Enjoy horse more work less tips

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Daisy2

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So following on from my rainy day everything hurts post please share your tips for making having horses a little less hard work allowing more time to play, groom and ride :D.

After thinking about why I bend so much and carry buckets around the field I am now going out to buy

A table
More buckets
More hay nets (fill for the next day)
Extra poo picker for the other side of the field (huge field)
Bigger groom kit box (never find anything, end up chucking it all out to find that hoofpick)
Have a tidy up and get more organised.
Bottle of wine for later and good movie!
 
Some of the children on my daughters pony camp brought their maids with them to help plait - how about this for a labour saving device?:D (this is true by the way, I'm not making it up).
 
More haynets changed my life! I hate filling hay nets so have 8 now (only got one horse!) Means I can fill up enough for a week at once, and have one extra for show/unexpected stable time etc.

The other thing that solved the frustrating grooming kit box thing for me was buying a set of plastic drawers, like these, can find things really easily now:)
 
I don't fill haynets. Just chuck hay on the floor! Much quicker and better for neds too (assuming no need to restrict intake of course)

Horses out 24/7 now which means I finally get a lie in. Hurrah!
 
I keep a hoofpick hung up with headcollars. Make sure any time you cross the yard your hands are full. So as my wheelbarrow is in the haybarn, I bring my hay & straw in with it before mucking out. While water filling I put tools away as pass tap on way etc. Having stuff organised really.
 
[QUOTE
The other thing that solved the frustrating grooming kit box thing for me was buying a set of plastic drawers, like these, can find things really easily now:)[/QUOTE]

Now they look good and less bending too
 
littlelegs said:
I keep a hoofpick hung up with headcollars. Make sure any time you cross the yard your hands are full. So as my wheelbarrow is in the haybarn, I bring my hay & straw in with it before mucking out. While water filling I put tools away as pass tap on way etc. Having stuff organised really.
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This. I try and make sure I'm always taking something somewhere whenever I traverse the yard/fields. It does help.

Oh, and pressganging teenage daughter to muck out once a week is a real godsend too ;)

P
 
Honestly, I can't tell you the difference it made to me :D It's sad really:rolleyes::D I was forever lobbing my grooming boxes around in a rage, the thing I was looking for was always at the bottom or in a different box :eek:

Actually I have a set which has 2 big drawers and 2 little drawers, so the small fiddly things that I use all the time (hoof pick, pen, scissors etc) are in the small drawers and I keep brushes, boots etc in the big ones.
 
Attach something chunky to your hoofpicks, makes them easier to find :D

If water is carried to the field, if you can get big water carriers, fill them in one go, then they're ready each day. Tip: put on bales of straw and pack straw round to stop it freezing.

Split your big field, that way you can rotate and therefore won't have to poo pick - wait for after frost and then roll and harrow :D

Use waterprood gloves! Invest in a decent pair, and a good fleecy hat that comes down over your ears, it will make life so much nicer :D

Overtrousers! Keep you warm and dry - it's half the battle won :D

Get a haynet filler if you you're going to use haynets. Makes filling them a doddle. Much easier to have hay on the ground in the field though, better for the neds too :D

If you need clean tails: wash; cover in baby oil; big plait all the way down.

If on hard feed, make up the week's feeds n one go.

Give yourself a day off a week - if you spend Saturday doing the field jobs, haynets, water, feeds, good check over of each ned sans rugs, then give yourself Sunday to just check that they're okay, then go and do something nice, even if it's just stay at home and chill :D
 
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