Having 2 horses and working full time, how do people do it?

I work 3 days a week 7.30am-8.30pm (often 9.30 finishes). I have 3 horses at home 1 is retired thankfully!
I hack my older boy on my days off and lunge my 5yr old on 1-2 of my work days and ride on my days off.
I do all my stables etc. Before work. My mum brings in and I hay up change rugs etc after work.
Long and hard in the winter but I love my days off making the work days so much easier!!
 
pearcider said:
If you want to do it you do!

I work full time as a PA...and Im not event going to tell you how many horses I have in full work (ranging from BE80 to Novice)/ in for schooling/teach a week...I manage to do it by never going out and being at the yard until late each night...why do I do it...because I want to :-)
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My daughter works 8.45 to 5 and has four horses - two out of work (dam and her 2year gelding) at her home but they come in every night, and two at DIY livery. The livery ones are purely DIY, one competes at BE100/Nov and the other one is just "pottering" having had a couple of years off being an uncle to the gelding. I don't know how she manages to cope to be honest, she is up at an ungodly hour of the morning and doesn't get in after doing the horses till late at night. I keep trying to persuade her to cut down on numbers, but think I am on a losing streak - where there's a will there's a way!
 
It is a really hard thing to do in my opinion. I have two, one is on full livery and one is on part livery because it is so difficult to keep both in full work (eventer & dressage)

I have quite a set routine with them, and normally ride both every day and give them both the same day off so at least I get one day off myself.
 
What Blackhorse says is important about having a day off from time to time particularly if you have a significant other. When I was single would happily stay at yard til really late but now do try to balance making sure at home enough!
 
Haha I am currently just in a bigamous relationship divided between the horse and my job so no OH to consider! But yes have found this to be an issue in the last even with only one horse!!
 
I've had 2 or 3 on the go competing in the past when I had a full time (9-5) job (and kept them privately so no help), that included one competing BE novice and 1.20m BS and one doing lower level BS / RC ODE's and WH/showing, the 3rd was usually a youngster so just getting out to very low level stuff. 3 was very difficult to be honest but 2 was doable. It depended on time of year as obviously light had a lot to do with it (I only have a grass paddock with no lighting to ride in) but in the summer I'd generally ride one and lunge the other and do it time about. If one had a competition or something that weekend I'd work a little harder on that one. Seemed to work well with mine, but mine did live out 24/7 which IMO kept them ticking over fitness wise.
 
It's hard! I've been doing it for over two years (had 3 going at one point). I work 8-5. Barn is 45 minutes away. It's my farm, so I feed every evening and weekends. I have 2 competing, one retired (the wrapping, hosing, hand grazing alone takes up as much as a worked one though!) and 3 boarders.

Two things that are a must for me:

Trainer rides number one horse twice a week. Keeps him going even if I have short 30 min rides at nights.

Don't sit down! I can't get home, hop online, fix a meal, or my energy runs out. Move, move, move!

Then I cram everything, both horses, lessons, shows on the weekends.

Last year, I ended up with national Horse of the Year honors with one horse and regional with the other. This year I'm aiming for PSG on the national stage, and preparing for a move down to Wellington next year.

I have no family here, no boyfriend, no social life to distract me though. I'm bored when I have a night off like tonight.
 
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