Holidays/nights off if you are DIY?

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Shilasdair

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Hi all
Just wondered, for those of you whose horses are on DIY/grass/home livery, how do you ever get a night off or a holiday?
S
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Where my horse was! Literaly just moved her this weekend.

I have moved in for the next 2 weeks as owner has gone on holiday for 3 weeks & his daughter & her family somewhere else for 2 weeks & the other diy is going away for 1 week!

So I have moved into the place for 2 weeks (till daughter returns) & am looking horses, sheep & dogs! I am to have free livery whilst there! Doh just moved horse & am paying what I was up there!

So other diy & looking after them till she goes on holiday & then I'm on my own for a week!

Yes my timing is perfect! Story of my life!
 
pay a friend to go in and do them, and make everyone aware that im away... dont take a chance call the vet if needed, would rather have a vets bill then an error of judgement.

unfortunatly i wouldnt leave my horses in my yo care for any amount of time.
 
My friend and I share our yard and have 8 horses between us. We plan our holidays carefully so that they do not clash, and we usually do the whole yard when we go anyway, so just text the other one if they are done, or text asking the otherone to go if something crops up.

Works perfectly for us, or at least it did until I broke my leg badly 10 days ago and she is going away next week... Now we are paying a groom with me overseeing it all, while she is away!
 
I dont have days off or holidays. I didnt have my horses for someone else to look after them, unless of course I have taken yet another fall off D, broken yet another bone and am unable to look after him myself. If so my popsicle looks after them for me. If I have to go away for work, I try and arrange it so that i'm back as soon as i can be. I dont hang around making polite chit chat with people i dont really like, when i could be spending time with my boys. The only time i've had someone in was 2 weekends ago when i was a bridesmaid for my brother back in wales. That was something no amount of trying could get me out of.
 
4leggedfurries - you don't have any holidays?! Think my OH would kill me if I could never go on holiday!
I'm lucky in that if I am away with work my OH will look after my boy when he does his. however if we do have a night when we can't be there or go on holidays, other friends on the yard will do them for us.
 
Me and my friend help each other out, so if one is on holiday or wants the day off the other will do the horses. Works really well as it allows us not having to rush back to sort the horse out if i've been out for the day.
 
I didnt get my ponies so that someone else had to look after them either but then again I also didnt have my children to hand them over to someone else,but its still lovely to have a bit of time away from them now and again even if its just for the day and doesnt mean I love them any less or Im a bad parent.
If I am caught up with working or doing something for the kids my OH kindely sees to ponies for me,he is no expert but knows how to turn out,muck out,feed and water and will check nobody is bleeding or limping.If we both are away then my friend will fill in as ours are on a private yard with no YO or other liveries.
 
I just dont turn up, leave them unfed, unwatered and stood in filthy beds....




So, in reality, I don't get many nights off!! If I really feel like a night off I get my OH to do them, used to take it in turns with other liveries but have now moved to my own place. We are going away for 2 nights at the end of this month, so will need to pay someone to do them.....am thinking of paying my neighbour to check them/feed them/water top ups (they are currently out 24/7).
 
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I dont have days off or holidays. I didnt have my horses for someone else to look after them, unless of course I have taken yet another fall off D, broken yet another bone and am unable to look after him myself. If so my popsicle looks after them for me. If I have to go away for work, I try and arrange it so that i'm back as soon as i can be. I dont hang around making polite chit chat with people i dont really like, when i could be spending time with my boys. The only time i've had someone in was 2 weekends ago when i was a bridesmaid for my brother back in wales. That was something no amount of trying could get me out of.

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Oooo-eerr missus...me neither...but what with a full time job, 2 kids and 3 horses that why I am up at 6am every day.

Occasionally though we may go off for the day and pay YO to bring the horses into the stables that I have mucked out, to eat the tea that I prepared earlier.

I don't think its a burning at the stake offence
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I dont have days off or holidays. I didnt have my horses for someone else to look after them, unless of course I have taken yet another fall off D, broken yet another bone and am unable to look after him myself. If so my popsicle looks after them for me. If I have to go away for work, I try and arrange it so that i'm back as soon as i can be. I dont hang around making polite chit chat with people i dont really like, when i could be spending time with my boys. The only time i've had someone in was 2 weekends ago when i was a bridesmaid for my brother back in wales. That was something no amount of trying could get me out of.

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Gosh!!!! get over yourself love!!!, none of us have our horses so that someone else can do them, but as someone else has said it's nice to have the odd day off no matter how much you love them.

