Having your own horse at work (horsey work obviously!)

Fools Motto

Fools Motto

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Basically, I work in a riding school which is part of a school. Lovely job, lovely people/children and lovely ponies.. no issues.

I have my own horse (not at work) which my mum currently looks after most days as I can't. Time, day light hours and energy sadly prevent me from doing more than a check over / odd ride.
I have the option of having her at work with me, meaning I'll see her every day, ride more often and generally enjoy her. We can even do XC - which is amazing! (brilliant hacking too)
BUT...
The school can be busy, and I'm not sure how settled she'd be (may take ages, or she may get and stay very stressed) - thinking rugby matches/hockey matches very near the stables, kids on bikes,scooters and roller blades zooming past.
She'd have to be put onto the licence, which I don't mind at all, and am sure she'll pass the fitness test, but she hates vets, and I doubt the vet would be able to listen to her heart. (achieved once in 15 years)
AND, her companion pony comes along too!
I'll pay for the licence check, and the travelling costs, but the rest is part of my 'package'... Licence check and the travelling costs will be twice the monthly current field rent - which I'd have to pay to keep in case it all falls through -

SO, is it worth it? What would you do? Does anyone have their own horse with them at work?
 
Sounds like it would be a good move and im sure she'd settle down, do they have turnout - I know what can be a problem at a riding school where space is limited and there are lots of horses. Does she really need a licence check if shes is not used in the riding school, surely third party insurance will do? No liveries at the riding school I work at have to be on the licence, and they can use the school before morning lessons, during lunchtimes or in the evening when there is more space :)
 
Has to be on licence so the kids 'can' ride her if needed. There are some very capable riders, so I'm not worried by that. If she can't be on licence, then I have to pay livery - which is way more than my current field rent, and be out of my price range! Companion pony will be out in the back field, and not using any of the facilities. All get 24.7 turnout, unless otherwise stated.
 
I've done both ways, tend to love having them at work in the winter as makes for a shorter day but miss relaxed summer evenings with my horses away from work.
 
I have done it, but I prefer to keep them away from work, as I found I was always doing things when I was not supposed to be at work. I would imagine this would be a particular issue at a kids school, as it is easy to get involved. I look after a families ponies and teach the kids, I couldn't keep my lot there as I would end up working 7 days a week, I already find it difficult to take holiday!
 
I keep mine at work (a riding stables and dressage yard). It's really does have good and bad points, I love being around him all day, it saves time - in the mornings especially, it's so much easier in the winter, I have use of the fantastic facilities, brand new 30x60 indoor & 20x40 outdoor, hot horse shower, solarium, walker, stunning tack and feed rooms, staff room, a full set of 38 showjumps, a fab BHS approved XC course, great grazing - all post and rail and they come in to nice big, light, airy boxes, superb hacking with access to a 70acre estate, the farm ride is a 20min hack away, and the yard spotless, and I mean spotless there's not a shaving or a stead of hay out of place!! To top it off I'm the only livery, the other 25 are owned by the YO who is a fantastic BHSI:) so from that point of view it's dream!!
But it's a riding school, when it busy I just don't have time for him and that's hard, when your schooling a works horse, and he's stood with his head over the stable door for the 3rd day in a row.. Or when he's being used in a lesson that your teaching, but you haven't been able to ride him yourself that week, when you put lots effort into a particular part of his schooling, and you just have to stand back and watch it come undone, because a rider who you thought would be okay just isn't quite there yet. Finding time to ride around lessons or schooling horse sessions... It's doesn't sound like a lot, but I find it hard sometimes. Weight it up yourself, what do you want for you and your pon?
Livery at a RS will only ever suit some people, there are days I love it and days I really hate it...
Honestly I'm not sure I'm one of the people the working livery suits, but for the facilities I deal with it! ...and he's treated like a king, the horses on this yard want for nothing:) -I should know I'm the one looking after him!;)
 
I've done both (SJ groom) and tbh I really didn't like keeping my horse at work. But she was a light hack at the time (now retired) so really all the facilities were wasted on her and I would have swapped the school/ wash box/ walker for better turnout any day of the week! The other job I did paid more because it didn't include livery, so I rented a field nearby which was perfect and probably the best place I've ever kept my horse. I think if I'd had a horse that I could ride more, especially if I was able to compete, I might have quite liked keeping it at work. Both jobs I would have had time to ride in my lunch break, plus I could put the horse on the walker in the morning so even when there wasn't a lot of turnout in the depths of winter, they would have got a decent amount of exercise plus amazing facilities to use. And on of the riders I worked for was an excellent instructor and the other was a superb rider and I'm sure tuition would have been an option had I wanted it. One thing that I did find amazing when I kept my horse at work was the fact that on my day off my boss would muck her out and hay her for me in the morning - I don't think my horse cared that she was being mucked out by a guy who had represented Great Britain, but I thought it was pretty cool!!
 
If you can afford it then go for it. I used to work at a place that turned out young horses in the field next to a school on one side and the other side had a playing field that had football rugby and athletics on it so although they were excited the first few times they soon got used to it and found shows a lot less exciting than a lot of other horses
 
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