Horse out 24/7, work full time, what is your daily routine?

CeeBee

CeeBee

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Sorry if this has been covered before!
My new horse is living out 24/7 in the field I now rent. This is the first time I have had a horse living out, as in the past I have always been on DIY and bought in at night in the winter.
As I work f/t Mon to Fri, I go to the field at 6.30am and again after work about 6.45pm.
I have no lights, so do everything with a head torch, including poo picking, checking fences, feeding etc.
I feel really guilty as there's not really a lot I can do during the week and can only ride at the weekend. I have been checking Harvey over and making sure rug ok etc.
I just wondered what others do who are in my situation. Do you take rugs off and groom etc?
What routine do you follow?
 
I take rugs off and groom when weather permits! I always feel legs, check feet and during the winter trim tails quite short. I check fencing, water and feel their ears, clean their eyes twice a day every day. Luckily for me, if I can't make it to the field then my mum does it for me!! (how spoilt is that??) About 9am and 4pm, so always (??) in the daylight!
 
He doesn't have a friend in the field with him, but there is a pony in the field next to his. However, there is quite a gap in between and although they can see each other, they can't touch. And also, the pony is in at night at the moment as he is recovering from laminitis, so Harvey effectively on his own at night. I am considering a companion, but only have 2 acres and am worried about not having enough grazing.
 
Is he on his own?

If not, can someone else not have a look at him for you? Thats what I do in the week.

When I had no electric, we also rigged up a light to a car battery, so you could at least see a bit.
 
Mines on his own with others in sight, I don't work but only visit him once a day to poo pick, do hay, feed, check fences, rugs, eyes, legs, check him to see he is warm and dry, quick groom and change/add rug if necessary. Takes me about 30mins.
This weather he is turned away for winter but occasional hack out with working friends at weekend.
So you're doing more than me, so not to worry!
 
i am in the same boat as you. i work full time and ned is out 24/7.

i'm at yard at 7am to feed and hay and also do a bit of poo picking. back at yard after work, usually by 6pm to feed and hay again (by the light of my trusty head torch!!). i adjust rugs every day and check legs, shoes etc also but generally only bring him onto the yard at the weekend at present (he is on holiday) to take off rugs etc.

that will change once i bring him back into work in a few weeks but am only aiming to ride twice during the week (as well as weekends) until the spring.
 
Silly me I have done a similar post above! Mine lives out unless its really wet and I try to bring him in at weekends if I have to ride early. I am going to have to go up at about 6.45pm in the evenings armed with my headtorch, hoof pick and feed bucket and the YO checks him for me in the mornings.
 
QR I have two at grass and am lucky in that I dont have to be in work until 10. Sundays i get hay, feeds etc made up as much as possible and poo pick. early mornings I skip out shelter, feed, hay, change rugs and try and exercise 2/3 times a week (less in January) plus weekends. evenings I just feed, hay, rugs and the rugged one gets a quick flick sometimes during the week, the unrugged one doesnt.Basically I do as much as I can in the mornings and the basics in the evenings at 7pmish.
no leccy-my head torch is my friend
smile.gif
 
I think your doing just fine it,s really hard when us horse owner have to fit in f/t work around our horses. I,m lucky that i do work f/t but it,s done around 3 jobs so i manage to pop back and forward to the neds whenever i can.
 
Mine live out, my routine at the moment (until it gets colder) is OH does a check in the mornings on his way to work (I leave home at 7.45 to catch train), and then in the evenings I get down yard for about 6pm and bring them in for feed, groom and check of rugs etc etc. They have plenty of grass atm so are getting no hay, however when it starts to get colder and they need topping up I will pop down before work and feed/hay. I sometimes pop down in the mornings atm to do a rug change if needed (all eyes on BBC weather forecast!!), or like this morning to check water trough not frozen, as cant expect OH to do these things or he will tell me to p*ss off altogether!

I do all my poo picking at the weekends, which is fun!
 
Thanks everyone, I feel a bit better now. He seems happy enough and much prefers the grass to the haylage I have been putting out for him, but with the whole living out thing being new to me, I still feel bad. Even when it was torrential rain yesterday morning, he was smack bang in the middle of the field grazing. He does have a field shelter, but I don't think he uses it!
 
I would not worry about your routine it sounds fine to me but it is a shame he is on his own and does not have a companion - could you not look at a small shetland friend for him would not be too expensive to keep?

My pony is in a herd and I go once a day after work and get there about 6.30/6.45. It is dark and no lights other than big torch - go down to field feed and check rugs and legs etc. Don't tend to take rug off as it must be cold having it taken off and put back on again especially if it is windy or rainy - also it is might be dangerous fiddling around with changing in rugs in the dark if windy or raining so try to avoid it. I also try and make up feeds in advance - have quite a few buckets and put covers on them so just have to add water.

They don't have hay yet as plenty of grass if they do need hay they do YO goes down to give it to them in the morning. Also when it gets really cold and the automatic water freezes YO goes down three times a day to take them water and break the frozen ice which we could not do without as most liveries can't do more than once or twice a day at the most.

I only ride at the weekends during the winter unless I have a day off work which I do ocassionally do for farrier or something like that - this is my third winter on this regime and fingers crossed pony seems to thrive. However there is usually someone also going during the day as well as me doing the evening shift (I am the only evening person out of the 10 in the herd!) and we tend to to keep an eye out on each other horses too.
 
my 2 are out at grass 24/7. i go down in the morning to check rugs, often changing them for a lighter one during the day, and feed, plus break water if needed. then again after work in the dark with a headtorch to quick check over and feed, plus ride if i want to.
 
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