For those who do horses before work

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CobsGalore

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What is your morning routine and how long does it take you?

How long do you think it will take me to muck out, feed and turn out in the morning? And apart from doing all my hay nets at the weekend and leaving turnout rugs on, is there anything else that will help me save time?

This is bearing in mind I haven't mucked out for years!! :o

Thank you
 
CobsGalore said:
What is your morning routine and how long does it take you?

How long do you think it will take me to muck out, feed and turn out in the morning? And apart from doing all my hay nets at the weekend and leaving turnout rugs on, is there anything else that will help me save time?

This is bearing in mind I haven't mucked out for years!! :o

Thank you
Click to expand...

I start work at 8am. me and my mum have 4 horses to do before this time. it means getting up at 6 everyday.

get there at 6.40ish

As i walk past stables i grab empty nets and water buckets.
Make up feeds
fill haynets and get my wheel barrow ready as feed soaks. Barrow has outdoor rug,shavings rack, headcollar, hiviz and head torch in it.
Put all feeds in.
Take wheel barrow to stable
Tie up net as he eats his feed.
Take his stable rug off, so he gets 10mins of freedom to scratch or whatever.
put all things out of barrow onto a box i have in stable.
Muck out.
Put my hiviz and head torch on.
put headcollar on
put rug on.

Mum will have done her 3. I only have one.

Then we have a horrible job of walking four horses down a very dark road to the field. Its a quiet road and not far to go, but its not ideal. We have head torchs on, hiviz, flashing lights on horses rugs! We have tested and you can see us from the top of the road, which gives alot of time to realise something is in the road!

This takes about 30mins. Mum stays longer and finishes hers off as she starts work at 10am (lucky her)

Then come back, put water in and rush off home to change and go to work!

You will get into a routine eventually. When i first brought billy home i thought it would never work, but it has.
 
Last edited:
CobsGalore said:
What is your morning routine and how long does it take you?

How long do you think it will take me to muck out, feed and turn out in the morning? And apart from doing all my hay nets at the weekend and leaving turnout rugs on, is there anything else that will help me save time?

This is bearing in mind I haven't mucked out for years!! :o

Thank you
Click to expand...

The time your horse takes to eaat his feed plus half an hour.
 
Hi, You don;t say how many horses it is for, but I have one and he takes me about 20-25 minutes including rug change. I have it down to a fine art - prepare feed and hay net the night before, when i arrive on the yard i take the feed & haynet in the barrow with the tools to the stable. First of all I sweep the area he will stand on whilst he eats ( so I don't have to interrupt him and make him shuffle around!) Then I take the water bucket and feed bucket to the tap. I wet his feed and fill the big yellow trug - whilst the yellow trug is filling I feed him in the corner I've just swept and change his rug. I go and fetch the water, hang the haynet and then muck out. once mucked out I put on his h/c and push the barrow and lead him at the same time. We walk past the muck heap so I leave the barrow there and carry on walking to the turnout. Then empty the barrow on the way back. This way is also handy for me as his stable is ready if anyone else brings him in and so saves me work on a night!.

Hope that helps! i have a real passion for saving time and not retracing my footsteps, but getting everything done to fairly high standards - sad I know!!

(Another tip is to imagine a beautiful sunny morning whilst driving to your horse in the pitch black, wind and rain!!)

Hope you enjoy your new horse!
 
I give my boy his breakfast and do his hay and skip out around him while he's eating. I'm normally done by the time he's finished eating, so if it's not absolutely hammering down its quick rug change and out to the field.
Takes me less than half hour - 15 mins if he's staying in, probably take me longer if it wasn't at half 6am because there's nobody around to chat to!
I take all the wet out on my days off and just skip out when I'm working to save time :)
 
I muck out, remove hay net and tie up new one, change rugs and then turn pony out while carrying two buckets of feed, he and the other pony (who lives out) are then fed in the field so I do not have to wait for the pony to eat before turning him out (much faster) this takes 20 minutes tops.

If my husband does the routine he only turns out and feeds and I muck out later, that takes him a matter of minutes

Feed are prepared the night before and I fill all my haynets on a Sunday
 
Not quite at the moment as on mat leave but when at work, I could turn out and basic muck out 5 in under an hour.
No breakfast, lead all 4 and let little one follow so only one trip to field, leave in turnout rugs, have extra water buckets filled so just swapped into stables, no hay nets so open bale and tip over wall into hay bar, used wood pellet bedding so only skipping out poos, wee done at weekends and one evening a week, do very late night skip out 11pm ish so actually not that much to do at 5.30am,
I got quicker as time went on and the extra 5 mins in bed became more precious!!
 
