DIY tips, tricks and hacks?

[Amelia246]

Just started on DIY and wanting to be more efficient in the mornings before work.
I’m already looking at getting a H2GO water bag so I don’t have to make multiple trips to the tap, but I wanted to know what weird and wonderful tips, tricks and hacks everybody has for life as a DIY-er?

I will be grateful for horse and human related! Including how to make getting up at 6:30am more bearable!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Buy multiple hay nets so you can make loads at the weekend, put extra bedding in as banks then just pull a bit down each day when mucking out, make your feeds up into small bags for the week obviously just the dry stuff.

 

[jnb]

6.30 am? I have to be at work by 8 so I get up about 5.30-5.40

I make feeds up (am and pm ones) in rat proof tubs and soak wet feed (haycobs) the night before
I fill 2 flasks with boiling water am ad pm so I have got water ready to make feeds/de ice anything if needed on cold days
Fill kettles after using ready to put on when I arrive at yard so don't have to wait for them to boil (see flasks)
Horseware baseball cap with LED light on peak so I can see to open combination locks/not kill myself falling over stuff in the dark (I have my own yard so obviously am first there!!)
security light over horses gate - he lives out but comes in to his stable for feed/pamper/change rugs/pick out feet - at this point I feel I must thank the Lord I have electric at the yard as my other one doesn't and life is so much harder in winter as it's PITCH BLACK up there. Hat with light on helps when picking out feet also.
Fill haynets ready the night before
Ditto always have buckets/containers of water filled in case hose freezes

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Use water canisters…..those water bags are very difficult to handle and if you are time constrained that’s when they fall out of the barrow and it’s like trying to lift a dead body (I’m guessing) back in….

 

[cauda equina]

I found my H2Go next to useless, it just sloshed everywhere
10-15l containers which I can either carry 2 at a time or load into a barrow are far easier

eta - snap!

 

[ecb89]

Stuff a weeks worth of haynets and make up feeds for the week at the weekend. Then you only need to hang nets and add water to feeds if needed

 

[WispyBegs]

I really didn’t get on with the water bags, would recommend using plastic water carriers instead!
Also, I deep litter on straw through the week just taking out the poo to save time on mucking out and do a full muck out on a Saturday.
I also fill all haynets at the weekend so they are ready to be hung up.
Making feeds in advance, I have a spare feed bin to store these in - so much easier!

 

[hollyandivy123]

learn your bed and set according to how the horse lives in it, i can muck out and set up in 10-15 min, pick up barrow, go get fresh straw pop it in one corner, 3 tools 5 prong metal, shavings and a very good brush

throw the clean on to the fresh straw, then tip poo of fork into a separate pile or barrow, shaving fork to pick up the wet and then a good sweep out where wet, put bed down and straw on top, take barrow to much heap and then its done.

if i am mucking out other unknown horses it takes longer, i just know how to set the bed for how the horse needs it.

 

[Fieldlife]

My routine isnt the same every day. I make lists on the notepad of my phone, of what I need to do in what order before I get to yard. So I have a clear plan.

I also look at the weather and decide rug plan whilst travelling to yard.

Set everything you can up at the weekend, on evenings when not in a rush.

If are riding on your visit do that first, as you will always muck out, but you might not exercise after mucking out.

 

[Merry neddy man]

Getting up earlier then go to bed earlier, all good advice above, ditto containers instead of bags we use 10 gallon drums if that's to heavy just 3/4 fill them, if no one else is about a bit of music will lift your spirits.

 

[Auslander]

Not on DIY, but i have 13 to hay twice a day. I use garden waste bags for hay instead of nets - the 120l ones fit a decent sized portion for one horse. They are quick and easy to fill, stack neatly on top of each other when filled, and have handles so you can carry loads at a time.
https://amzn.eu/d/6aTesVV

 

[Fieldlife]

Not on DIY, but i have 13 to hay twice a day. I use garden waste bags for hay instead of nets - the 120l ones fit a decent sized portion for one horse. They are quick and easy to fill, stack neatly on top of each other when filled, and have handles so you can carry loads at a time.
https://amzn.eu/d/6aTesVV

would these fit a standard horse haynet in comfortably? I sometimes need to put haynets in my car to drive short distance to lorry.

