does anyone ride before work?

asommerville

asommerville

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thinking o asking my woek whether i can start at ten rather than nine, meaning i can do the jobs in the morning and ride while its light, does anyone manage this or am i dreaming lol!!??
 
Think you will get the answer that lots of people. I start work generally at 9.00 and over the summer have been riding both of my two before work. Over the winter will probably look at going in later to make the most of the daylight. Becomes a problem though once it gets icy and then I try to go in to work early and leave a bit earlier. That said, have actually had the week off riding as the early mornings have worn me out!
 
Yes and I'm still at work by half past eight or nine at the latest :confused:

Even in winter (excluding about a month end of Dec/start of Jan) I can be at work by nine (and I live a 40 minute drive away as well) having ridden before hand. Ok I actually have to get out of bed at 5.45 but it is eminently do-able.
 
Me! I ride very early - much prefer it in summer as you miss the flies and most the farm traffic... usually! In winter I turnout for 5.45am then muck out before bringing in at 7.30am to ride - obviously as winter goes on it gets darker so I have to bring in later in the morning if I want to hack out although I have no roadwork so can set off in darkness. I am actually self employed though so I can be flexible with my times - I imagine it would be a lot harder if your actually riding to a deadline.
 
I am not a morning person and neither is my horse!

I work at 8.30 so another livery turns my horse out. I then go up at night and bring all the horses (4 of them inc mine) in. I'll muck out then ride in the floodlight outdoor

Seems better and a lot less stressful than getting up really early then dragging my horse out of bed to ride!
 
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i think it sounds doable, i want to ride while its lihht rather than in the dark.i hate it! im up in the morning anyway so just need to get into a routine i think
 
JennyConnor said:
I am not a morning person and neither is my horse!
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My horse and I are the total opposite! Both of us are far happier to work in the morning than the evening. I get to the yard for 5.45, feed the others on the yard, ride, then while she is eating her breakfast I muck out and sort out my other (retired) horse and get everything ready for the evening. I usually get back home between 7.45 and 8.15, shower, etc. and get to work for 9.
 
MissMoo said:
My horse and I are the total opposite! Both of us are far happier to work in the morning than the evening. I get to the yard for 5.45, feed the others on the yard, ride, then while she is eating her breakfast I muck out and sort out my other (retired) horse and get everything ready for the evening. I usually get back home between 7.45 and 8.15, shower, etc. and get to work for 9.
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You're very lucky! The livery who turns him out at 9am says he's always lying down asleep when she arrives. Even when I come up at 8.30 on the weekends I leave him in bed till 10am sometimes! He's sound asleep while I potter about and do jobs.
 
yes, I did it-even when horse wasn't at home.I have flexi time though which takes the pressure off (also a 45min commute). Much prefer riding am than after a long day at work and annoying drive home-especially in the dark.
 
Unfortunately my company doesn't offer flexi time (hasn't joined the 21st century yet), otherwise i'd use and extend my lunch hour to accommodate exercising my boy during the daylight hours through the winter months and doing some yard chores too.

He lives out most of the time and so early morning's wouldn't work for me in that respect. I'm lucky in that there's a horse walker in situ on the yard so take advantage of this to keep him ticking over and will cope with riding on the floodlit arena during the week i guess.

I do take my horse down to my OH's with me for breaks on a regular basis & take advantage of hacking out and riding round the stubble fields, so that's a plus i guess!

I wish flexi time was in place at work as it would be so much easier in some respects. I envy those who have super duper and very understanding bosses!!
 
JennyConnor said:
Seems better and a lot less stressful than getting up really early then dragging my horse out of bed to ride!
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I guess that depends on whether you want to do anything with your evenings or not. If I ride after work I rarely make it home before eight and then I barely see my boyfriend hence the motivation to get up early :)
 
Jesstickle said:
I guess that depends on whether you want to do anything with your evenings or not. If I ride after work I rarely make it home before eight and then I barely see my boyfriend hence the motivation to get up early :)
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I finish work at 5, go straight to the yard whilst the OH goes out on his mountain/road bike. It takes me about 10 minutes to drive to the yard, I get everyone in, which takes about 10 minutes then muck out my horse and sort his hay, again that takes about 10 minutes.

