Is there anyone out there who gets help with horses at home and if so how??

Hels_Bells

Hels_Bells

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 September 2008
Messages
1,720
Location
North Yorkshire
Visit site
I am facing a bit of a life changer at the moment whether to do a PhD based quite far from home which I would have to commute to daily or to stay at home and work on my own business.

If I decided on the PhD my trouble is that I have 3 horses at home and I have thought about this a lot and I know I will really struggle to look after them all as I am struggling now and the commitment level is not as big as it will be at PhD level. I have one younger eventer and the other two are both 24 and 33 years old and so really can only stay with me as they are both in good health for their age and I cannot see it is right to either push them from pillar to post or make the ultimate decision just because they are older horses.

Are there people out there who would come to people's homes to help out with horses etc? Clearly there isn't enough work (or finances frankly!) to have a full time groom. I have never been in a position to need paid help before and am basically wondering if anyone else has ever or does have such an arrangement going on and how much they had to pay, where and how you found someone, if it worked out etc? I don't really want to put the horses in livery when I have everything they need here and they are settled and happy where they are esp given the age of the eldest one.

Another problem is that it would only be for the winter months as they are out 24/7 in summer.

So basically where to start, or am I asking for the impossible and should just forget it, try to go down the run my own business route and look after them myself!!!!?? :confused:
 
You might find someone who would be happy to help in exchange for rides. I used to do this for a lady and gentleman who had two oldies like yours, my friend and I tootled round the lanes and sometimes had a little canter in the fields (they were old, but still in work and did the odd day's hunting so not decrepit) and helped out a bit in return.

Even if you don't need the help in summer, if you can come to an arrangement where they can ride in summer in return for some poo-picking or similar I'm sure someone would be happy to put the extra in during winter.
 
We have someone who lives just round the corner from us and does that kind of thing for lots of people for a living! Think she charges about £6 an hour, and we text at the start of the week with which days we need! At the moment there are enough of us at home that we don't need her but if that changed we'd just have to give her a call and she'd help out for the odd day here and there.

While I was at uni, during the competition season she lunged my horse for 20 minutes 3 times a week, she turns out and mucks out, lets the dog out if she's been in all day, she clips (for extra cash) she even offered to take my horse to a couple of clinics if I didn't have time to work him while I was at away!

Don't despair, they are out there :)
 
Wow kickonchaps that sounds amazing!!! I wish we had one like that!! Maybe I should put an ad in a local tack shop.

Thanks too spudlet - I would be really happy to do that but it is quite a bit of full on work in winter to justify the riding. Especially with the winter we've just had where there's been no riding for weeks on end due to snow!
 
My girlfriend keeps her 2 (was 3) horses at home, she has a girl that comes to her each morning and turns the horses out and mucks them out. My friend leaves for work quite early, so she gives her horses their breakfast and some hay and then goes to work. She brings them in when she gets home. You would be surprised how many freelance grooms there are out there, who are happy to do whatever you want. I think she pays £10/hour.
 
I would look for a freelance groom, this is what I do currently to earn some money alongside my painting. I go round various different yards (mainly private ones though there are a few livery yards i help at to if they are short staffed), do an hour or few at each (depending on how much needs done). I always agree with my clients before starting what will need doing and how long it should take etc, I charge an hourly rate. It works well, it's a shame you're not near me or I would offer to help out! Try looking in local tack shops to see if any grooms have put an ad up. Alternatively there's the British Grooms Association which has a list of freelancers:

http://www.britishgrooms.org.uk/Freelance-Grooms

Just had a look and there are a few in your area, hopefully someone has space! Good luck whatever you decide to do. Starting your own business sounds exciting, what sort of business is it?
 
Hels_Bells said:
Wow kickonchaps that sounds amazing!!! I wish we had one like that!! Maybe I should put an ad in a local tack shop.

Thanks too spudlet - I would be really happy to do that but it is quite a bit of full on work in winter to justify the riding. Especially with the winter we've just had where there's been no riding for weeks on end due to snow!
Click to expand...