I only go up once a day in winter - shiftworker pal prefers p.m. and I prefer mornings so we both get some daylight. To get horse fed, rugged, feet done, turned out, stable mucked, bedded down, hay steamed, haylage bagged, buckets scrubbed, water filled, the next 2 feeds prepped....and my mate's horse's rug changed and him turned out...it takes me 50 minutes. Would save time if i could lead 2 together but i cant.

Should really be quicker than that but big horse = lots of mess, big stable to sweep...massive haynets etc etc.
 
I have everything down to a fine art... I let out the ducks, feed the pigs, let out the chickens & chuck them some handfuls of grain to keep them occupied, let the call ducks out of the chicken house (they refuse to live with the indian runners) & feed them, I then feed the 4 ponies & give meds to the cushings one. While they are eating I turn on the genny to charge up the electric fencing unit, and go back & fill up the feed troughs for the chickens, & do their water, refill the pigs' water trough & put fresh water out for the ducks that have normally come back from their respective forays by this time. If the ponies I still eating I gather up any eggs and take a moment to hand feed my favourite bantam who doesn't like to get up too early.... I then turn the ponies out two at a time and muck out, do waters, fill haynets and put feeds in stables so that the ponies can come straight in. I only have an hour to do this in, so extra time spent petting animals does mean that I am late for work. If any of the kids come to help before school I find that I am constantly having to remind them to be more efficient and make sure no journey is a wasted one as they need to make sure that every time they are going somewhere they are carrying something!
 
It takes me about1 hour to turn out 4 horses, muck out 4 stables, make up 8 haynets and a bag of hay for babies, top up all water buckets, feed and water 6 chickens (in 2 runs), feed the cat and deliver hay to another field for the babies. I need to be in work by 8.30am and if I have to get into the office, it's (at least) a 45min journey - so I get up about 5.45am and get ready for work (inc hair and make up!) then put on waterproofs over the top of work clothes and tuck my hair into a hat and leave the house by 6.30am, on yard by 6.45am and leaving for the office by 7.45am.
THANKFULLY I share yard duties and most mornings when I do the horses in the week I can work from home which is a much less stressful start to the day!
 
I just turn out in the morning which takes 10 mins then muck out after work. To bring in, muck out and do hays and waters prob takes me about an hour but I do chat to people quite a bit :D
 
When I go before work I can do it comfortably within 30 mins. I turn out 2 together and leave them in their turnouts if possible as that saves loads of time. Then I have my pony on easibed so in the week I just skip out with rubber gloves and a bucket and do my mucking out at the weekend. I also make up haynets in advance. I think the bit that takes the longest is walking to and from the field!!
 
I go up, chuck in feeds (only have one of my own but put other 7's in to stop banging) change his rug while he eats, take all nets, buckets out, let water fill while get mucking out stuff, turn him and field mate out, put hay in field, muck out, sweep up, fill nets, bed down and mix feed for night time all in all about 40 mins.
Get there at 6 and need to be home for 7 to get a quick shower and change before first calls at 7.30 (community carer). Getting all done in morn means more riding time when I go up in the afternoon :) When I start later do all this plus ride as well.
I havent actually been in bed later than 7.15am since mid september when he came in but you do get used to it :P
 
I have 3 horses, i get up at 6.45 and get to yard for about 7.10 )i live 2 mins away) i walk to feed room get feeds and put each one in as i walk past stables, while they are eating i put up morning nets and collect my tools and wheelbarrow, i then turn them all out and muck out, i have one on deep litter shavings and 2 on straw which i skip out in the week and then remove all the wet on a weekend, i then put on the waters to fill while i tie up night nets and put in feeds for the evening, usually takes me around 40-45 mins. ( i even have time for a kiss and a cuddle with my boy on the way out hehe)

I fill all my haynets on a weekend and also mix up all my feeds ready to add any soaked feed to. I dont change rugs sunday to thursday unless they are wet.

I start work at 8.30 but its only 10 mins from my yard :)
 
i get up by 6am, let in and feed cat, make a coffee, get in the car with the dog by 6.15- yard 2 miles, but sometimes level crossing is down. feeds already made up day before- feed them by 6.30, while they eat i do waters (fill big containers from tap a short walk from barn), change rugs and take of boys stable bandages. then turnout- which is a 5 or 10 minute walk depending on field. then do hay nets and muck out. soak some feed, make their dinner and breakfast for next day. take dog for sprint around fields. everything done by 7.30- so 1 hour. can do it in 45 minutes if very fast. a bit slower turning out at the moment as it involves walking through a bog, so have to take it slow! home by 7.45, have 25 minutes for breakfast at getting clean for work.
 
I have to leave work for 7 but luckily I live 10 seconds away from my horse!! I am on yard at 6am. Feed him first and whilst he is eating I do his haynet and water. Don't need to do his rugs as turnout is left on. Once finished eating I pop him in field. I then muck out but he is deep littered as stable is huge so it takes me probably about 5 to ten mins to sort bed. I am usually back I house by 6.30.
 
