How many of you will be doing your horses properly on Xmas Day?

Rowreach

Rowreach

Adjusting my sails
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I've noticed a couple of comments from people on here that they will be "skipping out" over Christmas and not mucking out properly
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Maybe it's slightly different for me because I run a yard and am being paid by people to look after their horses (as well as doing all of my own), but I will have 11 to do by myself over Christmas. They will all be fed at the normal time, brushed over and put on the walker or turned out for a bit before being put back to bed with a big pile of haylage while we have our (late!) lunch.

I won't be having a drink until the evening, and the horses will be fed, skipped out and put to bed at their normal time in the evening, and checked last thing at night.

My OH, kids and house guests all know that the horses come first
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and if they want to open their presents earlier, they can always come out and give me a hand and I'll get done quicker
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Usually someone comes wandering out with a cup of coffee and a Danish for me at some point
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I don't buy my horses Christmas presents or give them treats on the day - they don't know if it's Christmas Day or Pancake Tuesday, and the best present I can give them, imo, is to treat it as a day like any other. I see no reason to keep them waiting for their feed/leave them standing in poo/not give them any exercise etc just because I would rather be stuffing my face in front of the fire
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What do you do?
 
Christmas day will be spent slaving away as normal for my family.... but merlin will as normal be stood in a field doing nothing but what he wants to do
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He is being fed and checked by my friend and I will see him again on Boxing day.

He is the same as your horses..... none the wiser that its christmas and so long as he is fed and watered then he is happy
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I have to admit she doesn't get quite the same treatment on xmas day as normal
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I chuck her out in the morning as usual and muck out... but she doesn't get exercise... and perhaps my mucking out isn't quiiiiteee as perfect as usual?
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I'll be doing 16 on my own at home, mostly theyre full liveries. I'll be doing exactly the same as you- some will have a morning in the field whilst the others will go on the walker before being left with lots of hay. I'll do evening stables as normal after xmas lunch.
 
Mine are out 24/7 so dont have stables to worry about but i dont poo pick my filled xmas day just go down feed hay and water make sure they are ok, then i enjoy my xmas!!
 
my horses will get more attention if anything... as my in-laws are here for the day, and i'll need an excuse to escape!

both horses are having special dinner, extra carrots and an extra deep bed.
the cats are having a little tin of food along with their normal dry food.
the dog will get xmas leftovers and a bone
the chickens will get the veg leftovers

and, if i had it my way, the inlaws would get nothing...
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I am on full livery, but Christmas day is pay back time for liveries on our yard. We get up to the yard at 0530 and each do our "lines", so 5 horses. Full muck out, feed, turn out etc., and the grooms very kindly reward us with a champagne brekkie at 9am. I will prob ride between finishing my lines and brekkie. When I was DIY I still did my horses fully, it was a nice start and finish to the day IMO. Having said that, I don't have family commitments on CHristmas Day so no rush to do the neds and get home, I can see why others may be more hurried and need to just skip out
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I will be mucking out properly on xmas day and turning out and bringing in as normal. Then again I only have one now at home so not hard and he's basically retired with arthritus in his back fetlocks so the field will be plenty of exercise.
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A few years ago a friend bought a small livery yard which has increased to a very large livery yard and her groom left on xmas eve so OH and I went and helped muck out the full liveries on xmas day.
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Mine get exactly the same treatment as they normally do, the only thing I dont do anymore is ride, but only because we now go to either my parents or OH parents, and there just isn't enough time to fit it all in with the travel.
 
I look forwards to christmas as a day where I can look after her properly. I share Ellie and on a school day I can't spend a lot of time with her, especially over winter. Christmas day is where she will get a full groom and a lot of fuss! It is no different for her, but for me it makes a world of difference! My family know that having the time to do that properly is the best present for me over christmas day.
 
yes,i think along your lines,rowreach.

i look forward to seeing the pons every day and christmas day is no exception.
can spend even longer with them because it is not a work day.
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Same as a normal day. Full muck out and either ride or turnout.
I feel guilty if I don't get over to do Inka before 8.30am. I know some people who won't get up to do their horse before 11am on a Sunday let alone Xmas day.
 
Yep, we will. Only have two and they are kept at home. They'll get fed at 6.30am, turned out at 9.30 if the weather is OK or skipped out and topped up with hay if it isn't. If they are out they will get hay in the field at 10.30am and again at 2.30 pm. I will muck them out (mats and deep litter shaving beds), clean all the water and feed buckets. They'll be back in at 6pm for tea and hay and then their bedtime hay top up at 10pm. I will also be putting up the breakfast feeds and putting oats and sugar beet to saok for Boxing Day.