Well, I can only speak for myself and sadly I am nowhere near you:( but personally, if I knew I would be able to have a tootle in summer I wouldn't mind all that much about the winter as I enjoy the looking after bit as much as the riding:)

I am just suffering from severe pony deprivation withdrawal symptoms and need an equine to cuddle:o
 
Aww spudlet!! Here is a virtual horsey cuddle x 3 from mine!!! :D I know it's not quite the same as the real thing but they are very cuddly *read furry and covered in mud* if that helps!!! :D :D :D
 
Hels_Bells said:
Aww spudlet!! Here is a virtual horsey cuddle x 3 from mine!!! :D I know it's not quite the same as the real thing but they are very cuddly *read furry and covered in mud* if that helps!!! :D :D :D
Click to expand...

Naww thank you:D

I will have to go and pat a pony over a gate in a minute (lunchtime walks always offer these opportunities) which is nice, but it's just not the same as getting to work with hay in your hair and straw stuck to your shoes if you ask me:p

Good luck with getting yourself sorted out, sounds v exciting:)
 
I've had the same problem as you (4 to 6 horses at home and full time job with flexible hours) and have tried both a sharer and a part time groom. The sharers were wonderful, but with all the good will in the world it was a hobby for them so I couldn't rely on them as much as I could with the groom. On the other side they helped out in exchange for rides so that worked out really cheap! The part time grooms all worked out very well, I would do the horses first thing in the morning and the groom would turn up at 14.00 to muck out, bring in, ride/lunge, tack clean etc, for 3 hours every weekday. This meant I could stay late at work without worrying. I also found that the grooms were much more experienced riders so could do more with the horses.

Finding a part time groom is really easy. I put adverts in local papers (Yorkshire Post and Shropshire Star) and both times was innundated with replies (more than 40 each time). About half of the people who called were time wasters but if you shift through them you will come up with a short list of potential candidates and a final list of 2-3 good people who can actually help you out. Another thing to do is to ask at your local yards, they may have P/T grooms who are looking for more work and also I often ended up 'sharing' a P/T groom with a number of private yards in the same situation as myself.
 
I think if you look around your area you will find people. There is a lady local to us who dog walks and looks after horses but she charges per horse which i think is a bit daft and works out very expensive. I know of two other people/horsey friends though who will look after people's horses on a sort of ad hoc basis. I even used to do it for a lady when i was younger as they used to go on holiday a lot. I would horse and house sit for them (they did have a very nice house!). I think there are plenty out there it's just finding someone who works for your situation.
 
Not quite the same situation as yours, I know, but I have just arranged to have my horse looked after whilst I am away on holiday.
I advertised on Preloved for a genuine horsey person to help in my area and received a reply straight away from a well respected horse owner in the next village.
I would never have thought to ask her directly so you might be surprised and pleased with who contacts you.
So go for it and Good Luck.
 
Last edited:
We used to have a freelance groom too for when I was working away. We paid £18/day for her to come up each afternoon, muck out, bring in from field, hay, feed and water. That was for four horses. My husband would feed and turn out in the morning. She was so reliable and I trusted her to handle the horses well. In summer she did less (riding my eventers to keep them fit sometimes) but that worked out ok as she did more freelance teaching in summer!

We did have someone who "helped and exercised" initially, but they let us down too much, and I didn't have the peace of mind when I was away.

Try your local tack shop - put an ad up or something..
 
Thanks so much for all the replies. It actually sounds really hopeful. What a great idea about advertising etc, I think I will definitely go down that route as I am more than happy to screen replies etc to find the right person.

I am definitely reticent about sharers because it is a lot of daily work just to ride one horse and as you have all said you just can't expect to rely on people when it's a hobby because they are not obligated as such financially or otherwise. Also I would feel much more comfortable with a more professional person riding my eventer because he is fairly tricky at times and was very screwed up originally so I wouldn't want him to do any harm to a less experienced person nor them to harm him in any way (more probably mentally than anything else!)!

None of this is likely to come into force until around October anyway, but it will be really great to have all your thoughts and ideas ready to put into play if necessary when the time comes. Thanks so much everyone, there is light at the end of the tunnel!!! :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top