How do you all manage vets/farriers if working full time?

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lynsey1808

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As above really, do you take holiday? Have great bosses? Or go sick like I've had to today
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Im lucky, im aloud to pop out, which really helps me. I'd hate to use holiday and there is only so much sick you can take
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My farrier - have tied 2 or 3 horses in together, so we take it in turns in being there for him so doesnt really impact too much. My vets are great and always schedule me a late appointment around 5/5.30pm so as I work 15mins from the yard I only have to leave work 1/2 hour early - and as I do so much overtime it isnt an issue! If he needs a trip to the vets then unfortunately I do take it as annual leave, but they are pretty understanding about it.
 
I am on flexi, and luckily the vet always likes to come to us at the end of the day so I don't have to use any holiday. My horse lives at the Farrier's house so that makes life a bit easier as well
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I work three p/t jobs that altogether add up to f/t, this enables me to have a few hours in between jobs to arrange vets farriers etc. Only problem is it works out to be a very long day as my first job starts at 6am and i finish my last job at 8pm, but at least i get to ride in the winter in the day light. : )
 
Vet has Sunday surgery or if it is an emergency work are very understanding and let me take work home with me. The farrier I arrange on a Friday so that my dad is there but that is only cos the wee man is a brat to shoe otherwise they are in the stable for him to do and I send him a cheque in the post.
 
My farrier starts work very early, so I pre-book my appointment as the first of the day, in the summer that could be 06.30. I keep my horse at home, so I have to be there myself. In the winter, I just arrive at work a little bit late and work through lunch to make it up.

For vets etc, I take a half day vacation, and ask for the last appointment of the day. I don't take sick days because I'd hate to get caught out lying. I have 25 days vacation, unless you had a really sick horse, that is plenty of time to use the odd day for horse stuff. I never take a 2 week holiday...
 
my yard owner deals with the farrier, but for the vet I either have to ask for a end of the day appointment, beg to work from 'home', or take holiday.
 
don't have to be there for the farrier, leave everything he needs and get horses in (he will put them back out if its going to be a long time before we are home)- though this does pretty much involve just opening the stable doors.
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vets- I have worked flexi or taken leave.
 
Farrier comes out on a Saturday for me. On the odd day I have to have him in the week (lost shoe etc) I leave the horse in and he does it, then puts horse out in field for me! Very good farrier!
 
I'm lucky- my desk is all of 200 yards from my stable yard, so I can just pop out of the office as soon as the vet/farrier arrives and just make the time up later. Also my mum has the other stable on the yard and she only works p/t so she quite often does them if I can't.
Should imagine it will be different when I'm working elsewhere- I'll either have to have early or late appointments or get my mum to be there, which isn't usually a problem. So I'm quite lucky really!
 
Me, OH and a mate use the same farrier so we book him for all 4 horses and either me or mate take a day off or OH swaps shifts around....we take it in turns so its not too bad.

I book the latest appointment time for the vet and leave work a bit early ( I may lie and pretend I've got to go to the dentist or GP
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...when my horse had an injury I used to schedule vets visits for his xrays in my dinner hour and arrive back covered inhair and shavings.....
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I have very understanding boss and he lets me nip out and i dont have to make any time up which was really good when rich had his accident and had to have vet out every week for about a month,And like tomorrow when vet comes will be about 2 hour because he having his teeth picked and flushed
 
We work Flex so can leave work at 4. Trimmer usuall comes out at the weekend or after 4:30 if he has to come on a weekday. Vet eitehr comes after 4:30 or a friend on the yard deals with the vet for routine jabs.
 
I'm lucky that I live close to work and my horse isn't too far away either. My farrier comes at 8am, in the winter it's not a problem as he's already in, in the summer I pop up in the morning to bring him in for his new shoes. I pay the farrier when he arrives let him get on with it and he'll put him back in the field for me when he's finished.

I am even more lucky in that my vet lives at the farm next door so is happy for me to take my horse to him after work, it's obvioulsy arranged beforehand and then I just give him a ring when I'm about to leave the yard to check that he's not been held up on an emergency or something, we normally get there at about 6ish. If it's something that's going to take a long time though I'll take a day off or a half day.

I also arrange the dentist for first thing and usually tell work I'll be bit late as I have a dentist appointment. Nothing untrue in that!
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I organise the vet for the latest appointment they will do before it switches to emergency call out rates which is after 5.30pm weekdays. My horse is on a large yard and it shod with four or five others so the farrier gets my horse out of his stable, ties him up and puts him away afterwards. He is very good. I leave a cheque for him and he is happy x
 
On the very rare time there's been an emergency, my bosses have been very good and let me go straight away.

However, for routine stuff like jabs, I arrange for a half day holiday - so that if the vet was delayed by an emergency elsewhere, I would still have the rest of the afternoon to wait and get on with other stuff, without having to worry about being late back from work.
 
I'm lucky, I just leave my horse in. My farrier does her feet, I leave the money and he puts her back in for me! Vet wise I take time off and make the hours back up!! The wonderful world of working and horses.
 
Being self employed I work the hours I want but I do get v v busy and have to pay a groom to do my neds. Other times I try to free up sometime so I can exercise them myself etc - much easier in the summer.

Got some time off right now actually - lovely!
 
I can't take a day off every time the farrier comes, so have to keep my horse at a yard where there are services (staff to bring in and turn out).

For the vet, routine appointments have to fit in with holiday, but emergencies mean I just have to be late for work.
 
Full livery is great.

For major things I try to take time off and sometimes I'd take a long lunch and work the hours back up again.

I got married this year so no spare holiday so for latest vet workups I've dropped horse to the vets at 8.30 then leave off work and hour early (late lunch) to pick horse back up at 5.30.
 
I'm very lucky with my employers!! If I need to pop out for a vets appointment I let them know, they know they get the hours back from me at some point, or I work from home for half a day. They don't treat it any different to a doctors/dentists appointment as long as you don't abuse it!! My lovely Farrier comes on saturday mornings because he prefers to do them with me there, but would happily come in and do them unattended if they are left in!
 
I have found that the easiest answer to these issues is to take the mountain to mohammed. I was sick of sitting at the farm for hours on end waiting for farriers that never turned up and vets that said they would be there are 1 and turned up at 5. Get transport, and take your horse to the farrier or vet. Its been working perfecting for us for years.
 
I try and get farrier to come at 9.00am and I book half day holidays - I would never take a sickie unless I did not have any holiday left and work had refused to let me take unpaid leave.

Work are fairly understanding and I think if I had a really big problem and no more holiday left they would let me take unpaid leave to deal with it.

Luckily I have 27 days holiday a year plus we shut between xmas and new year and don't have to take it as leave.

Yes it is a pain having to take a half day or whole day holiday every 5 weeks for the farrier but I accept it is part of horse owning. I did have a farrier who used to do Sat appointments but he was so unreliable that it was not worth it.

Most of my non routine vets call outs have been out of hours anyway as that is when I am at the yard to find out horse is poorly.
 
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