How long does it take to do your morning jobs

Casey76

Casey76

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(and what do they consist of?)

I'm very lucky in that my field is literally opposite my stables, so I don't have any walking to do for turn out, which is great as I'm struggling with timing on a morning at the moment.

After arriving at yard (and turning yard lights on) I:

Give breakfast (1/2 scoop Agrobs Muesli or St Hyppolit Glyx-Weisse Muesli)
Check field water - break ice(!), top up as necessary
Fill 2 haynets for the field if conditions allow
Stable boots off, pick feet, hoof boots on for Blitz, plus rug check
Pick feet and rug change for Tartine
Turn out
Muck out (deep straw beds, down to the concrete; remake bed, add new straw)
Hay boxes
Sweep yard

It normally takes me 45 mins to 1hr; closer to an hour if I'm doing haynets for the field and I need to do Blitz's boots.

I've got mucking out down to a fine art, and it usually takes about 15 mins per box, unless Blitz has been very restless - he's a party animal and the straw always gets twisted into little tornadoes, and the muck is spread and buried, nightmare beast that he is!
 
About an hour and a half tops because I try to take the horse out for 45 minutes. Does Blitz need boots in the field? They do take a good chunk of time, I think?

Also, do you have a really big wheelbarrow? It takes me <10 minutes to muck out - that includes poo and wee out, floor swept, straw back down again, with top up. It takes much longer with a little barrow. I also have 7 haynets and I fill them on a Sunday if I can. And when I have two, I measure out the feed into plastic bags.

Mine doesn't have breakfast, she's a traditionally built lady but I :

Feed the other horses on the block; take Jams out of her stable and stick her in front of a small pile of hay. De-rug. Pick feet out and quick brush. Muck out stable, hang nets and make Jams' feed, sweep concrete area (a very broad broom). Hi Viz on and walk around block/along graded roads. Come back, rug Jams, grab her field mate and walk to field about 1/4 mile up the road.
 
About an hour but I'm very slow!

I soak his hay, turning it in bucket 3 times to make sure it's all 'got' then rinse and hang

fill big water bucket, tap isn't close, so 3 trips using smaller bucket.

Pick out feet

Change rug

Muck out, leave bed up

Take him on a 10-15 minute in hand walk.

Turn out

Sweep yard

Leave for work
 
Mine is arrive, if I'm first then put in all morning feeds (already made up). Turn my two out, I leave them in turnouts overnight so no rugs to change. Muck out one stable, tie up haynets (ready made the night before) and fill water bucket. Sweep outside my stables. Takes me about 30 minutes but I don't rush around, could probably do it in 20 if I zoomed. I muck out the second stable in the evening and make up nets and feeds for the next day so probably another 30-40 minutes of jobs.

Having extra haynets ready made makes all the difference to the time it takes for me and also not changing rugs in the morning. I make a decision the night before what rugs to put on and would only change in the morning if the weather was drastically different.
 
Work mornings:

Arrive 6am, damp 2 x feeds & feed fuzzies.
Skip out Tiny Fuzzy, change/ or re-fit NF's rug.
Turn out both approx 40 ft max from stables, across hardstanding/concrete yard, possibly tie haynet out for them on field shelter if very icy.
Break ice on tank if required.
Muck out NF onto same barrow as TF's poop. 1 x short trip on concrete yard to muck heap
Refill water buckets, remove old nets & tie in fresh (blue-petered as already filled at weekend).
Rinse out feed buckets, make up feeds for pm and next AM.
6.20 / 25 leave yard...........

PM, if coming home from work AND if weather horrid**.
Arrive 5.30pm, damp feeds & plonk in stables.
Open paddock gate & bellow, fuzzies come in loose and park up.
Change/refit NF's rug, check over both.
Collect feed buckets , rinse and vamoose approx 5.40pm
** If weather not horrid, will poo-pick with head torch.
 