I never wanted my children to be looked after by anyone else, and they never were unless it was by my mum, but having a break is good for all concerned and you obviously NEED ONE.
 
Lordy i must be a BAD mother.
I work away and hubby looks after them, if we go to friends for a very rare weekend a girl on the yard does full livery for us.
i love my boys with all my heart but i have a life as well.
That said we've not had a holiday in a long time - more to do with finance though!
 
I've been on three holidays in 12 years.
If I'm ill or on holiday a friend looks after them as I do the same for her.
At the moment as I'm quite busy at work and am bringing one of mine back into work I'm paying someone to muck out 4 days a week.
 
My yard offers assisted DIY on an 'as and when' basis. Suits me brilliantly if I can't get to the yard for any reason.
 
I go away for 1 week every year. As I've only had Bella (1st horse) since April this will be the first time I've ever left a ned
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YM will keep an eye on her for me and I have already told him I will be in touch every day to make sure she is alright
 
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Where did you all find your OH who help out????
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I've gone wrong somewhere. Mine wouldn't go near them!
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LOL, me too! There are too many people on here with very supportive OHs! Not fair
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If I'm just having the occasional night off (ie. going out for the day or something) I ask another livery to check him for me (he lives out all the time at the minute), and if I'm going away my YO does him for me
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my OH does my horse most days now as i'm hugely pregnant and my waters are, um, leaking (nice). i sometimes tag along and sit in the field as he poo picks, feeds, picks out feet etc... i am very lucky with him... as he's completely non horsey, and works very long hours already.

regarding holidays and stuff. if i'm stuck at work etc, my OH will do Raff. if we were to go on holiday, i'd ask another livery to do Raff, but i'd make sure there was a minimal amount for her to do (eg i'd prepare everything in advance). in exchange, i'd do her horses when she's on holiday.

my YO once asked me to do her horses when she was away... but it was AWFUL cos one of her horsess HATES me, and wouldn't let me near him. he kicked out at me a few times, and bit me... so i was too scared to rug him up... it was hellish. i had to enlist the help of a friend...
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I will get a friend to do horses when I am on holiday and I do hers when she is away. However next week we are both away - aaargh! That is when OH comes to the rescue (I am going on holiday with my mum and leaving OH at home!). I have got to give my OH a few quick lessons in horse management before I go but I trust him and the horseys know him so I shan't worry (much!)
 
Thanks for your answers so far.
It seems that you have to find a friend with the same number of horses as you have, or pay for assisted DIY, which is not easy when, like mine, they live out 24/7 but still need fed and hayed.
I feed them concentrates by walking into the field with three buckets...which I can understand makes some people nervous (as if mine would dare kick/fight - ha!).
I have been sharing duties with my friend, but she's selling her horse, so I'm going to have to have a rethink.
S
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I don't get nights/ days off
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Wouldn't want someone else doing them, to be honest; although i do have a friend I can call on in an emergency or if I'm away. they're kept at home so no-one on site to do them.

If I'm going out, they get done early. Simples!

ETA: I said to my OH the other night when I was making up feeds- "this is what they get in case I get knocked down by a bus or owt". His response:
"write it down, pin it on the wall so it's there for M when I call her to come and do them!"
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I get either my mother or friends (other HHOers
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) to pop and check them. Mine are out 24/7 and very low maintenance though
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I leave Poutu out and the person I share a field with, who owns Poutu'ss field mate, will check her over for cuts and ensure she is warm enough/cool enough. I will also leave my stable ready the day before incase she needs to come in for whatever reason. And I will do exactily the same for the person in return, or catch in/turn out their horse in return. We work on a "You scratch my back and I scratch yours" basis and as long as the other person doesn't take the piss, it works well
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QR. Oh & I are very rarely away at the same time. & when we are it's unlikely to be for much more that 24hrs. We have seven horses in total, so it's a lot to ask someone to come & cover, but when we do have get some help in we make it as easy as possible. As many out as we can, feeds pre made, hay/haylage bagged up & left as close to fields as we can get it - (without it being eaten earlier than had been planned !!), & all water tanks full. When we had to leave a mare & foal in at night they were able to get to their turnout just by having the door opened. As the weather was a bit unpredictable we left water containers & bags of haylage in the stable next door, then left it to our friends judgement as to whether or not they were left in or turned out.
Needless to say we are more than happy to return the favour whenever required, so even though we have more horses it does even out as we horse sit for others far more often than any of our friends have to for us !!
 
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