Full time job and horses

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diago

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so how do you all do it?

I have come to the conclusion that it would be more productive for me to go to university to get a degree, rather than attend an equine college. This would mean that I can get a ‘real’ job and earn enough money to substantiate the lifestyle to which I have become accustomed.

This is obviously not what I have been planning in the last few years and just wondering how you all do it! I still plan for horses to be a big part of my life, and just making sure its easier than it sounds.. so far I’m thinking a livery yard with an indoor school and full livery in the winter!!

xxx
 
not sure how old you are and what you exactly studying ect, but when you study a degree there is often quite a bit of funding availble for you studying.

if your worried time wise have you thought of like a part loan/share ect
 
Im not so worried about time or money over the next dew years, more once i've finnished university and have gotten a job. I am planning to finnish my bhs stages , and gain BHSAI any way as im nearly there anyway.
I was just wondering how everyone managed to have a full time job and still have the time to ride and compete at weekends. I have always been at smaller livery yards, and the only people who werent at school at that time, owned cob types and hacked out every now and again. Theres obviously lots of people on the forum that must manage to ride 5 times a week and compete, and still work 9-5. just wondering how they managed
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xx
 
I work full time in the public sector and compete my horse regularly BE and BD (well, I have done for the past 5 years - she has been on holiday this winter
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It is perfectly possible - I am fortunate that my job offers flexible start and finish times, so I work 8-4 which gives plenty of daylight from spring to autumn to ride after work. In the winter I just use the school a lot more (as it is floodlit) My horse is kept on DIY livery about 15 min drive from home.

I used to work with horses but the pay just wasn't enough to pay for me to compete my own horse, as well as pay my own bills. Getting a graduate job was the only way I could afford to keep a horse, realistically.
 
its really not too bad. I graduated last year and i'm not going to lie- after having all that time during uni, the first few months of having a full time job were hard but you get into a routine.

For me, having to do the horses is what gets me out of bed in the morning- not work! I work 9-5 about half an hour away. I get up to the yard at 7.30 and have plenty of time before work to do everything I need to do. And its not THAT early.

We're lucky as have an indoor school but as long as you have a school with flood lights you'll be fine. If not, then just accept that over the winter your riding will be restricted to the weekends. I still manage to get out and compete about once a month and have a lesson every saturday.
 
Get up early, muckout and exercise one then go back after work, muckout again and exercise the other one
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It's hard in winter as the school can be frozen in the morning so they don't get as much exercise as I'd like but they're doing ok atm
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I keep my boy on semi-full livery, go straight to yard from work every night, skip out & ride. Get home between 8 & 8.30pm....have big rows with hubbie on a regular basis but apart from that all good....xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
It is possible to work full time and compete, you just need to be dedicated. I would get a 'proper' job and have horses as a hobby. I used to work with horses but found i didn't have the energy for my own and lost interest. With a reasonably paid job, I can afford to compete and really enjoy my hobby again. Yes, you do have long days, getting up early to muck out and again in the evening if you are on DIY, but it's worth it!
 
You can do degrees in just about anything these days. Most people i know who did a degree in a certain subject (equine and non-equine related subjects) never actually go into that area of work. It's better to do a degree in an area you want to go into or are interested in than to do one that u think u should do just for the sake of it. The most important thing about a degree and what it shows potential employers is that you have the ability to study, learn and process information at higher level, have the commitment to complete it and also could manage you time, money, etc whilst doing it.

Equine degrees quite often get written off by people but they are just as useful as any other degree.
 
i do 9-5 mon to fri. i get up early muck out my mare and ride her. (she lives in 24/7 in winter) then where keep my boy (just across the road) the YO turns him out in the morning then in the evening i go up and muck him and his stable mate out make all my feeds, put them to bed etc, then i go across and kip the mare out and put her to bed. i am usually finished by 6:10pm and usually get to the yard at 7:30am. however my work is only a 10minute drive from the yard.
 
OH and I work long hours and sometime odd hours in central London, and we live in East London. He is the MD and major shareholder of an IT services company and I am the IT manager of a law firm. Our horses are 15 miles away so the journey is at least 30 minutes, and can be over an hour each way.

I have them done in the mornings - fed, turned out, or if in, put in the school and skipped. They are bought in and given hay and ball in the afternoons. Summer they are checked, fed and sprayed in the morning as they live out. Two days a week I also have full livery, so I can work late on a Friday and Wednesday do something with my OH, even if it is just watching a DVD and a nice meal together.

Weekends, I have one end of the day done sometimes. The rest I do myself but there is a young teen on the yard that loves riding my two and she is a good rider, so I let her ride them as it helps keep them fit if I don't have enough time to do more than 20 minutes work that day.

I compete with my traditional at showing to county level and also do other local level stuff with him. The clydesdale likes to go to local jumping competitions and will be shown in ridden heavy horse classes as she fills out and balances.

I could only do DIY if I had them at home or 5 minutes away and even then would need help if they had to be in by a certain time in winter.

I could have full livery, I am at the moment during the week as I am getting over surgery and then having chemo, but personally I love being at the yard five days a week and mucking out etc and I feel I have control over my horses. I make up feeds for days I am not there and there is a detailed instruction list - yes I am a control freak.
 
I work full-time, but as a uni lecturer, my job is not really 9--5 in nature. I often work very long hours, but there's a certain amount of flexibility as to when this happens. I keep the pony on grass livery, so that all I need to do is check on him and ride him. During the winter, I try to arrange it so that I can ride during the day while it's light, since our yard's school isn't finished yet, and the indoor schools at the nearby riding school (which members can use when they're free) are most likely to be free during the day. Nevertheless, when work gets really busy during the darkest winter months, I'm lucky if I get to ride more than 3 times in the week. As the days lengthen, we should get back to our usual 5--6 times, though.

I think if the pony were stabled, he would have to be on full livery---there is no way I could manage my work schedule otherwise. I think grass livery is preferable, though, because I think he's happier that way---and it's much, much cheaper for me. so I can afford to take lots of lessons and do fun things with him.
 
I am a vet, and work some pretty special hours!

I keep my horse on a friend's private yard, and bless her she is always happy to sort Jack out for me if I'm called out in the morning and can't get there before work. She also brings him in and feeds him every night so he's not waiting in the dark on his own.

I'd say you either need a very good friend, or to be at least on part livery, unless your job has guaranteed working hours. That and a floodlit school so that you can actually ride in the week during the winter.

It is doable, you just need to be organised and have the necessary back-up available in case you can't get to the yard.
 
its what the vast majority of us have to do! I work over an hour away from home and once a week in the city. My boy is on part livery so I ride after work 3 - 4 times in the week and obviously at the weekend. You need a school with flood lights BUT would also say, its really really nice if there are other people up and riding late as well.. otherwise tis just me and 2 dogs rattling around!
 
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