Like you say - they don't care what day it is and that's their routine on a non riding day.
 
You mean tommy won't be getting his christmas stocking with all the trimmings and toys that he doesn't have a clue about !!
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No I am with you on that, Infact it may be the only day I will actually get peace as the boys will be too busy playing with their new toys .

Madam will however get a wee extra carrot and few apples thrown in for good measure .

Psst I see the n.ireland accent/phrase is creeping in more .... "pile of haylage "
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Its ..... " pile a haylaggggee "

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Exactly the same, my yard is DIY so the only difference is I tend to do more for the owners than normal so that they don't need to come down if they are going out for the day etc. TBH it's nice to have a quiet day and as you say, the horses don't know it's any different to normal!
 
One of the girls on my yard is offering a christmas morning service (muck out / hay / water) got £4 PER BOX
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so I'm giving her a tenner for both my boys.

Will be going up at 6 though to get them groomed and ride Ban if it had dried up! they will either go out or kept in (weather depending) Go back home for full english brekkie
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and pressie opening. Will go back up at 3 and do evening skip out, rug change and feed etc. Then back home for chrimbo dins and alcohol
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Yes I will be doing Bob as normal on Christmas Day - get up, feed and muck out, ride (assuming weather allows) then turn out, then drive an hour and a half for Christmas lunch with my family
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I will pay the YO just to bring him in, so I dont have to worry about being later back than usual.

I have offered to help the YO on every other day over Christmas cos I am off work and live here
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I used to do it on my last yard too, I remember my ex and I helping to muck out 24 horses on Christmas Day
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And I hate NYE so have already offered to do any other livery on NYD if people want, as I will not be hungover or tired
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Well Col if you were as good as your word and came and helped muck them out you could bring him his stocking yerself
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And by the way, are you jumping a metter yet on that 3yo and if not, why not?
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I am really pleased to see that so many horses are going to have a lovely Christmas Day (even if they don't know it
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i won't be doing my horses in the morning, as my YO is doing my mare (haven't asked her yet so there is me praying, she does the the rest of the yard of part liveries so i don't think she will mine) and my boy will be done by forget me not in the morning and i will do joe, spider and jazz in the evening before going on my merry way to see my parents. that does include full muck out, feed and watered with extra carrots a guiness!!
 
I have 3 to do and do have to consider my parents and OH - so i will be at yard for 6am (an hour later than normal) and will turn out, skip out and do hay and waters (which i will have done the day before) - they will go out as usual BUT will come back in at 4pm (usually 4.30pm and will just be put to bed with extra hay. They will not be ridden and they do not seam to suffer for a "day off"
 
I do mine as usual - OH and I went for a Christmas hack last year, complete with bells etc at about 8am. Then home for presents, lunch and all the rest.

In the afternoon I go back up and make sure she is clean and well snuggled up as to not get dirty for Boxing Day hunting.

I do buy them presents, because I want to, regardless of weather they know or not. I buy my cats presents too!
 
I love Christmas Day. Mum comes with me to the stables and I muck out while she does hay and water. I think this year we're going to go for a short ride - I'll ride and she'll walk, just down the path and back providing it's not icey! Then pony is going out in the field for the day while we go to Taunton to see family for lunch, and back again in the evening to put her to bed!
 
Our three will be seen to as usual and will have a special christmas breakfast - lots of tasty veg!

I used to work on a livery yard and grooms were all off xmas and boxing day so liveries did there own - we all hated working on the 27th as so many of them either just skipped out or did a naff job (it was the only time alot of the full liveries ever mucked out) and the beds would be manky!
 
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One of the girls on my yard is offering a christmas morning service (muck out / hay / water) got £4 PER BOX
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so I'm giving her a tenner for both my boys.

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Blimey she must be mad
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Our YO charges double for Christmas Day, Boxing Day, NY day and quite right too IMHO
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i normally milk on xmas day so i would normally go down after milking and give her a full groom ready for hunting on boxing day. this year however i have the day off xmas day and working boxing day so we will go for a nice xmas morning ride (aslong as it's not black ice like today) and won't be hunting boxing day
 
Will be doing my lad as usual although I may have a lie in until 6.30 am rather than getting up at my usual 5am! He lives out 24/7 but will have his usual routine...sadly no treats this year though as I will not do anything to temp the laminitis back.
Normally I would take him for a hack around the block but I am leaving it a while longer before bringing him back into work again..there is no rush with this weather as it is!
 
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