 

[Annagain]

As long as your tap can take the weight, hang one bucket off the tap at a bit of an angle and position another bucket underneath in the correct spot to collect the overflow. Put the tap on slowly and do your jobs, by the time they're done, you should have two bucketsful of water. It takes a bit of trial and error to get the flow rate right but it saves lots of time waiting for buckets to fill.

If you need more than two buckets or your tap can't take the weight, build a bucket pyramid - 3 buckets on the bottom in a circle and another bucket balanced in the middle. Fill the top bucket and let it overflow into the bottom ones (like those champagne waterfalls you see in old films!). You need a very flat surface for this to work well though.

You will still need to make multiple trips but at least you're not hanging around doing nothing while they fill. You also need to be the only person wanting to fill buckets at that time!

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Organisation is the word. I've used the H20 to go bags & got on alright with them. When is ripped I didn't replace it. I used a 10 gallon plastic container & carried it to the paddocks resting in a barrow. Don't have to do that now as we've got taps in various places in the paddocks. We always keep haynets topped up and do this at weekends, so we've always got plenty. We don't do deep littering. The beds are done each moning and skipped out later in the day. Just don't like deep littering, smelly horses? Feeding skips are made up in advance & beet is made up later & put into feeds before they're given to horses. If you are walking somewhere to take something always come back with something eles, that means you don't waste time.

 

[Jango]

Depending how your yard is set up, plan your walking so you aren't 'wasting' journeys. For example my muckheap/hay area is on the way to the field. So I muck out first, then take barrow with nets to near the muckheap on my way to the field to turn out (with horse in tow!), then I tip barrow and do nets on the way back to my stable.

Hosepipes are also your friend so you can fill the water as you muck out or do other jobs.

 

[Keith_Beef]

Aquaroll water transporter.

To fill two, three or four buckets at a time, you can fit a manifold info a tap.

If you fit a water controller between the existing two head and the manifold, you can, for example, put three 13.5 litre buckets and set the limiter to deliver 40 litres to not quite fill the three. Look at the various times, meters and similar from Gardena, Hozelock, etc.

 

[TheChestnutThing]

During the week I let them sleep in turnouts to save me changing rugs in the mornings.
Tie them up outside to eat breakfast whilst I muck out.
Haynets filled on a sunday so during the week I can just hang up (I do need to buy more).
Ditto the extra bedding in banks, and then do a refresh at the weekend. On really busy weeks (like this one), I alternate riding so one will get ridden and the other lunged then vice versa the next day, and if i'm busier than busy, then they get worked on alternate days.
I also poo pick daily or else I lose the will to live on a saturday.

 

[Prancerpoos]

Nothing to say that will help, but reading through all this I am so glad that I no longer have horses.

 

[humblepie]

A lot will depend on your yard layout and what you can or can’t do. Ours wouldn’t have space for everyone to fill a week’s haynets in advance. I don’t really have any time saving hints other than the don’t walk anywhere empty handed

 

[Fieldlife]

Nothing to say that will help, but reading through all this I am so glad that I no longer have horses.

Morning horse chores, and morning rides before work are the best way to start the day for me.

 

[MuddyMonster]

A daylight alarm clock for mornings. Head phones if people try to chat, as it will put slow you down.

Not time saving but I don't do anything without gloves to save my hands & nails.

All my tack is in the same place so all I need to do is grab it & load it in the car.
Check all lights etc for pre-work hacking still work the night before too!

I fill water containers the night before to avoid the morning rush of waiting for the tap.

I make a week's worth of feed up in one go in zip lock bags. Ditto haynets.

I ride first thing usually so a quick flick off the night before helps to save time in morning but also lower your expectations - it's totally fine to ride a grubby-where-the-tack-doesn't-go. pony

Pig oil for mane, head, legs & tail helps hugely too.

Choose bedding carefully. I've gone back to pellets as it's quicker to muck out in the week!

 

[EllieBeast]

If you struggle with getting up- I highly recommend Philips Hue bulbs.
My alarm goes off at 4.45 so I can see to the dogs and horse before work.

