horses and full time work

Its all doable, dont worry. Lots of good advice given, partiuclarly about winter - its to be gotten through. However, hacks on bright, sunny cold days when your horses breath forms clouds of steam and your toes are freezing are very special as far as I am concerned, but thats about the only good thing about winter, apart from late night showjumping and cheesy chips.

I have two, I am on assisted DIY, and I am also lucky enough to have a daughter who rides and will care for them when my job takes me away from it. I work 60 plus hours a week, so its early starts and late finishes. My horses are my sanity, and although I could afford full livery, I would rather have the exercise and time with my horses.

Lots of good advice given, especially regarding haynets. I always make the following morning's hay nets up in the evening, saves shed loads of time in the morning. Also, keep things as organised as possible, and dont expect to feel like riding every night - you wont! You will feel very tired on occasions. Also, if you have turnout, utilise it as it not only gives you time out, it keeps everyone sane. I have to say on our yard with one exception, everyone is helpful and we all help each other out.

You will be fine, dont worry.
 
AdorableAlice said:
Crackerz said:
My best tip for the OP is never go anywhere empty handed. I stick to this rule on my yard, so for instance this morning, I had 2 full haylage nets in one hand and a horse in the other. It is a routine that really saves time, it is so easy to walk around the yard, to and fro different horses/buildings emptied handed and wasting time needlessly. Mr party trick is a full barrow of muck, a feed bucket on each handle, huge haynet balanced between the handles, a rug on top of the barrow and a horse, on the way to turn out, in each hand.
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This is key! Never ever walk anywhere emtpy handed. Cannot get my OH to understand this - he is quite happy to dawdle along with 1 haynet in his hand while I zoom past him carrying the other 5!
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Zerotolerance said:
AdorableAlice said:
This is key! Never ever walk anywhere emtpy handed. Cannot get my OH to understand this - he is quite happy to dawdle along with 1 haynet in his hand while I zoom past him carrying the other 5!
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My OH, sweeps the yard before I have moved the horses, drives me insane. The broom is going sideways in a place the sun does not shine soon.
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Kat said:
5.30am get up shower, dress and put stuff in car for work.
6.45am leave for the stables
7am arrive at the stables, muck out, feed, do water and hay
7.45am either change clothes in yard cloakroom or leave yard and change at work. I put make up and jewellery on in the car while sitting in traffic :o
9am start work
5-6pm finish work. Then drive home, or sometimes change at work and drive straight to the stables to save time.
6-7pm arrive at the stables. Muck out, do hay and water, ride and feed.
8-8.30pm lock up yard and leave
8.15 -8.45pm arrive home and start cooking. Eat whenever dinner is ready and spend some time with the OH/watching tv etc.
11pm - 12pm collapse in bed after having had a quick shower.
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How on earth do you last until midnight on a routine like that?! I'm lucky if I'm not out cold by 10pm...
 
I am lucky because the horses are at home so I only have a 20 yard walk to the yard.

I've got 2 at the moment, my broken hunter and another hunter in work.

Get up at 5.45 a.m, have coffee.

Go outside by 6 a.m and muck both out, get stables ready for night time.

6.30 a.m Ride hunter for 45 mins/hour with headtorch on.

Have to be back in house by 7.45 a.m as OH goes to work so I need to be with baby. Feed horses when I get back from riding.

Put baby in car for nursery then turn horses out once they've finished breakfast. Leave for work at 8.15 a.m.

Get home at 5.45 p.m and get horses in, clean, fed and watered. In by 6.30 p.m. OH has baby at this time.

My tips are: fill up haynets if you use them so you have a supply of them.
Invest in something like Gold Label Mudguard and coat legs in it twice a week so mud literally falls off overnight (horses obviously have to be clean for being ridden first thing in the morning), good rugs that you can use as turnout and in the stable. I use PE rugs - brilliant.

Low maintenance horses are also brilliant!! This is the only way I can go hunting and every morning I get up and think oh god, I can't be bothered but it does keep me sane!! And very tired.
 
Me and my partner work full time and have 6 horses between us. They are out on grass livery 24/7 (although have the option of them in as we have stables) bar one, who is in every night over the winter as he thrives on that routine.

I work Monday to Thursday 9 till 5 and Fridays 9 till 4.30, I go to the yard after work and feed them all. My partner works 8.30 - 5 Mondays and Thursdays, and 9.30 till 6 Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Friday so he comes to the yard as and when he gets back early enough in winter.

They are fed daily and have hay bales in the field when needed, we don't ride during the week in winter unless we are off work. In Summer we ride practically every day after work and at weekends.
 
