Having a career and a horse

[Rocky715]

hi there - random question, but it is something that is playing on my mind at the mo. in september 08 i start my LPC and in september 09 i start my training contract with a big firm of solicitors. at the min i have my horse on DIY livery and love the fact that i get to do absolutely everything for him. once i start working next year i will have to put him on part livery somewhere local (this is upsetting as i love the yard he is at, and he loves it too). im really really hoping though that i will have time still to spend quality time with him after work etc. is there anyone else who has a demanding career and do you still get plenty of time for your horse? did you have these same worries?
Many thanks

 

[Nic74]

Well I've had very hectic and stressful jobs but nothing that really required me to put in longer than normal hours or overtime etc. So I have been lucky that I can keep mine on DIY and still see to them after work. I think you will adapt, after all when you have no mucking out to do, that's half an hour extra you can spend grooming your horse or whatever you like to do.

 

[YorksG]

I have to confess that the only way we can manage our horses (sister and I) is by the two of us looking after them. We both have demanding jobs, sister is a deputy head of an infants school, I am a psychiatric social worker. We have our horses at home and if one of us has to work late the other one will see to the horses. Can you perhaps team up with one of the other liveries and help each other out like that?

 

[star]

i'm a vet and work pretty long hours. my old boy is on full grass livery and my youngster on DIY. i ride after work every day and dont get home till 9pm which is tiring, but worth it. Sitll get time for competing at weekends.

 

[custard]

I was DIY for years then took a specialist post which was demanding in terms of stress and shiftwork but I loved the job. I had the older horse on full livery for about four years and was on several yards, some better than others. It was hard to let others do it all but the horse really doesn't care who feeds/mucks out and I still went every day to see him. More often than not I would make up my own feeds and haynets though!

Earlier this year we were very lucky and bought our own yard so now have two horses completely on DIY again. I made the decision to drop back to something less taxing but a bit boring so's I could really enjoy the horses, I have a young one now so want to make the most of him and produce him myself.

I think whatever you do keep in mind it's not written in tablets of stone, if it's all going wrong, there's always an alternative.

 

[emmysophie96]

I have a demanding job, a husband, two 9 month old lab sisters and and elderley lab. I get up at 6 to give the girls a good walk before getting ready and rushing off to work to be there for 8, 35 min journey, usually back home about 6, can be later can be a bit earlier. I couldn't manage without full livery but I still get to spend a couple of hours with my boy most nights, skip out, groom, ride and feed so I still feel like I have a horse and not just one that is looked after for me and I ride occasionally. Weekends I have more time but sometimes I still only go a couple of hours so I spend time with my OH and my girls. I don't always have the balance I want when my job is particularly hectic but overall it works ok. If I wanted to compete more seriously I don't think it would work without having someone to help me keep him fit, but for the fun I have its fine.

 

[Gorgeous George]

I have George on full livery and don't think I could manage if he wasn't. I work in London and it is a good hours commute, I work till 5.30pm most nights, but 7.30pm once a week and also work every other Sat. Having said that, generally apart from the night I work till 7.30 I go up every evening and ride. Have to be careful as OH isn't horsey and of course I do want to spend time with him too. I do find though that the time I am up the yard is quality time with George and it suits me.

 

[saskia295]

Rocky - is your training contract in London?

I'm a solicitor and didn't have my own horse when I was training, I simply didn't have the time

I was sharing with a friend which still kept me in the loop but I wasn't competing which I really missed.

Just prepared to do a lot of hours so you may be popping up late at night to see your horse or at stupid o'clock in the morning. If you're working in London, I really do wish you the best of luck in getting out at a decent hour. One of my friend's is doing her training contract in London and she's 'lucky' if she gets out before 10pm

I've always had my horses on DIY until after I qualified. I now have my horse on full livery but have worked out quite decent hours so I still ride 6 times a week, which sometimes means a 5am start. But on DIY you're probably used to this already

Best of luck with it all, tbh I think training was harder than actually working after you've qualified!

 

[flyingfeet]

When I was training to be a chartered accountant, I really didn't get much done horsewise.

Riding in the evenings in the winter was practically a no-no, although this was due to working in a regional office and being sent long distance on audits. Also i had to stay away a lot too.

My horses are at home, and basically I had to lean on my lovely parents who helped out - I also kept mine in the easiest manner (we have big cow sheds!)

Often they only got ridden at the weekend and were not fit enough to compete. Had I not have had my parents I would have had to got someone into help out (so think full/ part livery)

Its not forever and it just means that you miss out on a bit of competing.

 

[Rocky715]

[ QUOTE ]
Rocky - is your training contract in London?

[/ QUOTE ]

my LPC is going to be in Oxford. The TC isnt in London no, its for a regional corporate/commercial firm... i think i'm doing 3 seats of my training contract in MK and 1 seat in Northampton. It is a rather big firm so i'm guessing the hours may still be quite long? It's just worrying, i mean it is daunting enough starting the training contract, and worrying about horsey too is making it even more daunting!! By the sounds of it I think i'm going to have to look for a good part livery yard around the MK area with facilities allowing me to ride later at night, and I should probs start looking soon eh. any suggestions from people would be good xx

 

[chocolate86]

I had mine boy on DIY whilst commuting an hour and a half to london, from surrey but I had a fantastic sharer. I worked 9-5.30 sometimes later so got back after 7pm. I turned out on my way to the station and she did everything for my horse during the day, she didnt pay to share but she mucked out, groomed, fed etc and rode as much as she wanted and if there was a competition we each took him to a class (mostly showing classes, odd mini course) but it worked well, i saved money and she got to ride and treat him as her own during the week. It worked for us as we communicated all the time. She saved enough to buy her own horse and I am back at uni and im still on £90 a month livery in surrey.