I groom, tack up and ride which is just over an hour. I then put my horse to bed with his dinner, sweep up the yard and head home for about 7pm. This is just in time for my OH to be coming home from his ride :)
 
Damn my stupid long commute. It adds so much time to everything, I never get to the yard before quarter to six. One day I will live near where I work :(
 
no... but i start work at 5am :o i would never sleep if i worked them both before work :) but when i was starting at 9 or if i was on the late starting at 4pm it was easy :) although because i work with food i have to shower after going near the horses etc so i have to plan that into my day too :)
 
Yes! :) Regularly all year round. Was jumping in the field at 6am this morning. Only have to get up about 5.15am from my house but if I am staying at my boyfriend's or Mum's I have been known on several occasions to be up at 4.30am...must be mad!

The only thing is I have now a couple of times accidentally set the alarm off for a second which I am sure the live-in yard owners do not appreciate at all as a morning wake up call! :(

I think its great as I don't have to feel guilty if I want to do something else on a weekday evening.
 
I ride in the morning before work, I have flexi time so I can't do it every day, but most days it doesn't hurt if I come in at 10:00, maybe even 1030.

In winter I get to yard about 06:30 put my mare in a spare stable, muck out, then turn my daughter's gelding out and anyone else who needs it, then my friend comes about 0745, we groom and tack up for about 0800, hack out, back in the yard for about 0900, quick brush down and feed, turn out horse, then have a quick wash and spruce up, change clothes, head for work, usually at desk by 10:00

We may have to do this a whole lot earlier this winter as my friend has new job and starts at 0845, but I wonder if it would be light enough for us to set off at 7am, I seem to think it was still dark, but hopefully we can ride.
 
Yes used to had to be in work for 9 but home by 7.15 to get ready and travel. Routine was:

5.30 - Get up
6.45 - Arrive & feed yard
6.00 - Muck out, do water, wet hay (make up haynets & feeds on wk ends & would also save time to skip out)
6.25 - Tack up
6.00 - Ride
7.00 - Untack & turn out
7.10 - Leave
7.15 - Home
 
Yes, I Start at 9.30.

Gte up at 5.30, have breakie, get to the yard for 6.30 / 6.45 and am groomed, tacked up and on board by 7.15am, finished by 8, do all my jobs, away by 9 and in work, having a wash in the loos (small office) about 9.15 to be at my desk by 9.30. In the winter I try to groom the night before so I can pretty much tack up and ride as job seem to take longer with mucking out etc involved...
 
Yeah, great in the winter to ride in the morning because after a long day and it's dark I don't have the energy to ride after work. I start at around 8am, but can be up as early as 5am, good job I'm a morning person! :D
 
I much prefer to ride before work as i never get to the yard before 5.45pm and if i ride after work i dont get home before 8pm and so wouldnt get to see the OH much. I get up at 5.10 so I'm at the yard for 5.20. Feed everyone and muck out mine (one ridden and one retired) and sort everything out for the evening, then I'm on by 5.50am school or hack (summer when its light enough) untack and leave the yard by 7.00 so i can quickly spruce up for work and im at my desk by 8.30. Everyone at work comments on how happy I am in the mornings which i put down to having ridden and spent time with my horses before work.
 
asommerville said:
i think it sounds doable, i want to ride while its lihht rather than in the dark.i hate it! im up in the morning anyway so just need to get into a routine i think
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Yes, me! I have job arranged so that I can see my horse in the daylight in the winter. He lives out and we don't have a school or indoor arena, so if I didn't, he would only get out at weekends all winter and he needs to stay fit (and he needs the stimulation of the nice hard road surfaces to counteract the squishy winter field to keep his feet nice in the winter!).

I can, in principle, make a 10am meeting if needed, but normally work from noon onwards.
 
Yup been bringing on my new baby recently, so get up at 6.10, down the yard for 6.30 get in and tack up, work from 6.45 - 7.20 then put her in prepared stable for the day, home for 7.45 and then leave for work at 8.15. I'm a teacher so think I've got more patience in the morning than after dealing with arguing teenagers all day !
 
In the summer yes, absolutely - out between 5.30am and 6.30am

Winter no - just weekend riding. I start at 9am, home is half an hour away from work and on these roads absolutely would not ride out in the dark!!
 
I have taken to riding before work at about 6am, more pleasant than riding in the eve I find. I do hack a lot of the time though, which does involve a small amount of road work. I don't know whether I will be able to carry this on through winter, what would people suggest? Does anyone hack out early on like that when it's still a bit dark?
 
I used to.

Routine was: Up at 6.00am, to the yard by 6.30am, mucked out by 7.00am, tacked up by 7.15am, ridden/lunged by 8.15am, off the yard by 8.30am at work by 9am
 
I do now. My work hours have changed which means I start at 10 but finish at 6.30pm so it's late to ride in the evening. Ride three mornings a week and lunge one morning. It's so much better for me as get to spend time with hubby in the evening. X
 
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