How long do you expect...

[toppedoff]

For 24 stables to be done? Mucked out, Hay, bedded and watered. I feel I'm really struggling with time. I usually finish around 1pm (7am start) but that's only because someone will usually do the remaining 6 stables and re-hay and sweep when the lots are finish riding. Im trying to be fast. Horses in stable while I muck out. Some are fine, some are annoying some are scary I also have 4 box rests to do who are very bloody messy and did slow me down today by an hour

I'm just not sure how to get speedier. I feel I fail my boss and work sometimes and been in a struggle of not feeling worth the pay since I've been working full time

 

[expanding_horizon]

24 full muck outs is too many for one person in one day.

 

[Palindrome]

So you do 18 stables in 6 hours? That's 20 minutes per stable, it doesn't sound slow to me, particularly since you have so many to do.

I would want the scary ones tied outside the stable, what good will it do if you get injured and can't work anymore.

 

[SEL]

The ladies I used to livery with who did it for a living said 15 mins minimum per stable and that depended on where the muck heap & water were.

 

[sport horse]

Plenty of jobs going in horse world - you do not need to muck out 24 boxes evry day.

 

[Squeak]

I would agree that 24 is a lot for one person.

 

[toppedoff]

So you do 18 stables in 6 hours? That's 20 minutes per stable, it doesn't sound slow to me, particularly since you have so many to do.

I would want the scary ones tied outside the stable, what good will it do if you get injured and can't work anymore.

Keep getting told to pick up the pace , I try to but if I do then I would be cutting corners and making the work harder for myself

 

[Tiddlypom]

24 stables is too many stables per day. Sadly it is commonly expected of stable staff who are overworked, underpaid and undervalued, but it is not right.

It's also poor yard practice to muck out with the horse in the stable. It's very common in big yards, but it is not good for either the horse or the human.

The equestrian world of employment is in the dark ages. Tbh, I'd get out altogether and find something else to do. It's great as a hobby, but not as a career.

If you are being told to pick up the pace, tell them to go stuff their job.

20 mins per stable paced out is a reasonable target. Anything less is unreasonable. Just because some people boast that they can do it quicker doesn't make that a sustainable speed if you don't want to be physically knackered by the age of 30.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

Keep getting told to pick up the pace , I try to but if I do then I would be cutting corners and making the work harder for myself

When you boss asks you to pick up the pace could you politely and calmly ask them what they suggest, would they like not such a thorough job, what corners to they feel it is acceptable to cut to speed the job up??? Start looking for another job, plenty out there would bite your hand off to have you mucking out that many on your own in that time frame. Very cross on your behalf.

 

[ihatework]

If I were an employer I’d generally work on 15 mins per box inclusive of hay/water/sweep for an adequate job or 20 mins for a slightly better job.

But in no way shape or form is 24 boxes a day a reasonable expectation. I’d expect employees to stick 2 fingers up and walk within the first week.

FWIW - in my experience really good employers have max 8 horse per non-riding employee or 4-6 horses per riding employee

 

[Jenko109]

I mean 15 minutes per stable is fine, if you're mucking out 2 or 3 stables.

I would suggest managing to do 16 in just 20 minutes each is actually pretty rapid

You aren't a machine and should not be expected to work like one.

 

[splashgirl45]

There seems to be quite a few jobs being advertised on Facebook at the moment have you looked on there, agree 24 to muck out is too many for them to be done properly especially if you have horses in.

 

[toppedoff]

24 stables is too many stables per day. Sadly it is commonly expected of stable staff who are overworked, underpaid and undervalued, but it is not right.

It's also poor yard practice to muck out with the horse in the stable. It's very common in big yards, but it is not good for either the horse or the human.

The equestrian world of employment is in the dark ages. Tbh, I'd get out altogether and find something else to do. It's great as a hobby, but not as a career.

If you are being told to pick up the pace, tell them to go stuff their job.

20 mins per stable paced out is a reasonable target. Anything less is unreasonable. Just because some people boast that they can do it quicker doesn't make that a sustainable speed if you don't want to be physically knackered by the age of 30.

Yeah, I really don't know what else I'd like to do it really does suck. I just wish for a miracle

 

[toppedoff]

There seems to be quite a few jobs being advertised on Facebook at the moment have you looked on there, agree 24 to muck out is too many for them to be done properly especially if you have horses in.

original plan was to get experience because I wanted to (still do) go racing school and do work riding for a bit, turned into FT with intention to stay a year but I got the racing school interview soon so I hope I can just leave if i get a placement, hopefully that's soon though but I am getting a bit worked/upset up each time I get told to be faster

 

[Kunoichi73]

I was in a work meeting a few years ago and one of the managers asked if we could speed up some data processing and analysis. One of my colleagues responded with "it can be done well or it can be done quickly, which would you prefer". The manager shut up at that point.

You're still relatively new in the job, you seem to be working your bits off to do it well. Your manager should appreciate this and you certainly shouldn't be being criticised for this. If you don't want to change jobs at the moment, grit your teeth, do your best, smash the racing school interview and move onwards and upwards.

 

[toppedoff]

I was in a work meeting a few years ago and one of the managers asked if we could speed up some data processing and analysis. One of my colleagues responded with "it can be done well or it can be done quickly, which would you prefer". The manager shut up at that point.