I work full time and my horse is on full livery.

I did have him on DIY last year for few years, whilst working full time though. It is doable, suppose it depends on the person.

When i was on DIY the yard was 5-10 mins drive away BUT now he is 30-40 mins from my house so no way I could do DIY with full time job. He is there as breed specific yard and he is tricky so I had to compromise.

I do NOT like being full livery though, when you have done your horse for yourself for so long, people never do it like you would is my opinion :)

I muck him out at weekends though, I don't have to, but I always tell them to leave him as crazy as it sounds I do like doing it! :D

I am getting second horse soon, so need to think about doing some of it myself to help with cost (as the one on livery is actually on schooling livery). I am now working closer to the yard, so need to sort something out when newbie number two comes.
 
I work full time 8:30 till 5 everyday work is 35 minute drive away- i get up at 10 to 6 go to yard muck out my horse and little shetland come back get changed sorted ready for work off i go - get back go straight there (in winter) ride in school with lights or as didn't have a school previously had to wait until weekend to ride muck out feed etc and head home to feed myself - i find it really do-able and im not running myself ragged either - winter is always worse for anyone if you can get through that it all seems much better in summer - i haven't got loads of money to burn so mine are fully DIY and i cope absolutely fine you will be fine honestly you just have to get yourslef in a routine.
 
I always managed by having the horse on assisted livery at a yard on the way to work. I paid someone to turn him out in the mornings so I don't have to go up before work. Sometimes I paid to have him brought in too. I managed DIY for a couple of years on a yard close to where I worked so I could nip in and chuck out on the way, or go over at lunchtime.

After work I did all the chores and riding. It was dark and cold int he winter but I was always home by 7.

Now I work part-time and have a baby it's the same thing - YO does morning feeds/ turnout. I go up between 4 and 5.30 depending if I'm working. I fill up lots of haynets, top up bedding etc at the weekends. If your yard will allow it, switch to shavings or nedsbed for a 10 minute daily muck-out. I only get time to ride at weekends, but come summer horse will be out at grass so I can ride after work instead of mucking out!

You just get used to being quick!
 
Mine are in at the moment due to one having a cut leg and box rest whilst my other girl is keeping her company:

4.40am alarm goes off
5.00am arrive at farm - muck out
5.30 leave farm
6.00/6.10 leave home - 1hr 15 mins drive to work to arrive at 7.30am
4.30pm leave work
5.50 pm arrive home and pick up dog
7.00/7.30 arrive home

Phew...

Thats with one heavily pregnant arab and a TB - foaley due in 12 weeks :D then wont have any spare time :D poor hubby!!!!!
 
ShadowFlame said:
How on earth do you last until midnight on a routine like that?! I'm lucky if I'm not out cold by 10pm...
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Because:

1. I don't do it everyday, most weeks the husband does some mornings
2. I didn't say I didn't go to sleep until 11 or 12pm, just that I don't go to bed before then. In fact I have a serious inability to stay awake to the end of the programme I'm watching!

I should probably get my act together and get myself to bed by 11pm at the latest.
 
I work full time (0800 - 1630 Mon-Fri) and keep my horse on DIY Livery.

Alarm goes off at 0550. Out of bed by 0600.
Showered and out the door by 0620.
Arrive at yard 0630.
Feed on yard whilst skipping out and changing water. Haynets done the night before. Rug changed and either put out or back in stable to be put out by friend or YO an hour or so later.

Leave yard at 0700 and get to work for 0800.

Leave work at 1630 and get to yard at 1730.

If need be i skip out again, refill haynets if needed, replenish water and refill morning haynets. Make evening feed and breakfast for next day.
Feed horse or ride and then feed. Change her into her jimjams :) Home anytime after 1830/1900.

I prep my suit before i go to bed and have my yard clothes ready to jump into in the morning after i've showered. I have a selection of work shoes either in the car or at work (I'm a guy btw)
The kettle has water in it ready to boil in the morning as i like to take hot water to mix with her breakfast .. Because im sad and she is spoilt.

I get changed at work. at 1620 I get changed back into yard gear and fill bottle with hot water for evening feed .... again because im sad and she is spoilt :o and i leave work at 1630.

It pretty much a military proceedure and I take no prisoners in the morning :D

At the weekends im usually down at 0800 if not 0830. I cannot stand it when people turn up at 0930 onwards just because its the weekend ... I just couldnt do it to my mare!

It' all about the planning and prepping in advance but it can be done. :p
 
AdorableAlice said:
Zerotolerance said:
My OH, sweeps the yard before I have moved the horses, drives me insane. The broom is going sideways in a place the sun does not shine soon.
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Mine does this sort of thing too. I could write reams of other stuff OH does that he thinks is "helping" - but drives me insane!

