Full time work and owning on a horse

[Chocoholic]

Hi

Do any of you here work full time and have a horse on DIY
How do you find it

Thanks

 

[HeyMich]

I work 4 long days a week and have 3 horses at home, so essentially DIY with no back-up! (plus kids, dogs, owning a company...)

How do I find it? Knackering.

(But I wouldn't have it any other way)

 

[Dyllymoo]

Yep. Its hard work but I guess I do work fairly close to home (30 minute drive) and my YO brings in of an afternoon/ evening so that helps.

Other than that I am up very early, muck out and do all jobs before I leave for work, then finish work and come straight up, give him a groom and then I will hack out or do some in hand stuff in the school (although hacking during the week will stop soon due to daylight).

 

[ABCCaitlinP]

Hello,

I have two on DIY (my YO does feed/ put out in the morning but nothing else) From May to October the horses are out in the field from 8am to 6pm during the week, this isn't too bad as stated YO puts them in the field over summer and I get there with enough time to do all jobs before they're due to come in.

Over Winter it can be difficult, I go up each morning to feed and skip out, this makes it easier after work. My best tip is Ride before your jobs so you can get the most of whatever light is left and loads of HI-VIS, I also have anyone on the yard give my two a net before I get there so I can tack up and jump straight on.

 

[Jasper151]

Up early! Luckily my boy is out 24/7 which helps massively, and I livery with a friend on her land, she has a sharer for her horse so we do checks/feed/hay between us which means I don't have to do both ends of the day, unless I want to!

 

[Littlebear]

I work full time (luckily from home most days) have a child, dogs, 2 horses etc.

One lives out all the time, one is at a yard that allows 24/7 turnout April to October then all day in winter, so summer is quite easy, then in winter i go every morning and swap services with someone i share the field with, i only ride a few days a week now but before i had a child i used to go before work and do jobs then pm to ride. Always done it so i dont know any different!

 

[AmyMay]

Hi

Do any of you here work full time and have a horse on DIY
How do you find it

Thanks

Yes, I suspect most of us. It’s hard work, with early mornings in the winter especially. But I’ve never been tempted to put horses on part livery as part of the enjoyment of having horses for me is the work that goes with it.

 

[dorsetladette]

I work 8-4 5 days a week. My horses are 15/20 mins from home and my work is exactly half way between.

I'm not on a DIY 'yard' but rent a field and do it all myself. Last winter I was sharing with one other and my daughter, so the 3 of us worked morning and evening shifts between us. This year I will be doing it completely on my own during the week, with the help of my other half to get hay and move heavy stuff at the weekends.

They are out 24/7 (hopefully with a field shelter if we get it built soon) with lots of natural shelter. I have to admit, I'm not looking forward to the wet miserable mornings in the dark - the last couple of weeks have been bad enough with all the rain

 

[itsokboah]

I am on DIY yard and work full time.
Y/O offers services and will feed or turnout in the morning for £1 a day, then I go after work every day and feed, muckout, water and exercise.
It's hard work but possible.
Sometimes I am not home until 10pm or later.
I am lucky to have a flexible Y/O who is happy to do things on short notice every now and then.. It takes me over an hour to get there straight from work.

 

[Wheels]

Yeah there will be loads of us. I work a full time 5 days a week job and have a 2 hour a day commute. Thankfully I have flexi and a generous amount of annual leave and statutory leave. In the summer I build up as much flexi as I can in case I need it in the winter. I also save a good few leave days for the winter and so I can do some 4 day weeks when the weather gets bad.

4 horses at home although only one ridden.

I do find it hard but over the years have found ways to help and to keep ticking things over. I'm always shattered come the end of winter but it's all worth it

 

[AdorableAlice]

Yes, and heading into my 41st winter, full time employed since 16 and now nearly 60 still full time working. No choice with 5 horses ! Forever skint, exhausted and at times frustrated with time management BUT I would not change anything other than wanting my horses never to die.

I am eternally grateful to the two people who make it all possible for me. The property owner and my ever supportive husband. It would all be over without them.

 

[BOWS28]

Yep 8am until 4pm and 40 mins from home. Muck out, turnout etc before work. Yard bring in with the rest of the horses i the afternoon and i go back in the evening to ride and put to bed. Knackered 90% of the time but i wouldn't have it any other way x

 

[SpottyMare]

Yep - 2 horses on DIY, 2 dogs, 1 cat, and I'm single. I've flexed my job so do my hours (35) in 4 days to get a day off midweek, and work 2 days from home and 2 days in the office (3.5hr round trip commute with a following wind). Get up at 5am and sit down for my dinner sometime between 9 and 9.30, having sorted all the animals and been to work. In winter 1 horse gets brought in for me (other one is on a different schedule) as I don't get to the yard until late, but otherwise I do everything - morning and evening. I try to be as efficient as possible, but have to admit they're generally scruffy and definitely not the smartest horses on the yard.. Like everyone else I am permanently knackered, especially in winter, but also enjoy it

I am considering getting some help in on the office days this winter though!

 

[Tarragon]

I did for years. Two ponies on full DIY, full time job working 1 hours commute from home and young children and I am not sure how I managed! Husband worked away from home so I had someone who came to the house when I had pre-school children and an au-pair for a couple of years to manage the early years at school.
Nowadays I still work five days a week but a shorter working day.

 

[TheHairyOne]

Horses live out, have sharers (have too mamy horses!) and my sister and I split the work/cover holidays etc. Jobs dull, but is also flexi time which I am not giving up or it would be a lot harder.

