equine managment is there a easier way?

[harrystar]

So having had horses all my life, through generations of my family we've always had horses, however we used to have more land until the last 8-years. And during that time we've "managed" but it hasn't been easy and recently I have been quite ill so unable to do the work i normally would which leaves me in a difficult situation as i won't allow the care for my horses to drop so i find i'am along with the rest of my family pushing ourselves to the limit in order to look after them.

We have 6 in total (too many i know! but 3 of which are oldies & retired and i'm not one to get rid of my horses just because they can't work anymore). When they where younger and we had more land we had a great system they would all go out together by day in a 14-acre field and then in by night in a hard standing area with a massive (and i mean massive!) field shelter which they all happily shared. So i would have 1 shelter to muck out, poo pick the hard standing, we had 1 very large automatic filling water trough and i got larger tractor tyre and would put a large round bale of hay in it for them to munch on overnight and that would last a fair while.

However since we moved and the older ones got that bit older, the younger ones started "picking" on them so i had no choice but to break up the heard. Currently into 3 sections (2 horses together, with there own shelter and paddock area) then they go out by day which of course involves turning all them out into each of there paddocks and bringing them all in by night.

I changed there bedding in the hope it may make some of the work easier instead of thick straw beds i bought this super thick new out EVA foam matting its very lightweight and very thick, which for the most part has cut down the mucking out time a fair bit.

But my day consists of doing the following:

8am wake up, feed all horses in there places they have to be fed separated up
9am turn out half of them
1pm muck out 2 of the shelters ( ones that have been turned out )
1.30pm bring in horses and turn out the rest and lunch feed them all hay
2pm finish mucking out the other 2 shelters, do waters (of which theres about 8 inc the buckets in the field)
Collect all the feed buckets, sweep yard, make feeds, fill haynets/haylage nets)
4pm bring other horses in hang up haynets, skip out horses that have been in the afternoon
4.30pm evening feed all the horses
6pm final night hay in

If i have time in the middle of all that i will ride, do some work (thank god i'm self employed)

But surely there must be a easier way of doing all this, we have 7-acres of land so its not the smallest plot ever, we do have bad mud in winter which at current is making life hell. 1 of the younger horses as much as it will pain me to do it i will be selling come spring as he is the only "sellable" one we have.

The rest are either getting on, or have "issues" that wouldn't make them suitable to rehome if i could bring myself to do it that is.

At current its too the point where i'm thinking of giving up completely once we have lost some of the older ones. I've had enough of it. Any suggestions on how i can give the horses what they need but somewhat have a quality of life myself! How do you all manage? what "system" do you use?

 

[thatsmygirl]

I have no me time simple. My day consists of
5am- get up to travel to yard, feed turnout and muck out/hay etc 5 stables. Then take son to childminders and be at work for 8am. Finish work which is full time at 4.30, go to pick son ul, get to yard and bring in, ride, feed etc and finish there at about 7.30/8 ish, then its home to do dinner and house work and starts again 5am the next day

 

[Nudibranch]

The mud sounds like the biggest issue, otherwise I would say keep them out 24/7. Presumably you'll be able to do that in summer though? I would think about electric fencing and having them in one section at a time as trash paddocks, out and appropriately rugged. Then roll and reseed if necessary when they've moved to the next patch. 7 acres isn't tiny but 6 horses will soon chew it up and in winter it isn't enough. Could you move some of them? The oldies might do better out all the time if you can find decent grazing elsewhere which isn't on clay.

 

[twiggy2]

if the money is available I would have an all weather surface put down-as large as money allows. fence it into 4 (one spare), put 3 hay bins (half barrels/wheelie bins) in each section, fixed to the middle of a section of fencing (to avoid horses getting cornered), this mean no more haynets, just put able of hay in a wheel barrow cut strings and push round to hay bins and top them up as needed, bin fixed to fence with a hose that reaches to fill up-no more carrying buckets.
no more turning in and out, they could stay in turnout area on wet /busy days, fence fields into 4 so you can turn them all out am and do all weather turn out areas ready for getting them in. if they are not on restricted hay then you can do hay, water, check turnout/in, clean and tidy twice per day.

 

[Tnavas]

A friend recently told me she feeds her ponies oats as the birds get into and scatter the dung and she then doesn't need to pick up. Rain washes it in pretty quickly too.

I'd be putting the oldies together in one paddock, and the younger ones together in another paddock.

 

[harrystar]

Thanks guys some useful advise, Nudibranch the mud is a big issue my yard part where the stables are its ok but where the boys have there shelters its a nightmare if I could move the shelters I would. But at mo I have to try and push a wheel barrow through around 4 inches if not more of mud! I did have proper drainage and hardcore installed but after a few years it soon stopped working, and now I'm in this position which is why I guess the last 2years have been that much harder specially in winter.

There is a local grass livery a couple of villages away which I did think about letting the old tb gelding go, as they turn all horses out together in like a 20acre field, my issue with doing that is its new to me I've never let my horses go anywhere, it's trustng that they'll look after him as he is 18 now although fairly healthy bar a bit of lameness hear and there. I will seriously think about it tho once the youngster who I'm selling in spring is sold as he is his paddock buddy.

I'm turning out because I can't keep them in the mud all the time. But it's not ideal as my fields are getting churned up.

twiggy2 that's a good idea about the bins I'll see where I can get some from, really that would save a lot of time! The all weather surface I'm not sure would be possiable I fear it would end up the same way as the hardcore did, covered in mud! I have been thinking tho of concreting where the mud is tho.

 

[twiggy2]

twiggy2 that's a good idea about the bins I'll see where I can get some from, really that would save a lot of time! The all weather surface I'm not sure would be possiable I fear it would end up the same way as the hardcore did, covered in mud! I have been thinking tho of concreting where the mud is tho.

if an all weather surface was laid and drained properly it s/would last years-but is expensive

 

[Polos Mum]

Can you use hay bars (home made not the crazy expensive official ones) save filling hay nets I have a 'hay' wheel barrow that I put a bale on walk round the barn and throw appropriate number of sections over all into hay bars - saves quite a bit of time.

Get automatic water - certainly in the fields and the stables if practical.

I don't think there is a magic wand but if you can make each job 10 mins quicker each day it really adds up. Winter is tough so maybe grass livery for 2/3 months for the oldies might work. 6 horses on 7 acres needs careful mgmt. unless you're blessed with perfect ground!

 

[pinkypug1]

I have no me time simple. My day consists of
5am- get up to travel to yard, feed turnout and muck out/hay etc 5 stables. Then take son to childminders and be at work for 8am. Finish work which is full time at 4.30, go to pick son ul, get to yard and bring in, ride, feed etc and finish there at about 7.30/8 ish, then its home to do dinner and house work and starts again 5am the next day

Genuinely interested but what age is your son? Does he come with you to the yard? I am finding it increasingly difficult to manage one horse on diy livery let alone 5!! work fulltime & run a house with having 2 boys. I feel utterly guilty that I spend more time at work/yard than with my kids