One of the worst is - when I'm mucking out, after I've done the main poo/wee removal, as I'm moving the bed around I throw individual nuggets out the door to pick up when I've finished (odd, but works for me!) He will stand outside with corn broom and sweep and pick up each piece as it comes flying out the door - usually aimed at him! Cannot make him wait until I've finished, then just do one sweep up - or that time could be better spent filling haynets, changing rugs etc etc - or, heaven forbid, mucking another one out all by himself!
He's really good at buying horses, but never thinks about the extra work involved! Next door have 2 cheeky looking shitlands, which he thinks are very cute, so now he's decided he'd like 2 as well. Aargh!
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Antw23uk said:
I work full time (0800 - 1630 Mon-Fri) and keep my horse on DIY Livery.

Alarm goes off at 0550. Out of bed by 0600.
Showered and out the door by 0620.
Arrive at yard 0630.
Feed on yard whilst skipping out and changing water. Haynets done the night before. Rug changed and either put out or back in stable to be put out by friend or YO an hour or so later.

Leave yard at 0700 and get to work for 0800.

Leave work at 1630 and get to yard at 1730.

If need be i skip out again, refill haynets if needed, replenish water and refill morning haynets. Make evening feed and breakfast for next day.
Feed horse or ride and then feed. Change her into her jimjams :) Home anytime after 1830/1900.

I prep my suit before i go to bed and have my yard clothes ready to jump into in the morning after i've showered. I have a selection of work shoes either in the car or at work (I'm a guy btw)
The kettle has water in it ready to boil in the morning as i like to take hot water to mix with her breakfast .. Because im sad and she is spoilt.

I get changed at work. at 1620 I get changed back into yard gear and fill bottle with hot water for evening feed .... again because im sad and she is spoilt :o and i leave work at 1630.

It pretty much a military proceedure and I take no prisoners in the morning :D

At the weekends im usually down at 0800 if not 0830. I cannot stand it when people turn up at 0930 onwards just because its the weekend ... I just couldnt do it to my mare!

It' all about the planning and prepping in advance but it can be done. :p
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ha ha so true really drives me mad when people are up late as they dont have to get up - i usually do horses at 6:30 and maybe 7 - 7.30 at weekends anytime after that isn't a lie in for me ive wasted half the day, may seem a little OTT but im the same feel guilty when hes waiting for breakfast they can't get it themselves!
 
I have 2 on DIY and i work 9-5

5:00-alarm goes off
5:30-leave the house
5:45- arrive at yard, turn out, muck out, hays and waters.
6:50-leave th yard, drive 10 mins to my prents and drop my dog off as my mum looks after her whilst me and OH are at work
7:30- wash, have breakfast, make lunch and get dressed for work
8:20-leave for work
Work 9-5
5:30- arrive at yard, poo pick bring in, groom ride one sometimes both(although youngster is having a break at mo)
8:00ish- leave yard
Then i get home where OH has sorted dinner and then go to bed between 10-11

I am very lucky that i have a very understanding OH who does all of the cooking and does a lot around the house
 
I work very odd shifts as well as running a part time business from home and owning two horses alongside this! It's not always easy to juggle everything and unfortunately my horses are in and out of work when I can find the time excersise them properly. I rely heavily on others and have both horses on full livery. Despite the struggle for time I have to just accept that I can only do my best, both horses are healthy and happy and want for nothing so I try not to beat myself up over it. I totally adore both my horses and couldn't do without them so I just have to make it work. Don't be hard on yourself, do what you can and accept that sometimes there's not enough hours in the day to do everything. You need to figure out a way for it to work for you and so long as you are still finding time to enjoy your horse then don't stress!
 
I think it is difficult to be totally DIY unless your yard, home and workplace are all very near each other and you work fixed hours which mean you won't need to stay late at short notice and if your horse lives in they don't have to be in before dark in the winter and possibly does not mind being left out on their own.

My pony is normally on grass livery and in the winter that includes being fed hay in the field when it snows. At the moment he is recovering from an injury that has required him to be on box rest for nearly 3 months then gradually being introduced to turnout so has been living in for the last 7 months but I have put him on full livery on a rehab yard so he can get all the care he needs and I can continue to work full time.

If he was not on grass livery he would be on full livery as I have a long commute and I can't be sure that public transport is going to be reliable or that I might need to stay later than planned at work - although I can work from home remotely if I need to do extra work in the evenings and weekends there are some tasks for which I need to be in the office for.
 
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