More than one horse?? How long does it take you daily and am I going wrong somewhere?

When I had 3 stabled, I could do the morning in 45mins:
- ponies on walker/tied up with feeds (made night before)
- take morning feed to one living out
- Muck out (semi deep litter one, pellets on matting x2)
- hang haynets (made up night before)
- top up waters
- adjust/change rugs
- place dinners in stable for those staying in
- turn out.

In the evening:
- make feeds for evening and morning (double the buckets)
- make haynets for evening and morning.
- muck out anything that stayed in all day, waters, hang nets, dinners in stable ready
- bring in, change rugs
- feed/bring in the one that lives out
- tie up any going to ride so don't go in stable and eat, ride one or two.
Total 2 and a half hours incl riding.
 
I have 2, both in at night (one in double field shelter & small corral & other in proper stable).
On a working day (Mon to Weds or Thurs)
Leave home at 05.58, arrive yard 06.10
Feed both (having damped feeds which were made up day before)
Change rug if required on bigger one.
Skip out small one with torch. Check her over
Lob hay into daytime paddocks (whi8ch I left put ready in hay shed) & put electric fence on.
Turn out big one, turn out little one.
Rinse out feed buckets & turn upside down to drain for a few mins
Muck out big one.
Do waters for both (sometimes by dunking in field tanks if yard tap frozen)
Tie in ready prepped haynets for night time.
Sweep what I can in the dark outside stable.
Collect feed buckets & make up 4 feeds for next day.
Leave yard at 06.35

Evenings on work days:
17.30 roar up to yard gate in car.
Pull on boots in feed shed & mucky anorak.
Damp feeds & run up yard & put in stable/shelter.
Grab headcollar, catch big girl & bring in - leave little'n to follow in.
Check both over - 1 with torch & other with battery light in stable, change rug if required (big one sleeping in NZ over xmas time).
Go back to field gate, turn of electric fence & shut gate.
Shut their respective bolts & change back into work shoes.
17.38 Shoot off in car :D

On non-working days, I do these as extras:
Fill 6 night haynets each in prep for week ahead (time alone makes it worth having extra nets)
Cut open bales & make sure there is enough for coming dark mornings for brekky hay in paddock.
Sweep yard properly.
Tip out & scrub stable water tubs (daily,when not working)
Tidy muck heap properly
Scrub buckets
Top up huge field water tanks
Daily pooh-pick of paddocks
Rake up un-eaten hay if any left (rare event, but it happens once in ten bales or so)
Check fencing
Tread in divots
Weed & molehill check
Proper groom each daily & picking out feet
Chat with neighbouring yard people over fence.

OH - and ride for about an hour - so 3 or 4 times a week :D

When it gets lighter will do grooming daily every PM. (prob in about 2 weeks)

Summer time will prob be going on work mornings an hour earleir so can ride before work :)
 
I lobe Reading peoples routines and time saving tips! I have five to do Monday to Friday and mine is as follows

- get down yard at 8am
- put in morning feeds for four horses, turn pony out
- muck out pony whilst horses eat breakfast
- change rugs and turn out two of the horses that finish first (they have smaller feeds)
- start mucking out one empty stable whilst waiting for others to finish eating
- turn last two out (these two sleep in t/o rugs so no rug change)
- muck out all four stables, one barrow emptying somewhere along the way
- collect feed buckets and wash, I throw haynet and buckets pit of each box before I start mucking out.
- Make up feeds for that evening and following morning, each horse has two feed buckets
- sweep yard
- collect up haynets and drop them at hay container on way to the muckheap.
- Return with empty barrow, fill up haynets and do two trips with barrow to hang them.

Can be done for 11 if I rush, normally 11.30

I then get back to yard around 4, bring each horse in, hose down legs, pick feet out and brush off mud etc. Takes about a hour to do all 6.

Looking at other peoples that's a long time, but I can't see how I can do it any quicker.
 
I have 5 in, 2 of my own and 3 on livery. I have more time in the evenings, so muck out before i bring them in. I have it down to a fine art, 7 mins per stable. I dont change rugs, and make up feeds the evening before. I went to my local deli shop and asked them to keep the mayo buckets with lids. make up feeds and leave them outside their stable doors, lids on, no vermen can get near them. I dont use hay nets, just hay fork to lob hay into them, but then, I dont need to soak. Friend of mine has a big plastic blue barrel with the top cut off, half full with water, just pops the hay into it morning and evening for the horse that needs it soaked, takes 2 mins, and refills water in it every couple of days. It's no easy feat to cut time, but it's the small things that take the time. Hope you can take some of the advice on board to suit you, and that you get to save yourself some time!!! xx
 
Here is what I do

I have 3 horses, two are in at night and one lives out.

