FT workers with more than 1 horse to ride, how do you do it?

[Jesstickle]

I'm sure most of you have noticed that Nits is now in work.

So now I have two to ride and a 9-5 job to do and all my mucking out etc too.

How on earth do people find the time and more importantly, the motivation to ride two every day?!

I'm thinking of trying to do one before work and one after but that is going to make for some monster days

 

[JFTDWS]

I don't even try in winter I ride and lead a bit, give them time off and wait for spring to do two a night

 

[TJ&Ozzie]

I don't have the light to do it at this time of year so mine tend to have a little holiday but once the nights pull out, I find ride and lead is the easiest way during the week. I alternate between who gets ridden.

 

[Jesstickle]

Ride and lead will be fine but at the moment I have to do Nitty most days and mostly in the school as she's learning

BH is not loving being on holiday which means I have to try and fit him in too now. Stupid horse!

 

[OliveOyl]

In the winter I ride them both 4x a week, before work in the mornings. So they both get ridden, both of the weekend days, then they alternate the days through the week. One will get ridden 5x, the other 4x, then they swap over the next week, so they get ridden 9x each every fortnight.

 

[Hen]

In the winter I ride them both 4x a week, before work in the mornings. So they both get ridden, both of the weekend days, then they alternate the days through the week. One will get ridden 5x, the other 4x, then they swap over the next week, so they get ridden 9x each every fortnight.

Same routine as this!

 

[cheeryplatypus]

I find it physically quite hard and mentally exhausting at times! I'm also sure they play 'good cop bad cop' with me on the days I ride both
I only compete one so that makes it easier. I make sure he gets ridden almost every day in summer and my other horse kind of fits in...
May school one for 40mins and then hack out the other after for the same, or get up early for a quick hack on one before work and leave more time for the other after (if have to learn a test for example). In the winter I accept that both need to be ridden both days of the weekend and sometimes my OH will hack out with me.
Something always has to give so they usually get very little grooming, my tack is only wiped and cleaned for shows and buckets scrubbed when they look grim! I use time to ride. OH will help with stable chores in the summer while I ride which ensures we eat before 10pm!!
It's hard and I don't think I've been on an night out in about three years, lol.
When I have a competition then the other horse gets the day off, I'm usually too knackered to ride in the evening if I've been to a show or event.
It is lots of fun and the key is quality ride time, I try to concentrate and quit when they have got something right.
Don't think I could compete two without help though.

 

[dafthoss]

Send BH to me After next tuesday I'm free until the 22nd

 

[Annagain]

There comes a point when you have to prioritise. One of mine can't jump any more and doesn't really enjoy flatwork so if he doesn't get ridden it's not the end of the world. I focus on the other during the week when I can only ride in the school, although he does go on the school for 20 minutes if I have enough time! I would have thought that your youngster will need little and often so has to be the priority really and the other will have to take a back seat if he doesn't get too fizzy when he's not been ridden for a few days? It's surprising how fit they can stay with being ridden 2 - 3 days a week if they get good turnout. I appreciate you're probably doing a bit more than me and my riding club stuff though!

The other option is to get a sharer - maybe a student or a mum wanting to get back into riding now that the kids are in school who might have time during the week? If they could help with stable duties as well, that could free you up to ride a bit more so even if you can't ride them both every day you could ride one for a bit longer on the days when you can ride.

 

[Jesstickle]

I feel I may be quite tired for the foreseeable future then

I really must get up and ride before work. I think that would be more productive than trying to school when I'm cross and tired in the evening.

BH is going to have to be sold if he won't learn to be nice whilst he isn't working!

dh, why haven't you got anything to do?

 

[Jesstickle]

I appreciate you're probably doing a bit more than me and my riding club stuff though!

The other option is to get a sharer - maybe a student or a mum wanting to get back into riding now that the kids are in school who might have time during the week? If they could help with stable duties as well, that could free you up to ride a bit more so even if you can't ride them both every day you could ride one for a bit longer on the days when you can ride.

I'm not doing anything so neither is a priority as such! Would love to be out doing RC stuff but I'm not. Which actually really doesn't help my motivation levels but that's a whole other side to the coin.Just that she needs starting and he sulks and becomes horrible to do if he isn't working.

I don't really have any hacking so I'm not sure how much a sharer would get out of me? I don't know that I'd be happy to let them school too much. I think I might be what is described as a bit of a control freak! I should just pay someone (his original owner infact) to ride him probably.

 

[miller]

As OliveOyl (when I had 2 in work) my 2nd is only 2yo at the mo

Get as much yard stuff done as poss in morning, then bed down, catch, groom, ride,feed, walk dog, make dinner, veg, skip out, hay, feed again at 10pm beofre starting at 05:20 the next day!

Luckily they are at home and we have arena/lights.

Out of house from 07:00 - 17:30 each day so good 10hrs t/o daily too

 

[dafthoss]

Why do I have so little to do..... well I have exams monday and tuesday so I should be busy untill then (notice the should, I am finding so many ways to aviod working right now). Then lectures dont start untill the 23rd so were not moving back untill then

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I don't ride my own in winter as I only have fields to ride in and it's dark when I go to work and dark when I get home. Plus mine are Native show ponies that live out so I don't clip them or show then in winter. I work ride racehorses so am riding between 3 and 4 lots a day anyway.