The bulbs are in our bedside lamps and are set to gradually fade up to full power by the time the alarm goes off. I’m normally awake just beforehand now and it’s a much nicer way to wake ?

 

[maya2008]

I used to muck out in the evening. In the morning, I put full waterproofs on over my work clothes and turned out like that on my way to work. Wash hands, peel off waterproofs and wellies, put work shoes on at the car and straight into work. All chores done in the evening. When madam was on box rest I mucked out in the same attire before work and it was fine. I didn’t do haynets though and had wood pellet bedding, so nothing to end up down my wellies/in my hair.

 

[Auslander]

would these fit a standard horse haynet in comfortably? I sometimes need to put haynets in my car to drive short distance to lorry.

They do. If I push hard enough, I can get one of the big red/black haynets in

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I used to muck out in the evening. In the morning, I put full waterproofs on over my work clothes and turned out like that on my way to work. Wash hands, peel off waterproofs and wellies, put work shoes on at the car and straight into work. All chores done in the evening. When madam was on box rest I mucked out in the same attire before work and it was fine. I didn’t do haynets though and had wood pellet bedding, so nothing to end up down my wellies/in my hair.

Likewise, both on livery and with horses at home. In fact I often used to turnout while wearing my dressing-gown. Now I am retired and the horses live out 24/7, so they get a quick check when I let the dogs out first thing, in my dressing-gown and then hay after I've got dressed.

 

[pistolpete]

Another vote for enormous shires haynets. And put phone on silent while you’re at yard. Head torch best you can afford and prep in advance as much as possible at the weekend. I used to do all my ponies supplements into tubs to tip in at meal times.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

Morning horse chores, and morning rides before work are the best way to start the day for me.

Same here apart from getting out of bed in the morning which I’ve always struggled with once I’m at the yard I love being with and around the horses.

I do somewhat think the standard of yard facilities and whether your horse(s) are pretty easy contribute to that feeling though.

 

[Amelia246]

Thanks all, some great recommendations here I will be keen to tryout! So far I think my biggest issue is the water and having to make multiple trips, I’ve seen some Aquaroll’s on FB marketplace so will give that a go!

 

[Merrymoles]

Thanks all, some great recommendations here I will be keen to tryout! So far I think my biggest issue is the water and having to make multiple trips, I’ve seen some Aquaroll’s on FB marketplace so will give that a go!

We use an aquaroll for our field water but it is too heavy for me to lift and pour so we also invested a few quid (less than a tenner) in a jiggle siphon which has the added benefit that it pumps quite slowly so you can get on with other jobs while your water fills. Once the water is at a level where the siphon stops working, I can easily lift and pour.

 

[Birker2020]

We have one of these water tanks under a tap in the washroom. It holds a massive amount of water and then we dip in with one of the two buckets that are always left by it to fill our empty water buckets. I always put the tap back on to refill it whilst I'm making a feed or putting my water buckets in the stable. That way there is always a copious amount of water to use straight away. It stops people from using the tap to fill up their buckets whilst your using the hose washing off muddy legs too, as the water is pressurised.

Its absolutely revolutionised our yard in terms of getting our waters done quickly.

Another tip, when carrying a hay net of wet hay out to the paddock thread the end of the string through a hole at the bottom of the net and then back again to the main rings on the top of the nets and then use your hand to hold the string going down and up again. Hope that make's sense.

I tend to put any damp shavings and bury them in my banks, in a couple of days the heat from the banks has dried them out.
I don't do this for wet shavings that have urine on them, but only damp ones. The heat dries them out and you can reuse again.

I also lay pellets on the floor in the patch where my horse wees. We pre wet the pellets- not too much though. Spread the layer thinly. Then put a decent amount of shavings on top and bang down to create a bit of firmness. I do this and only use one bag of pellets a fortnight and one small bale of shavings a week by this method.

Every time you buy a rug write on the chest strap the weight of the rug with perm marker. This way you never forget the weight the following winter.

I turnout at 6 ish on a Saturday and sometimes Sunday to decrease the amount of time my horse is out in the paddock and out of the stable eating hay and weeing over expensive shavings! It encourages him to move more and is better for him as well. I also leave him out until after I get there from work to save the staff bringing in and it saves me money too.