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25 mins to do stable jobs, then I ride one.

2 boxes: Muck out, give a small haynet, make big nets for the evening, waters, sweep up, change rug on one horse and tack up the other. I turn out when I've ridden one.

Always had to get a move on in the mornings! They get a token feed in the evenings after I've ridden the other and poo picked.
 
40 minutes. Feed one, change rug on other and turn her out, back to the first one change rug and turn her out. Traipse back to the yard, collect a few slices of hay and trudge back to the field. I could do this while leading number one but she picks at it on the way. I once tried it with number two but almost got run over by her eagerness to eat ALL the hay. Muck out number one, sweep outdoor area, replace empty haynet with full one, clean and refill water. Walk back to the car.
 
Too flipping long!!
But then I'm on a yard with anal OCD YM who would much rather just have full hunting liveries!!!!
 
I seem to be getting exponentially slower at my morning jobs, it's my first year in many years where I have only 1 stable to do and yet sometimes it takes me as long to do that as it has done to do 2, soon I will be on geological time I fear :)
 
Mine currently is:

Arrive, feed all horses, tell mine off for refusing to eat because she is paranoid they will all leave without her. (the stable stupidness starts before anything even goes out!)

2x wheelbarrows of hay into the arena and top up water ignoring my horses door banging and pacing around like an utter t*t.

Tie up outside, quick clean of the wound and silver spray.

Put mine and her bestie out into the arena (everything stabled in turnout rugs).

Open door to the field, open stable doors one at a time, occasionally yelling at the 3 bargey sods who insist on coming back into the barn whilst I am trying to let another out (they are getting better and learning that I can be as immovable as them!)

Go to work.

Takes about 25 mins, I muck out in the evening, mine (and her mate) doesn't come in until I bring her in so no worries there.
 
HeresHoping said:
About an hour and a half tops because I try to take the horse out for 45 minutes. Does Blitz need boots in the field? They do take a good chunk of time, I think?

Also, do you have a really big wheelbarrow? It takes me <10 minutes to muck out - that includes poo and wee out, floor swept, straw back down again, with top up. It takes much longer with a little barrow. I also have 7 haynets and I fill them on a Sunday if I can. And when I have two, I measure out the feed into plastic bags.

Mine doesn't have breakfast, she's a traditionally built lady but I :

Feed the other horses on the block; take Jams out of her stable and stick her in front of a small pile of hay. De-rug. Pick feet out and quick brush. Muck out stable, hang nets and make Jams' feed, sweep concrete area (a very broad broom). Hi Viz on and walk around block/along graded roads. Come back, rug Jams, grab her field mate and walk to field about 1/4 mile up the road.
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Gosh yes, big barrow! I can normally do the two stables in one barrow ;) I'd probably be quicker, but although I usually know where T will poo, she does like to bury them, and as they have small stables, everything gets to be a bit mixed up. I have a friend whose horse is incredibly neat - I'm so jealous lol!

I've been putting hoof boots on him while his abscess hole grows out. I left them off last week when it was snowy, but back on this week as the ground has re-frozen into awful ruts (which hurts me to walk on!) It'll be a blessing when I don't need to put them on, though they are cavallo simples, so not difficult or faffy.

lauracwd2 said:
Mine is arrive, if I'm first then put in all morning feeds (already made up). Turn my two out, I leave them in turnouts overnight so no rugs to change. Muck out one stable, tie up haynets (ready made the night before) and fill water bucket. Sweep outside my stables. Takes me about 30 minutes but I don't rush around, could probably do it in 20 if I zoomed. I muck out the second stable in the evening and make up nets and feeds for the next day so probably another 30-40 minutes of jobs.

Having extra haynets ready made makes all the difference to the time it takes for me and also not changing rugs in the morning. I make a decision the night before what rugs to put on and would only change in the morning if the weather was drastically different.
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Blitz is in a turn out all the time, so I just have a quick check underneath to make sure no rubs and to reposition; Tartine has different weight stable rug as she is really feeling the cold at the moment, so I change her over between stable and turnout.