In summer I generally have 5 or 6 of my own to ride so I ride one before work, one during my lunch break, then I ride 3 of the others after work. One gets a day off each day. On my days off they all get ridden. The one I ride before work just gets 20mins of schooling and that one is the one that got a day off the day before. I try to get them all out and about at least once or twice a week but due to my job, and some of them aren't great in traffic, it's not always possible.

I then muck out afterwards in the evenings so I am not riding and getting horses hot just before the nippy night air sets in when they live out.

 

[Suziq77]

My grey girl needs to be worked most days - I find the winter a bit of a nightmare as I work in London so can only hack at weekends. I try to ride her one or two evenings a week and lunge one or two evenings a week, minimising "days off" and go for good long hacks / lessons / out to competitions at weekends.

My brown girl is still very green so only gets worked once / twice during the week and hacks at weekends. Although she's full TB she doesn't seem to mind the lack of work (frantically touches wood). With the other one I sure know about it if I miss more than two days a week's work!!!

From April to October I ride before work as much as possible, I find it really cheers me up for the day ahead and I don't mind 4am starts when it's light/warmer. I can't make myself ride before work in the winter no matter how many times I try. Southeastern trains have a lot to answer for as if they weren't so c**p I'd have a lot more pony time on winter evenings.

In the winter I go to bed pretty much straight after doing my horses during the week, grumble if I get made to socialise more than one evening during the week and I don't drink a lot of alcohol.

It's all worth it though not that my non-horsey friends understand why

 

[thespanishmane]

Mine both get ridden at weekends, they live out as much as possible, so they don't get fizzy. We are at yard with a new arena, but it doesn't have lights, so before work and after work in winter is almost impossible. I have been around long enough to not fret about it but it is annoying! I'd love to work part time but that is not possible yet. Also have ill elderly mother & mother in law, 2nd grandchild on the way!

Let's all look forward to the clock change!

 

[Jesstickle]

I did notice it wasn't quite pitch black when I left work at five tonight and it's only going to get better

I rode BH this evening. I was going to do both but everyone else had naffed off home by quarter to seven and I don't think I should do her with no one on the yard quite yet! I probably shouldn't do her on my own but needs must so we'll see how she is tomorrow with just me and no one to chase her into trot!

I think we must all be mad frankly. People at work can't believe I pay so much money to inflict this on myself!

 

[Puppy]

I did notice it wasn't quite pitch black when I left work at five tonight and it's only going to get better

I rode BH this evening. I was going to do both but everyone else had naffed off home by quarter to seven and I don't think I should do her with no one on the yard quite yet! I probably shouldn't do her on my own but needs must so we'll see how she is tomorrow with just me and no one to chase her into trot!

I think we must all be mad frankly. People at work can't believe I pay so much money to inflict this on myself!

I don't mind coming down to help some evenings

 

[Jesstickle]

Thanks Puppy. If you're around next week and won't be drowning in work again I might have to enlist you! I don't really need much help. Sometimes I just need someone to flick the lunge whip for me so I can find second gear!

 

[Puppy]

Yeah, yeah, I'm sure I can. I can bring a camera too Just text me as and when on the days that you could do with a hand

 

[dafthoss]

I'll be coming past on tuesday next week if you want a hand? I can do camera dutes, walking at head and do as I'm told with lunge whip if needed.

 

[Jesstickle]

thanks dh. Will let you know what I'm up to when I get my act in gear

 

[Puppy]

I'll be coming past on tuesday next week if you want a hand? I can do camera dutes, walking at head and do as I'm told with lunge whip if needed.

If you are happy to do walking at the head of baby ponies I have a cute dun creature who is desperate for a brave person to come out on hacks with us...?

I can pay in chocolate/wine etc.

 

[CrazyMare]

I fit it in quite easily - my OH works nights though, so a bit easier than some.

I am on the yard for 7am, turn out, muck out, do hays & waters etc, and have everything ready for bring in. Work by 8.30am.

Leave work at 4.30ish, yard by 5ish. Changed on the yard. Bring in and on the first one by 5.30ish. Ride for 45mins. Then onto number two by 6.30. Ride for 45mins.

Home by 7.30 to have tea and relax.

 

[vallin]

cheat at leave them out 24/7 to be mud monsters

 

[paulineh]

When I was working and had 3 horses to get and keep fit I would ride one in the morning and then lunge the other 2 in the evening. This meant that they all got some work of some kind during the week.

At the weekend I would ride 1 lead 1 and then school the other one on Saturday ,then on Sunday change horses around. Once the days got lighter I have been know to ride one and lead the other 2. I have good safe training ground and all mine are taught to (Pony) ride and lead from the start.

When they were lunged I changed things around and sometimes did pole work and some times did loss work. When I did the loss work I could let them canter and this was not on a circle.

Mine were out 24/7 clipped and very well rugged Which helped.