Does your horses routine stay the same at a weekend ?

Gingerwitch

Gingerwitch

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I feed between 5.30 and 6 ride and turn out by 7 each "weekday" morning and try to do the same on a weekend - even if i am showing i will turn out at 6ish and catch back in at around 8.

Most people on my yard rock up about 10ish on a weekend and wonder why the horse is a little restless - they get turned out around 7 by yard owner during the week - at weekends you are left to your own plans.

What are your feelings on "routines" - and how hard do you try to stick to your horses routine on a weekend ? and if you are a full livery yard owner do you have stressed horses to deal with after their owners have had them for the weekend ?
 
I try and stick to the same routine - give or take half an hour or so at weekends
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. If I am getting a bit late my very vocal coblet likes to tell everyone they are being neglected which gets me out of bed!!
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Ours get turned out same time every day
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She even turns out the diys so no horse is left in stressing,which i think is a great idea
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YO turns out at the wkend but owners have to muck out and bring in!
 
My friend brings in for me every morning at 8ish, he stays in until I go up after school, which is usually around 7ish, I ride then turn out.
On the weekends, I usually get him in before work, or my friend brings him in if I cant get there at around 8.30, I usually go up between 1 - 3, ride and turn out a bit earlier
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I always try and stick to the same routine. Our yard is all DIY and some people don't turn up till 11am on weekends when their horses are out much earlier on weekdays - it really annoys me! Our YO is so laid back he's almost horizontal, so he doesn't really say much. Only rule is is that in winter horses have to be in no later than 6pm. I think its important to try and stick to the same routine, its not fair on the horses otherwise. If you want to have a lay-in at weekends either dont have a horse or get someone else to turn them out for you!! He he, Rant over ...
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now you see i don't stick to a routine and my horses are fine with it. normally during the week i get there at 5.30am and they are out from 6am. some days i get YO to bring in at about 1pm and somedays they come in about 4/5pm. at the weekend they get fed usually about 8am (by me or a friend) and might not go out til the afternoon if they are being ridden in the morning. some nights they have their tea at 5/6pm and some nights they have it at 9pm. they always have access to hay and water and don't get stressy at all- they just know when they see me that its food time
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i think it can help with some horses not to have a routine because they don't then have a major stress if routine has to change for some reason (like going away to camp or a competition or something).
 
George is on part livery during the week and at weekends so his routine stays the same. As I work in London full time and have a long commute it works for us both and the routine keeps George chilled and happy!
 
I often feed and turnout a bit later at weekends but before 9 am. It depends what I am doing and how many feeds they are having tbh. I also bring in a bit earlier. Instead of 7.30 they will be in by 6.30 on a Sunday as I usually have work to do for Monday. Mine mainly live out so i am just talking about in the winter!
 
my routine always stays the same no matter what, if i cant get to yard my OH goes and puts puts her out and mucks out etc...and she comes in at the same time everyday too....she knows her own bodyclock by now too....she goes out by 8am and back in for 4.30...she's ready to come in at this time....she'll have a groom and then Pj's on....then she'll have her tea..Job done for the night, but if I cant or OH cant then I always ask someone else to sort her out for the same times.
It works for us.
 
Nooooo! My routine is pretty chaotic at the weekends, they will still get fed, be turned out (pending not being on bl**dy box rest) mucked out, ridden (pending not being bl**dy lame!) and got in and fed again but the timings compared to during the week are all over the place
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Yes, because half the time I don't realise it IS the weekend, that's the joy of having them at home, no rules, no worries about whether they have been left by themselves in a field, no 'curtain twitching'. Horses live out, I wander out sometime or other, feed what needs feeding, check hay and water, do whatever needs doing, straighten rugs, call the Vet etc as required.

Every day is the same, just the clothes and seasons change.
 
I'm on Part livery at mo so my horse has a routine except at weekends he may stay in during the morning as I will get up there to ride sometimes early or sometimes mid-morning and I turn him out afterwards.

All the DIY horses are fed and hayed by the YO in the morning as it keep the stables intact from banging feet. Most people put extra hay in their morning nets for sat and sun morning and turn up a little later than usual say maybe 9 or 10 instead of 6 or 7. The horses are all fine - at least none of them have died yet
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They seem to know the days are different.
 
the only difference is at the weekend i am an hour later in the mornins but i will give extra hay at nite so he will have some for that hour longer!
 