I would save a heap of time if I could go to work from the yard, but I don't have anywhere to change, and it's a bit too chilly (currently -5C first thing) to be getting changed in my stable at the moment!
 
About half hour to feed, muck out 2 stables, fill hay buckets and put in, remake feeds and sweep yard. Then If they are out 15 minutes to change rugs, pick feet out and turn out.
If they are in the both get 20 minutes of exercise each. Then all over again in the evening.
 
15 mins for 3 ponies to rug up and turn out, including change of wellies and feeding the yard cats locking up etc. I muck out in the evenings as have to be at my desk job for 8am.
 
Bare minimum with no distractions and stuff prepped 30 minutes
Unlock, Feed both, make up supplement pots, put in more hay, fresh water, feeds on to soak,
snuggy turnout hoods on, throw out, sweep stables in, muck out both, sweep front of yard down, lock up.
 
When I used to go in a morning (They get fed and watered now on new yard) I used to muck out 3 x straw beds, do night nets put nets in and do waters in a hour. It was tiring!

They are now in big lovely stables and on matting and shavings and I have the barn to myself with all my stuff and haylage in so its so easy, I can get jobs all done in 25 mins tops. I'm so lucky!
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I live 8 miles from my field and door to door takes about an hour. All 4 live out so poo pick 5 acres, water, hay and feed daily rugs checked and if a nice morning removed and reset. It is the only time I wish we had stables as it would take half the time to muck out as it does to poopick. Mind you it only takes that time if I am on my own and in a hurry. I am retired and can meander about for as long as I like. I am getting slower though in my old age
 
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Open front door, walk five minutes with dog to stables. Say hello to horses, count all legs, put hand under rug to check dry and warm enough. Walk onto yard followed by said two horses, fill three haynets, check water, top up if required, walk back to house, close front door. Half hour tops? This is my Mon-Fri morning routine but it does involve kicking football for dog at every opportunity because she puts it at my feet as I'm doing my chores :)
 
Interesting to read these, trying to time plan when horse moves! Including 25 min walk each way so nearly hour overall, breakfast for him, muckout, ride (hack out) or poopick and turnout and still get home for around 9.30am to be at work for 10

Anyone hazard a guess how long this would take??
 
Takes me about 45mins- 1 hour. Make up 4 feeds, loading apples with Prascend for 2. Go out to fields and put out feed and hay, top up all water buckets, poo pick the 4 paddocks, scrub feed buckets, empty barrow and fork onto muck heap and load barrow up with hay for later.
Afternoon is the same minus the hard feed. It's taking longer at the moment as I am trying to do it with the puppy in tow!
 
SaddleUpSin said:
Interesting to read these, trying to time plan when horse moves! Including 25 min walk each way so nearly hour overall, breakfast for him, muckout, ride (hack out) or poopick and turnout and still get home for around 9.30am to be at work for 10

Anyone hazard a guess how long this would take??
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Depends how long you want to ride for and how far away your field is from the stable IMO :) If I had a horse that needed breakfast I'd ride first and then do yard jobs while it ate brekkie afterwards.

Can you get a bike to at least make the journey to and from yard a bit quicker?
 
ljohnsonsj said:
When I used to go in a morning (They get fed and watered now on new yard) I used to muck out 3 x straw beds, do night nets put nets in and do waters in a hour. It was tiring!

They are now in big lovely stables and on matting and shavings and I have the barn to myself with all my stuff and haylage in so its so easy, I can get jobs all done in 25 mins tops. I'm so lucky!
15965767_762534890567136_4016035115857503623_n.jpg
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I reckon if my stables were as big as yours, both my party animals would be so much neater!

