go. I also put my barrow ready at night! Filled with tools, breakfast (horses!) etc so I literally grab it and start.

I was thinking the same! I'm going to try and do as much in the morning as possible, especially over summer with the light mornings so that after work I can spend more time riding and spending time with my mare. Making lots of hay nets is a good idea.

 

[Merrymoles]

Once you have a routine that works, stick to it like glue and you get quicker and quicker and never forget anything! It is a standing joke at our yard that the YO and I, who do all weekday mornings, could run on rails because our routines, while different to each others, are exactly the same each day.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Everything in its place so you always know where everything is & you don't waste time looking for things.

 

[Surbie]

As others have said, enough haynets that you can make them up in advance on the weekend to cut down time in the week. Likewise I bag up feeds/supplements 2 weeks in advance so I just empty the bag into a bit of soaked speedibeet and stir. I make up the speedibeet the night before and it means I can skip out around him while he eats before turning out and most of it is then done.

And a decent headtorch. Love mine, it is a lifesaver in winter.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Boiler suit a fab idea, I've got loads of 'em, you'll need to get a few for the winter which are a couple sizes too big coz then you can put them on over your normal clothes; ditto disposable gloves, will keep your hands dry if you wear them inside your normal gloves in the winter and useful for mucky jobs anytime.

Also agree with headtorch!! Invaluable.

 

[Summit]

I use an old pair of ski pants in the winter, keeps me warm, dry and clean

 

[EllenJay]

Semi deep litter - poos out during the week, full muck out @ weekends. Do a week's worth of haynets and feeds at weekends. Pair up with someone - one day you do morning turn outs and muck out your horse, the next day you do evening bring ins and muck out yours.
If your yard wants you to poo pick, arrange a schedule so that you are responsible on one or two days a week to poo pick, or alternatively only responsible for a portion of the field.
And finally, get used to changing into/from work clothes in the middle of the car park

 

[milliepops]

A decent poop scoop (or 2!)
I like the speedskip. Quick for poo picking and also handy to grab a dropping from the stable or sweep dust into if you don't want to get a wheelbarrow & fork etc.

 

[Nativelover]

Make nets and feeds for the week in advance, skip out during week and full muck out at weekends. Plenty of rugs to allow for drying, same for numnahs and boots.
I always rode first, so pony could cool off whilst I did my jobs and I wouldn’t have to wait for him to dry before rugging.
Everything put back in its place, so I never wasted time trying to find something.

 

[meleeka]

Never walk anywhere empty handed when you are looking after horses. It’s amazing how many times we walk back and forth after putting something away or getting something out, when we could probably combine the two.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

Thanks everyone! Some fab ideas, I’m actually quite looking forward to going back to diy.

 

[dollymix]

DIY must haves... a sense of humour and the ability to “walk away” from the inevitable drama when you put a bunch of horsey women together

Other than that... a structured plan, especially for the morning before work. I leave everything ready for the morning the night before so it cuts down time. My routine runs like clockwork and helps avoid the stress!

I also feed first, so I can do jobs around her whilst she eats. Then by the time she is done, I have finished all the jobs and she is ready to be turned out. I don’t really have time to ride in the morning, as I have a ridiculous commute. But once you have a routine established it makes things so much easier.

 

[NinjaPony]

Following with interest- I’m moving my two ponies onto DIY in September and have never been on DIY before so I’m sure it’s going to be a steep learning curve!

 

[asmp]

I like having two wheelbarrows - one for mucking out and the other (clean one) for taking hay down to the field, moving rugs & feed around, etc.

 

[C1airey]

Enough gloves that you can always find a warm dry pair in the winter, and a vat of decent hand cream for when you STILL can’t find a single one of your eleventy-billion pairs of gloves.

 

[Griffin]

When I looked after my friend's horse on DIY, I used to do like other posters and get as much ready the night before as possible.

I second buying boiler suits to keep your clothes clean and gloves! I also kept a pack of baby wipes in the car and a comb in case of hay/mud/poo.

My other top tip is to make yourself a hot drink in a travel mug before leaving home, to drink when you finish your jobs. It's a little bit of civilization on a cold morning!

 

[tankgirl1]

Finding a yard with plenty of storage space for hay/bedding, a kettle and brew making facilities

 

[Fransurrey]

I have a separate feed bin that I use to stack made up feeds inside. I can fit 9 buckets in there. In winter I use waterproof overtrousers to keep clean and have extra large disposable gloves, so that they can go over my woolly gloves. They stay on there until they're mucky. Agree about brew making facilities. In the winter particularly I top up my coffee/Ovaltine before setting off for work!

 

[mariew]

I'd get the very basics and then work out from there once you have moved, quite a lot depends on how much storage space you have on the yard you are going to.

Wheelbarrow, fork, broom, water buckets, a couple of food buckets and one or two metal feed bins (plastic is too easy for rats to get into). Haynets if you feed in a net. The one unnecessary thing i would add would be one of those rakes and bucket things for poo picking, they make it easier for me on the back. Other than that you don't need much and it's very easy to get exited and buy far too much stuff you don't need. Moi? never... lol

 

[SpottyMare]

Don’t bed on straw - I can muck out shavings and change my shoes and go to work - if on straw everything smells

I've never found this - I muck out a straw bed for a pretty wet mare and there's no smell at all. I just change shoes and hoody and go. I do have a layer of miscanthus pellets under the pee area though, which might be why..

My main one has been working out how often I walk up and down the corridor and making sure I'm always carrying something that needs to go in the same direction - I think that managed to save me at least 5 minutes Otherwise, similar to everyone else in getting as much done the night before etc

 

[Surbie]

Definitely agree about taking a brew. Particularly in winter. Decent coffee makes a huge difference for me. Caffeine-fuelled mucking out is faster!

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Don’t bed on straw - I can muck out shavings and change my shoes and go to work - if on straw everything smells

This!! I use to have to change all my clothes if I want to muck out straw then go to work. 'ewwww whats that smell' from other co workers in the office. Changed to shavings, never had a problem since.

Buy multiple buckets to make feeds over a few days, saves time doing 6 feeds at once rather than one twice a day.

I also bought a bigger wheel barrow a few years ago, a nice fancy yellow one.. (not those tipper one, they're awful!) it set me back £70 but it means I can muck out both stables in one rather than 2 trips to the muck heap.

 

[BOWS28]

I make all feeds and haynets up on a sunday. Grass nuts are added in the evening and i soak more for the next day. Stables are bedded on wood pellets so i always add 1/2 bags on a sunday too.
Breakfast is eaten while i muck out. The muck heap is on my route to the field to i empty it on my way to turn the girls out. Haynet for her to come into is soaked over night and popped into the stable for when they all come in. Overnight haynet is soaked during the day. I'm in such a routine now it's like a military mission. You'll find your feet pretty quick.

A good broom, future fork and a spare bucket for topping up waters in the evenings.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

Thanks everyone, I’m quite excited to put it all into practice! And the weather has even turned for me 😊