Get to yard at 6.30 am.

Feed yard (feeds made up night before, so just chuck over doors)
Get feeds for evening ready and put in feed room
Muck out around (very clean) mare while she is eating
Turn out gelding and put hay in field for mare (she is on her own, as she had to have colic surgery 4 months ago)check youngster who lives out is ok. put hay out for gelding and youngster is frosty
Turn out mare
Sweep mares stable and do her hay
Muck out geldings stable
give him hay
fill waters

That takes about an hour.

In the evening I just have to bring in and feed., which takes about twenty minutes.

I don't lead my mare and gelding together as the mare is a bit sensitive and so I like to be able to concentrate just on her as we have to go a short distance along a road.

To make my life easier and save time

I make up loads of feeds at once on days off, just add beet and water later.
Fill up a weeks worth of haynets for the mare at once
Have haybars
Use a hose to fill up large trugs of water
My horses wear their turnout rugs in their stables, so no rug changing to be done
I put mucking out tools outside the stable the night before
morning feeds are prepared the night before and left ready to chuck over doors

I think thats it. I'm always in a rush!
 
Guys this has been so helpful!!! Thank you so much - I'm off to start my new yard routine now thanks to all your advice, more haynets and some bucket covers are on order. Going to get some more buckets today! Thanks again so much!
 
I would have the feed made up the night before
First thing - feed them.
Take down haynets if used and fill them and do water buckets whilst they are eating.
Make up evenings feeds (I always have more than one set of feed buckets on the go)
Put hay in the field (never used haynets in field with them)
Change rugs and put on any creams needed
Turnout
Muckout
Put hay in and water buckets
Leave

With doing 3 horses in this routine and the additioning of giving hay and water to 3 goats it took me 40 - 50 minutes! I just made sure I was never idol when they were eating their breakfast I fitted in as much as I could.

Evening for same 3 horses and 3 goats

Bring in
Feed
Go and water goats and check they have enough hay
Change rugs
Make up morning feeds.
Go home

This took 20 - 30 minutes MAX :)
 
Sorry I havent read them all, but going from haynets to hay on the floor or a hay bar of sorts saves time, also hay on the floor/tub in the feild is much quicker
 
I have 3 - stabled overnight.

Takes me about 45 mins on a morning, and around the same on an evening if pushed.

2 are unrugged - they go straight out into the paddock with hay in feeders. The other one has breakfast on the yard - (he wears his turnout rug in the stable so no rug changes;)).

I muck out the stables whilst arab is having his brekkie....2 are full straw beds which get skipped through the week and lifted on a weekend. The other stable is rubber-matted so just a sweep out there.

Water buckets are drained and put away. Empty haynets chucked into hay barn- haynets are made up the night before so I just can quickly hang them up in the morning.

In the evening.....fill up water buckets, make feeds. Bring in. I let them eat whilst I fill up haynets, poo-pick the field and tidy up.

Then I do feet, brush off- check over etc.

Simples!:)
 
I have three and obvioulsy easier as mine are at home, and one is a shetland so doesnt really count

Mine arent on field turnout at the moment due to lack of grazing and it being wet, i work freelance so my routine is a little different each day but this is generally what i do

First thing, let out the shetland and the yearling from thier stables, they go on the yard during the day, and tie up thier nets, top up water and give the other one her hay, it takes me maybe five minuets, no body wears rugs so much simpler

around dinner time i will be back and i muck out the yearling and shetland put in the yearling with some hay and turnout my mare with the shetland and do her bed, that takes me maybe twenty mins to do all three beds, i then sweep the yard up and take the poops off if there are any and make the nets for the morning put in hayledge for the empty stables and make feeds, three nights a week i work late so i get everything ready and just put them in when i get home,

all in all it probably takes me maybe an hour or just over to do everything
 
Also you could feed one of the horses on the yard so while they are all eating you can crack on mucking out!

ditto about making feed and haynets up in advance. I'd get there get one horse in T.O rug tie on yard and feed, put feed in for other horses. do bed. etc etc etc!

x
 
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