This was 4 years ago, Blitz is a little(!) bigger now lol ;)
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milliepops said:
Depends how long you want to ride for and how far away your field is from the stable IMO :) If I had a horse that needed breakfast I'd ride first and then do yard jobs while it ate brekkie afterwards.

Can you get a bike to at least make the journey to and from yard a bit quicker?
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Field only about 3 mins from stable! Ride length really depends on what amount of time I comfortably have! Haha :)

Have thought about getting a pushbike but I hate them, so decided to walk out until I hate it so much I don't mind buying a bike :')
 
Takes me about an hour and a half to feed, turn out, rugs my two. Then muck out, nets, water, feeds. I do take out at least two big barrow loads from each stable a day which takes a fair bit of time. Straw beds are time consuming.
 
I'm not the quickest and I do do some jobs in the evening!

Get up at 6am - get ready for work, eat and then drive to the yard. Arrive at the yard around 7am and change into wellies/boots.
Say hello to horse. Tie him up outside stable with haynet while I start jobs. I take all the poo/wet/dirty straw and haylege (that's not still in haybar) out and leave the sides up to let the floor dry. Takes around 15mins - he has an XL stable and LOTS of straw as no mats (too early to be too quick - yawn). Scrub out feed buckets and pick feet out. If needed change rug (usually left in turnout overnight unless weather changes drastically) and turn out. Takes around half an hour in total, including faffing about changing from work shoes to wellies and back.

Then drive to work for around 8ish dependant on the mornings rush hour traffic!
 
Casey76 said:
I reckon if my stables were as big as yours, both my party animals would be so much neater!

This was 4 years ago, Blitz is a little(!) bigger now lol ;)
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Definitely, I've just moved these from small stables and they was horrid to muck out! These horses are 16-17hh so the stables really are huge
 
SaddleUpSin said:
Field only about 3 mins from stable! Ride length really depends on what amount of time I comfortably have! Haha :)

Have thought about getting a pushbike but I hate them, so decided to walk out until I hate it so much I don't mind buying a bike :')
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Fair enough, well if it helps as a guide this is how I would start with, bearing in mind you're moving to a new place so things will take a bit longer until you get a routine

So if you need to be home by 9.30, working backwards...
leave yard at 9 (gives you 5 mins leeway)
Feed/skip out/rug/turnout 8.30 (plenty of leeway!! until you get it all running efficiently)
Tack up/ride/untack 7.30 (gives you 50 mins riding time if you are quick about it)
Leave home 7 am

That's what I'd start with, it's getting light between 7 and half past at the moment depending on the weather so don't forget your hi-vis if you are going on the roads ;)
 
milliepops said:
Fair enough, well if it helps as a guide this is how I would start with, bearing in mind you're moving to a new place so things will take a bit longer until you get a routine

So if you need to be home by 9.30, working backwards...
leave yard at 9 (gives you 5 mins leeway)
Feed/skip out/rug/turnout 8.30 (plenty of leeway!! until you get it all running efficiently)
Tack up/ride/untack 7.30 (gives you 50 mins riding time if you are quick about it)
Leave home 7 am

That's what I'd start with, it's getting light between 7 and half past at the moment depending on the weather so don't forget your hi-vis if you are going on the roads ;)
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Thank you :D so if I leave an extra half hour on top for faffing around and inevitable lateness (I'm really bad at getting up in the morning!) I should be fine haha! :')
 
SaddleUpSin said:
Thank you :D so if I leave an extra half hour on top for faffing around and inevitable lateness (I'm really bad at getting up in the morning!) I should be fine haha! :')
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haha!! Always better to allow extra time IMO... I hate being late! if you're running early you can always catch your breath with a cuppa for 10 mins before you head off to work :)
 
milliepops said:
haha!! Always better to allow extra time IMO... I hate being late! if you're running early you can always catch your breath with a cuppa for 10 mins before you head off to work :)
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Yeah thats a nice thought, currently allowed myself all of 15/20 minutes to change, eat breakfast and leave again!
 
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