Full time work and owning on a horse

sjdress said:
Yes! Full time for the NHS and horse on DIY. Up early at 6 ish everyday and don’t usually get home until 7/7:30pm. I am now used to the routine so it just fits in. The hardest thing I find is having to use AL for vets/physio/farrier etc which then eats away a big chunk of it!
I tried full livery for a bit and yes it was much easier but I didn’t like not being able to look after my own horse!
it’s more than doable, you just have to be organised.
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Exactly my point....the fun is in doing all those dirty jobs and spending time with him/her. It's a tough one....!!
 
Muddywellies said:
I find it pretty easy. In the past had them at home but now just have 1 and it's on DIY. Yard is 4 miles away and go twice a day. I WFH now but didnt used to so I did the horse on the way to work and way home. I've done lots of getting changed in random places over the years but it's all perfectly do-able.
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Lol...I can just imagine driving by and seeing someone getting changed in the middle of a field....that'll be you...haha!! Thanks for your reply!
 
Quigleyandme said:
I got up at 05:00. At DIY livery by 06:00. Wore coveralls and went straight to work from the yard. The regime for all the liveries was stabled overnight between November and Easter or thereabouts and otherwise out 24/7. Luckily for me my pony was very tidy in the stable; poos in a pyramid in one corner and one wet patch so a dream to muck out and set fair. I did everything myself unless I was on holiday in which case I could relax knowing the pony was in good hands with the YO which was brilliant. Most of the other liveries had the YO turn out for them in the morning and mucked out their stables after work. I continued with my pattern when I got my own place except I would start leaving them out overnight earlier in the year if the weather allowed especially at the weekend so I could get a lie-in.
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Hi...this sounds very much like my routine would be. I have a couple of yards to choose from, but YO would also, help out for a small cost (would soon mount up i suspect)...what about winter...are you able to turn out anywhere or is your horse stabled all day? Thanks for your reply.
 
Padge69 said:
Hi...this sounds very much like my routine would be. I have a couple of yards to choose from, but YO would also, help out for a small cost (would soon mount up i suspect)...what about winter...are you able to turn out anywhere or is your horse stabled all day? Thanks for your reply.
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They were only stabled during winter nights and spent the rest of the time at grass. It is invaluable to have a YO prepared to assist for a nominal fee for holiday, sickness cover or if you just want to treat yourself to a lazy morning in bed.
 
I worked an eight hour day with two hours of travel and yet I did DIY on my own property with two horses during the worst of winter, stabled full time. It was easy really, you get into a routine of skip out both stalls, full water & hay nets, in hand walk to stretch legs, brush and re rug, re bed and pop away for the night. I have a nice pair of geldings though, they would stand like rocks while you pottered around them. Used to take me about 1 1/2 hrs a day tops. I learned to eat dinner before I went down the yard though. Summer is great as you can also ride and no stabling, which is less time consuming.
 
Yep I work 7 on 3 off, shifts. With a 3 year old child,dog,house,husband. I've had 2 horses for as long as I could remember however time/money/work stress meant I sold one just before christmas to try and ease the pressure. Always on DIY with 4am starts all winter with no extra help offered, I could not have managed without my very understanding husband who would do evening horse chores when my shifts meant I couldnt and doing a lot of the parenting so I dont have to juggle everything. We sadly lost our remaining horse last week unexpectedly which means until something suitable comes along and the prices drop a bit we are temporarily horseless. I will admit that I didnt realise how exhausted and drained I was until I didnt have to run around like a headless chicken to fit everything in. I've spent a lot of time feeling like c*ap and catching up on sleep this last week. For now both of us are kind of enjoying the forced break from horses x
 
I used to, full time Monday to Friday, Saturday I had a six hour cleaning job and I did party plan in the evenings. Horse was India 10 mins drive from home. Early to rise, Chuck out, muck out, basically get as much as possible done before work, often in full waterproofs and a hat as then I would ge straight to work! It’s very doable.
 
awelshandawarmblood said:
I'll let you know next spring! haha! I do 3 or 4 days a week 12 hour day or night shifts 6 til 6 so I come & go to work in the dark. I've been on full/part the last few years but have taken the reins back so to speak as certain restrictions I didn't like & gone for DIY with assistance - first winter being this one. So days off I'll always do one end with my mucking out etc so he only needs to be brought in or turned out the other end. On my working days I'll do one end on the first & last shift, then depending whether I'm on 3 or 4 shifts, YO will fully do him for me - a max of twice a week. I found when I was DIY years ago doing all 3 or 4 in a row was too much for me leaving me run down & ill so I'm hoping to get a good balance this way.
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Haha now being June & surviving the wettest winter EVER, I can confirm I survived but not much more! Me being me, decided I'd try going it alone & with my Welsh cob being out 24/7 for the first time ever bar the odd horrendous day. 4.30am starts for work, finish 6pm, on the yard by about 6.50pm, all feed prepped so pony onto the yard to eat his tea, wheel the hay over through the mud to the shelter with the headtorch on, skip shelter, pony back out & usually home about 7.45pm. My youngster has now joined us though so already have plans in place to have a friend help next winter as I now know it could quite possibly finish me off!
 
I have fulltime work, a 3 year old son and a horse. But I’ve chosen part livery otherwise it just wouldn’t be doable. I groom, tack and ride, and the YO turns in and out, feeds and mucks.
 
Another one here- I work full time, currently have three at DIY, one turned away semi retired. As of two weeks time, there will be four DIY, them a week after that, 5 DIY. The fifth will only be staying until they come in overnight for winter. I have a four year old Daughter who is just starting to want to ride- I haven’t pushed it with her- and so is spending more time with me at the yard, which makes life easier. She likes to be on the backstep Of the carriage, so we drive and then she rides one on LR. It is a huge balancing act, and plates do stop spinning from time to time.

number 5 is a ridden ponies for me, so it’ll be early mornings starting when she arrives- the others are worked in the evenings currently.

Once the world returns to normality, I’m hoping to go part time and do 8-2 five days so I have time to drive in daylight ??
 
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