Get up at 5am and check lambing cam.(If there's no action I'll have a coffee and some porridge before I fall into the yard. Make up feed for stabled boy and let him out onto the yard to eat. Muck out and make up bed, trudge down to much heap. Chuck in some more hay if he needs more. Put on his lotions as he's rubbing himself silly.

Check on sheep feed and water them. Feed the chickens and hunt down their eggs in the haybarn.

Fill some nets and take up to the youngsters in the field. Check them over and say hello.

If I'm kicking stabled boy out I'll put his rug on and either put nets in barrow or tie them together and put them over his back then turn out.

I guess it all takes 30-45mins
 
When my cob was on DIY I would change rugs, turnout, muck out shavings bed (usually leaving bed up), empty water bucket and clean feed bucket in about 20mins, 40mins if I poo picked field as well.
 
Your feeds & hay can be done the night before. Turnout takes as long as it takes to walk your horse from stable to paddock so the real savings are with the mucking out. You need to decide on which bedding is the quickest to muck out. I changed from shavings to wood pellets & without a doubt I have saved a tremendous amount of time. :)
 
I get there either at 7; bring out her stable- feed (predone) skip out (deep littered mon-fri) do haylage & water takes me about 20 minutes. Change rugs. Hay for field & then turn out for 7:30. Once your in a routine it doesn't take anytime
 
I get down yard at 5.45 am, put hay in field, turn my two out together but field is very close to yard. Then i chuck slice of straw in for another horse on yard, turn three horses/ ponies out together but field backs onto yard, grab feed and wet it and give to another pony on yard! I then muck out both my stables and leave up for the day. I then do water buckets and drop haynets of in hay barn. I usually leave yard at 6.25am or latest 6.30am. So it takes me around 40 mins to do all my jobs! If I only had one horse to do then could do it in 20 mins!
 
I'm afraid I cheat a bit - if its not raining hay goes out the night before, if dry in morning horses are feed in the field - so its just turning out & putting feed buckets in field (i'm lucky as mine are used to it & don't bother each other) , horses go to bed in the turnout rugs, if they need changing in the morning I will do so , mucking out is done in the afternoon - hay nets feeds etc are made up in advance normallly try to do a weeks worth on a Saturday / Sunday afternoon - on a good day they can be done in 15 mins & then off to work & then spend more time down the yard in the afternoon
 
I think that the thing that takes the most time is mucking out and this varies so much depending on how big your stable is, what bedding you use and how messy your horse is! My stable is only 10 x 12 and any horse that I have had that has used it has been quite time intensive to muck out as they walk their poo around when they move around the stable.
At my previous yard I had an enormous stable and it was a much quicker job to muck out as the horse didn't make such a mess of their bed as you could leave the front of the stable with just mats and have a good size bed at the back.
Also, I am currently finding that all the mud is making turn out time much slower than normal and it's a pain as I don't find I can carry hay out to the field and lead horse at the same time as my footing is not as good as usual.
Roll on summer with 24/7 turn out! Then it's a 5 minute job!!
 
Im in work for 8am so up at 5:30 feed the four outside, drive to my other boy (who is currently on livery due to his injury and the use of their walker! Get to his yard at about 6am, walk all the way around turning lights on as i go and opening the walker gate! Pick his feet out and put him on the walker for 25 mins within that 25 mins i do a full muck out, refill haynet and water, put his breakfast in his box and usually have around 5 mins to spare! Get him off walker check his legs and leave him for the day! Usually leaving around 6:40 can do it quicker but his time on the walker is increasing!! Back in the car home to sort out my other boy, usually home by 6:50 change rugs, chuck two out, muck out one do his hay, feed and water! Im usually in the house for around 7:15 plenty of time to get brekkie and shower!!

Can not wait until the injured one returns home and my life is made alot easier!!!
 
I'm on straw and doing one takes me 50 minutes, I now see I'm very slooow. She's not fed in the morning just as haylage in her field, time lost for me is haynets ( no where to store weeks worth) and mucking out as I do full muck out daily. Need to take some of your great ideas now I think!

I leave home at 6.15 back at 7.15 (5 mins drive each way) change and in work 55 miles away for 9.
 
It takes me roughly 30/45 minutes in the morning. Normally waiting for the dude to finish his breakfast. I muck out, do water, wet hay, make feed all in this time. If your horse has morning feed make it night before to chuck straight in and bring haynets up to you stable so you can chuck them straight in too!
 
I start work at 8 30 ten miles from home.
Alarm 5 30
On yard by 5 50
Turn out, hay out in paddock and muck out x3
Back in house by by 6 30
Brekkie, shower set off for work 7 45

Back home for 6pm.
Hang up nets, do water buckets,bring in and feed.
Make up nets do the following day....

Winter is a treadmill....soon be spring :)
 
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