 

[BallyRoanBaubles]

Yep I work full time and have a horse on diy. They live out all summer which is great. In overnight in winter. Up every evening unless I’ve prearranged with another livery to bring mine in. Share the mornings so go up before work at the crack of dawn to turn out on my days.

 

[Hollychops]

I have worked both full time on shift, 2 days, 2 nights, 4 off and Monday-Friday and kept my horse on DIY. It meant early mornings and looking like i could do with a good nights kip but i wouldn't have it any other way. I just hated the thought of someone else doing my horse am/pm and my missing out on my bit of me time. I now keep my horse at home which makes life so much easier but i do miss having the camaraderie of a yard and someone to hack out with at times.

Being organised and a good back up plan is a must (even when keeping them at home).

 

[Nasicus]

Full time with three here. 1 ridden, 1 retired and 1 companion, on a sole use yard I share with a friend.
All three live out, I do have stables to use if needed but Retiree is arthritic and gets stiff & Ridden gets narky/bored when kept in overnight, so out it is, which suits me just fine too!
I work from Home, and have Flexi Time. Yard is 2 mins from Home, which helps, but a big helper is that the gates to the fields are directly on the yard, a real time saver. Previous livery yard had massive fields spread all over the place, it was a minimum 30 mins just to get your horse in, and that's only if you were lucky and they were within earshot to call over to the gate.
I go up once a day in the evening on weekdays, my friend is retired so is up twice a day, in the AM so she gives mine a quick glance over for missing limbs in the morning. I check hers in the evening whenever she asks, and sort them when she's on holiday.

 

[SamBean]

Yes, 2 horses at home now and when my daughter was younger was on a diy yard with 1 horse. I think once you are in a routine and can work out how to save time then it helps. I used to wear overalls over my work clothes when mucking out before work and go straight from the yard, would make extra nets on a weekend and so on.

 

[Foxychops]

I have 2 horses on DIY and work full time. My 2 are also in most of the time as one of them won't stay utility for more than an hour!! The other one is happier in too!! I turn out whilst mucking out. I try and get them out for an hour. Bring in and leave for work at 7am. Back to yard at 4.15 to either turn out for a short time/ hand graze and ride the one in work. Other is retired.

 

[Nicnac]

Yep horses at home, both in full work and very full time jobs for both daughter and I. She lives 25 minutes away now. We share the work and NHOH helps out when needed. Commute can be from 20 minutes to 2.5 hours depending on where I'm working. Winter is crap but summer bliss. Mine are still out 24/7 but will bring in after clocks change and then the really hard work starts!

 

[Summit]

not full time anymore but recall how exhausting it was One horse, DIY livery and two dogs. 5.15am start which I hated and depending on the yard, would do horses on way to work, god knows how I managed to look office-ready . I do look back and wonder how I coped sometimes

 

[FlyingCircus]

Work 8.30am - 6 or 7pm 5 days a week and have 2 on DIY 30 mins in wrong direction from work!

 

[catembi]

I work f/t, mostly from home, thank goodness, & have four horses at home. They live out and are done twice a day. Dealing with 16 muddy feet is NOT the high point off my day, but I manage.

 

[chaps89]

I work f/t plus a part time job and have my own horse on DIY and a share horse who is on full livery.
Luckily the f/t job I don't start till 10 so I have daylight to ride all year round and p/t job is unsociable hours so doesn't affect horses (apart from being knackered the next morning!)
It's 25 mins from home to the yard then an hour from the yard to the office going in the opposite direction.
It used to be an hour to the yard then 25 mins to work but I moved her closer to home recently.
On grass livery I like to do both ends of the day myself as there's the flexibility there that timing is less essential - if I'm 20 minutes late I don't panic.
20 mins late when they're stabled and are expecting feeding/to go out is not on in my book.
So when stabled I do have assistance one end of the day - usually week nights as starting late at works means finishing late too which isn't conducive to winter bringing in times.
I do have assistance on my current yard, so if I want to see share horse, have a lie in etc there is at least cover

 

[BMWKIPP]

I work evenings so ponies get done during the day, but sometimes I don't finish till 3-4 in the morning. Those days are harder.

 

[Leo Walker]

I'm just about to move yards and go back to DIY. I work about 40 mins away, the yard is about 25 mins away but on my way to work. I do compressed hours so have been doing 6.30 to 3.30 over 4 days. I'm going to go to 7.15 to 4.15 now and stop off to turn out on the way over to work.

I have delibarately chosed a yard that does services though, which means on the days I dont work someone else turns out and brings in so I can go whenever suits me and not worry about adding more travelling to my life!

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Yes, 2 horses on DIY and full time hours 9-5.30 week days.

At the yard for 7.30am before work and then at the yard for 6pm after work. I only work 10 minutes away so its not to far. I find time saving is making feeds before hand and filling some nets in winter, its almost a treat to arrive at the yard at 6pm and not have to fill nets because I done it the day before.

I also have 2 dogs, so they get exercised 3 times a day as well.

 

[milliepops]

I work full time and have 5 horses (oops)
fortunately I work from home these days but in the past I had an hour commute each way. Just have to be organised and go to bed as early as you can if you want it bad enough then you make it happen.
I now have the yard horses on an assisted yard so they get turned out for me but I still have a load in the field at home that I do twice a day.

 

[peanut]

My horse is on DIY. I work ten hour days plus three hours travelling.

It's hard work and I get very tired but the main downside is that I only have the energy to ride at weekends.