You're still relatively new in the job, you seem to be working your bits off to do it well. Your manager should appreciate this and you certainly shouldn't be being criticised for this. If you don't want to change jobs at the moment, grit your teeth, do your best, smash the racing school interview and move onwards and upwards.

Think I might have to take your work colleagues words think I need to have a really good thought on what to do with the job situation I usually say I can work under pressure but sometimes I just feel like letting em know this is a bit much now and expecting all done in 20 mins (exaggerated) is alot

 

[Parrotperson]

British Grooms association | britishgrooms.org.uk

The BGA is the professional body for people who work with horses. It is a social enterprise and is non profit making. We welcome all grooms who work in the UK and British grooms who work abroad.

britishgrooms.org.uk

No way should you be expected to do 24. That’s utterly ridiculous.

Above link. You may consider joining and getting advice. But honestly get out now. I wonder what the Health and Safety people would say about it. I’m quite angry about this.

 

[Goldenstar]

Twenty four stables a day is too many .
Find another Job.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

24 just mucking out is easy. Adding in the hay and water aspects not so much. It also depends on the bedding, how far away the muck heap is, if you have to chuck it up, if you have to fill haynets etc. Oh and also how much you procrastinate in the process

 

[toppedoff]

24 just mucking out is easy. Adding in the hay and water aspects not so much. It also depends on the bedding, how far away the muck heap is, if you have to chuck it up, if you have to fill haynets etc. Oh and also how much you procrastinate in the process

I think I'm just being too slow on it

Muck heap is at the end of the stables in a big skip so gotta pelt it down the rows to it with the water running on the other side and the hay on one side of the indoor barn so it's all compact I'm just lacking the speed but I don't know how long I should take per stable

 

[PeterNatt]

Toppedoff! You are being asked to do far too many stables.
This may cause you a permanent injury, which you will regret for the rest of your life.
I would strongly suggest that you find yourself alternative employment.

 

[dottylottie]

i agree that 24 is a ridiculous amount to be doing alone, but how big is your wheelbarrow?? if you’re using one of the regular small ones, i dare say half the time is spent emptying it!

 

[scats]

24 is ridiculous. I don’t care if anyone says that’s normal in racing or they can do more, you will absolutely burn out and end up wrecking your body trying to do they many at speed every day.

 

[planete]

Toppedoff! You are being asked to do far too many stables.
This may cause you a permanent injury, which you will regret for the rest of your life.
I would strongly suggest that you find yourself alternative employment.

I agree. You are being used as slave labour and it will wreck you physically if you carry on. Take it from somebody who never had to work this hard and now has wrecked wrists and other joints from years of mucking out and field cleaning.

 

[Goldenstar]

You will wear out your body , ask yourself is that something you owe to this job ?

 

[dorsetladette]

When we had the yard we would do 20-25 stables between 3 or us. It would generally take 3 of us 2hrs in a morning. Some stables had stabled ponies, others were out from breakfast onwards, other mares and foals, so a real mix. They were deep litters on straw. We mucked out first thing and then skipped out the stabled ones a couple of times in the afternoon (when groomed and when out for exercise). All apart from 4 had auto water drinkers and hay was given ad lib in racks accessed from the back walkway behand the stables. This was just mucking out nothing else.

I would never have expected one of us to do it all on our own. I think you are being taken advantage of to be honest.

 

[Polos Mum]

If I had to look after 24 in all the time I would literally not be able to sleep - by the time I'd finished the 24th it'd be time to start on box 1 again !

The general consensus seems to be 20 mins per stable to reasonable standard and doing hay / water - coping with the little darlings being in there with you !

So in an 8 hour day (7am start to 4pm with an hour of lunch / break) you could sensibly do it - if doing nothing else (no riding, no turning out, no helping clients with XYZ). If you are getting it all done by 1pm that is good going and I wouldn't look to get any quicker at all!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

24 stables a day is too much your doing at least the jobs of 2 people and I bet they are paying you peanuts for doing it, I would find something else they are expecting too much and saying pick up the pace frankly is quite mean.

I used to do between 12 and 18 stables most days in my 30s I am 52 now and my back is done in I can really on manage to muck out 2 or 3 a day now, I can't chuck muck up at all and skipping the field is not easy, it's took its toll on my honestly it's not worth it.

I did it because I was actually getting decent money as I was running a yard and did freelance, but working for a crap hourly rate no way would I have done it.

 

[meleeka]

24 just mucking out is easy. Adding in the hay and water aspects not so much. It also depends on the bedding, how far away the muck heap is, if you have to chuck it up, if you have to fill haynets etc. Oh and also how much you procrastinate in the process

Mucking out 24 horses per day surely can’t ever be described as easy?!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Mucking out 24 horses per day surely can’t ever be described as easy?!

Our boxes you would say are easily done. Rubber matting, enough shavings to be comfy and have a bank but not knee deep, snow shovel and broom. Sweep back, scoop out, reset banking into floor, add more shavings if needed, empty wheelbarrow - 5-6mins tops for us. BUT we aren't pernickety about every clean shavings staying in the box. Our muck trailer is a 20second walk away and we don't do hay or water.

24 is easily done in a day under the right circumstances. Plus when you build up a resistance to the work it gets much easier.