Routine stays pretty much the same. What changes is how much time I can spend with the baggage
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During the week I go straight there after work which gives me an hour before I have to be at the school to collect the youngest. Weekends I spend all my free time there
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I'm a bit OCD when it comes to routines. At the moment my horse is in by day, out by night. So at the weekend he'll come in at around 9.00am, rather than 7.00.

However, once he's in, his routine doesn't vary - expect by about half an hour at the weekend, when he'll get fed at 7.30am rather than 7.00.

Slackers, shouldnt' have horses
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my horses are turned out at about 8am in the week and ridden after work.

on the weekends they are in until about 9.30am when they are hacked out then turned out.

all fine with that and as they are competition horses they can't be in a rigid routine- what happens when they have to stable overnight at events etc?

much better for them NOT to be in a strict routine as competing mucks the timetable around and would cause more stress if they weren't used to it.
 
Horses always get fed around 5.30pm in the evening, but other than that the routine changes to fit in with us
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Mine is the only horse who has a morning feed with his morning hay and in the week that could be anywhere between 6am and 7.30am and at the weekend it will never be before 8am. They all get hayed at night at 10pm whatever.

I don't think it IS necessarily a good idea to have a strict routine as if something happens or the horse needs to be in for farrier/vet or box rest, they will be more distressed having an abrupt change, so varying it keeps them relaxed and happy and not too much of a clock watcher.
 
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Yes, because half the time I don't realise it IS the weekend, that's the joy of having them at home, no rules, no worries about whether they have been left by themselves in a field, no 'curtain twitching'. Horses live out, I wander out sometime or other, feed what needs feeding, check hay and water, do whatever needs doing, straighten rugs, call the Vet etc as required.

Every day is the same, just the clothes and seasons change.

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Yup, pretty much the same for me. I am not a fan of strict routine for horses - they are for the yard's convenience, not the horses. My horses are relaxed and chilled and happy to see me whenever I decide to rock up - but then they are not confined in a stable with a night's poo and wee for company
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my horses are turned out at about 8am in the week and ridden after work.

on the weekends they are in until about 9.30am when they are hacked out then turned out.

all fine with that and as they are competition horses they can't be in a rigid routine- what happens when they have to stable overnight at events etc?

much better for them NOT to be in a strict routine as competing mucks the timetable around and would cause more stress if they weren't used to it.

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I think the OP was probably talking about 'non' competition animals - but you make a very valid point.

However, I don't know of any competition yard who doesn't have a good routine, and pretty strict one, whilst the horses are at home.
 
Well in the winter Genie gets turned out around 8/8.30am if I'm up in the morning, or 9.30ish if I can't get up and the yard groom does her. Horses will come in around 3/4ish but Genie regularly thinks this isn't long enough out and so the groom will leave her out on her own for me to get. Genie isn't bothered being out on her own as she can see other horses so just keeps on eating. At the weekends she'll either be turned out around 8ish and ridden later as I'm working at the yard, or ridden first and then turned out. She doesn't stress if her routine is different as it's not particularly rigid, but if the other horses in the barn (it's her and 3 others indoors) have gone out then she will get VERY vocal and annoyed. Fortunately this rarely happens!
 
At the moment mine is out all day and night so I say hi in the morning (or another livery does as we share mornings) then she comes in at about 6/7 depending what time I finish work, I ride, feed, turn back out. At weekends it's pretty much the same except I try and ride a bit earlier.

During the winter she's in overnight so I'm up before work (at about 7-7.30am) to feed and turn out. She'll come in about the same time as she does now, I'll ride, feed again and give haynet overnight. At weekends she has a bigger haynet to last until I get there at about 9am, feed, ride then turn out for the day. She usually comes in earlier i.e. before it gets dark as I prefer not to be walking along a pitch black country lane if I can help it
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. So I suppose in winter we do change a little but not much, and as long as there are other horses around, which there always are, mine isn't fussed as long as she gets some time in the field every day
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I agree to some extent with diggerbez - I think its good to have horses that can adapt to differing routines because in a strange way it makes them more settled when the unexpected happens. Mine live out 24/7 but will get fed at some point between 3pm and 9pm depending on other committments.

In the winter they get fed in the morning usually about 6.30pm in week but could be around 9ish at the weekend.

The only one who gets slightly bothered is fattie welsh pony whose whole life revolves around food - she is ever hopeful of more food despite having hay available more or less constantly.

I also try and not ride then feed so that they dont expect it and rush home from hack etc
 
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