how do you fit everything in now the nights are drawing in.

debsflo

debsflo

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i have been caught out in the dark last few evenings and cannot really get a short hack in before dark now, so frustrating as the days are galloping away. i work part time but by the time ive collected children from school,half hour drive home,mucked out,fed children and got horses in its getting dark. mine are at home so no arena or lights,its hacking out or boxing somewhere. my elderley mare has returned from a tendon injury and is feeling really good just in time for winter and clocks changing. How do you fit work,family and horses in at this time of year.? any tips for more hours in the day. cant really ride in the morning as still dark and work is an hours drive away..
 
I keep mine at home- no arena / lights either, so I have to resign myself to riding only at weekends from now on. I work full time- leave at 7am and get home at 6pm so its dark at either end of the day. I'm a teacher though, so there is half term and xmas holidays- but by then it'll probably be snowing/ icey!!! Its a good job he's the sane type and I have turnout every day :)
 
We had the first riding in the dark last last night :( girl is in yr11 so is doing gcse's & has revision everynight until 5pm, then has to ride her pony she competes, at our yard & 2 youngsters at another yard - its getting hard work already & I'm dreading the clocks going back. We've rented a field on our own for 5yrs but I'm seriously considering putting ours on livery at the yard where the young ones are to try & make it a bit easier. They have an arena too (which we don't have) & YO is putting lights up for her so a big move may be on the cards
 
With difficulty! Working full time, two children at different schools and horse nd dog makes for very long evenings not helped by nights drawing in. Just going to try and do as much as I can with the horse while weather isn't too awful and we still have daylight. We do have lights in the arena this year which will make a huge difference. I'm hoping that predictions for snow in October are completely wrong
 
Could you possibly ride first then muck out? buy a head torch or a lamp if you don't have any lights.

I am going to struggle I work full time, I am considering moving him to work with me (RS) if I can afford him on full livery. I will get some morning where I will be able to ride, but I don't get home (without going to the yard) until after 9pm so will struggle even with the care side of things on an evening.

I think I am going to have to be extra nice to my OH, then he may do a few rug changes for me on a night :D
 
As suggested, rearrange what you do and when you do it :)

Batch cook and stick in freezer. Use a slow cooker (bung it all in in the morning). Use your car lights to ride by, depending on the layout of field, etc.

Or just ride at weekends.
 
Our boys get used to hacking in the dark :o we have a route we can do which only involved crossing the road to get out of the yard and to leave, it is only a 25min route though so not a massive ride but better than nothing...we often end up coming back when it is pretty dark but they get used to it.

ETA: in the dark this is the onyl route I hack as I know it like the back of my hand :)
 
I ride in the mornings if I can or if it’s a nice evening (after a sunny day and it’s still quite light) I’ll just get time to sneak half an hour round the village, doubt I’ll be able to do that by the end of the week though.

Problem with riding in morning is that you get all the idiots that think speed limits don’t apply at 7:30 when their rushing to work.

I rode this morning so the mare will go on the lunge this evening, but once they both come in on a night (next few weeks) I’ll be even later home as I’ll have my mucking out to do, usually do one stable in the morning and one on an evening, but then I’d don’t have any children to also take care off, not sure how some of you do it….Super Mums or what!
 
I hack off-road(have to cross road to get there) Hi Viz(lots),headlight & one of those Cyclists'flaching lights,fastened to bum-bag,pointing backwards.Horse can see in dark so i don t care if i cant-just so long as I can be seen!! Nightime route is short-so just go round twice if he s lively!!Also -buy Jamies 30 minute meals-life-changing book,and teach kids to cook!!x
 
This time of year the head-torch becomes welded to my forehead.
No arena and no lights here either, I forget what my horse looks like in daylight.
I have a short 15min hack I do in the dark on a farm lane not much, but better than nothing and I leave ‘proper’ riding to the weekend.
 
Muck out in the morning, and after/lunge after work with car lights or head lamp! Can the kids not starve?! ;) How old are they? Maybe could help you with the horse etc so its quicker to tack up
 
Mine are at home but I do have floodlights, although I still don't have time to ride! By the time iv got them in, sorted my daughter out, tea, bath, bottle bed, it's dark and I don't like leaving her in house alone whilst I go out and ride! Day times are too hectic to ride, so have to wait for the weekend! Although this winer I probably won't ride at all!!
 
Molasses said:
This time of year the head-torch becomes welded to my forehead.
No arena and no lights here either, I forget what my horse looks like in daylight.
I have a short 15min hack I do in the dark on a farm lane not much, but better than nothing and I leave ‘proper’ riding to the weekend.
Click to expand...

This goes for me too! I giggled about the forgetting what they look like in daylight comment - mine always look weird to me at a weekend in the daylight!

We are fortunate that we have a ride way all of the way round the perimeter of our fields, as well as a riding paddock and a lunge ring. I stick my head torch on and off I pop! It is surprising how well your eyes adjust - and sometimes the moon is that bright I can cope without my torch! xx
 
I don't have the kids or anyone other than the cat to worry about, but I do keep my horse nearly 18 miles from home so that takes me a good half hour to drive there (more if the traffic is bad) and then a further 50 minutes at least to drive to work. For me, the morning is the time to get everything done. My girl is quite a slow eater and needs a fair bit of nosh as she is elderly and has medication to take so while she is eating I muck out behind her - here's the crucial bit - I use aubiose bedding and I just pick up the two brown piles (doesn't poo much!!), redo the banks and reshape the bed. The full muck out is done on Saturday mornings. That takes less than 10 minutes so I still have 10 minutes left to make her next feed (soaked), stick a bit of hay in a net and measure out her chaff ration (dodgy teeth). Hooves picked out, rug or fly spry applied and off she goes and off to work I go. Whole thing takes me about 25 minutes. I can't understand why anyone wants to face mucking out after a busy day at work and hopefully a quick evening ride. Even if she stays out over night I can't stand to leave a dirty stable and as it is so quick, there really isn't an excuse. Of course I have to get up at 6ish but the cat makes sure I don't loiter in bed anyway!
 
I get up at 5 to do my horse, she lives 5mins away from me but i work 40miles away. I make enough haynets for the week on sundays. I feed, change rug, pick out feet and turn out. I then muck out, do hay and water and quick sweep. i usually add straw after work. I get used to the early mornings, and its nice knowing her bed is done and i have more time to ride and pamper my horse.
 
I'm moved to a private - hopefully our two (mine and a friends) will stay out until December then come in four or five nights a week until March/April time. At the moment there aren't any lights in the school but we were told they would go up as the electricity is already there (they plumbed it all in as daughter was cometeing, then she lost interest so they didn't bother and now she's back riding again).

Eiher way, we take it in turns to do Yard Days. Go up in the morning, breakfast, turnout and muck out. Evenings bed down, do nets and waters (not now as they've got auto waters - woo!). There will be time to ride easily for us if the lights are up. Mine is still under 4yrs old so its such a big deal for me to be hell bent on riding this winter but I have a sharer who can ride (not very well) in the week so she can at least keep him ticking over if it comes to it.
 
I am lucky i away as i work nights so when i finish work at 7am i go to the yard muck out put her out and get everything ready for the evening then go home and sleep go back to yard about 3.30pm and ride i only live 1 mile from yard so go home have a shower and get to work for 7pm i am so glad i dont work days i would never fit my horse in around my work as work 12 hour shifts
 
Think i am resigning myself to riding at weekends now . i just wish the dark nights didnt come round so quickly. Summer always feels so much shorter than winter.
 
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