Morning routine

[greenbean10]

Please could anyone talk me through their winter morning routine when they have horses to feed / muck out / ride / turnout, need to get to work.

What time do you get to the yard and how do you juggle feeding / riding? Do you have time to wait for an hour after?

Do you muck out after they’ve been turned out?

Just wanting to see if anyone has a routine that’s more efficient - as right now mine is extremely inefficient!

 

[dixie]

Feed (very small), then skip out while he’s munching a fresh net. Tack up and go out - usually within 3/4 hr maybe less.
After ride, put out, finishing mucking out, making up feeds and go to work.
I’m flexible as to when I start though, so don’t usually get in until 10 ish if I ride.

 

[scats]

Arrive about 6.50am and put hay in (they don’t get breakfast feed) and feed the cat. Then go and do waters while they are having some hay. Then I roughly muck out around them and chuck the beds on banks. I do this largely to save Polly’s bedding because if it’s not her morning to be ridden, she will box walk and mulch the bed while I’m out on Millie. I then tack up and ride whoever is getting done that morning. Usually on board for 7.15/7.20am and ride til 7.45-8am.
Then back to untack and rug and turn them out. I then ‘finish the beds’ (which is super quick as the majority done pre-ride) and lay the bedding back down for evening. Arrive home for around 8.30am.

 

[sjdress]

At the yard by 6:15am. Hay, tack up, ride, then turnout after and home by 7:45am latest. Muck out etc in the evening.

 

[humblepie]

Feed (very small), then skip out while he’s munching a fresh net. Tack up and go out - usually within 3/4 hr maybe less.
After ride, put out, finishing mucking out, making up feeds and go to work.
I’m flexible as to when I start though, so don’t usually get in until 10 ish if I ride.

Fairly similar to me. Horse has normally been fed as first to yard feeds round. It is DIY but we leave feeds ready by door. I either ride straight away then turn out muck out etc or I skip out ride turn out etc. Around 2 hours at yard depending how long I ride. Work quite flexible so if not riding I go into work early or if do longer ride go in a bit later

 

[rextherobber]

At the yard by 6:15am. Hay, tack up, ride, then turnout after and home by 7:45am latest. Muck out etc in the evening.

Pretty much this but ride til 8 ish. I can bucket feed in the field when I turn out. Do as much a possible in the evening, do all the feeds and supplements for the following day then. Get rugs etc all ready. Be as tidy as possible, wasting 10 minutes looking for hi viz in the morning is really annoying!

 

[MuddyMonster]

Arrive between 5.45-6.30am, feed small fibre feed, take hay out of soak, rinse off & hang to drip, remove rug & quick flick off, tack up. Ride until 7.30/7.45am depending if I'm hacking or schooling. Untack, quick groom/sponge off, rug on and turn out. Muck out and put in new bedding if needed, do waters, hang up haynets in stable, put feeds into feed bowls (pre made) for that evening and the next morning, sweep up and leave by 8.20/8.30am

If I'm not riding I don't get there until 7.45am to leave by 8.30am.

In the evening I bring in and pick out feet, quick groom and rug for the night. Finish any jobs I need to from the morning but generally I can pretty much bring in and go if I want.

 

[Cazza525]

Run outside in dressing gown and crocs, throw them out and go back indoors! Go to work, muck out and bring back in if raining, if dry tgey stay out!

 

[Sealine]

6:30am arrive at yard and feed, soak evening haynet, muck out, prepare evening feed and tomorrow morning’s feed, water, remove hay from soak and refill tub for tomorrow morning. Horse has hay whilst I’m doing all the jobs. Groom, tack up and ride for 1 hour. Turn out my horse and my friends horse and home by 9am to start work. A friend brings in for me and feeds in the evening.

 

[Lotsoflemons]

It all depends on the person i find it quite difficult to ride in the mornings if im quite busy unless my horses are stabled purely because its quite a trek to get them in from the field and i feel quite rushed for time Just to bring them in to ride. its also quite difficult it coming in to winter its dark by the evenings! we dont have a school to hand so we mainly school weekends in the day light or late afternoons. And hack early evenings or morning I either bring them in night before and ride mornings or bring them in morning and ride later on.

 

[Lotsoflemons]

I usally feed and ride as soon as i get there if im riding it will just be some chaff and a little bit of mash to settle stomach, If not then normal feed.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

Pre baby and on DIY

arrive 6:30am, chuck in field, skip out (was on wood pellets in pee corners and shavings everywhere else so I would just take the poo out during the week and lift the wet at the weekend), replace hay net (I would fill a weeks worth at the weekend to save time during the week), make feeds, top up water and head to work at 7:00am.

Post baby and horse on grass livery: all the above (except replace mucking out for poo picking) except everything takes 500 x longer thanks to small child!

 

[Flowerofthefen]

At yard by 6am. Feed, whilst eating do waters and hay. Change rugs, put out. Muck out ( I have 2 horses). Make sure stables are ready for bringing in after lunch. Catch ridden horse, tack up, ride, turn back out. I live 2 mins from horses so usually home 7.15/ 7.30. Stables are deep littered during the week. My field is very close to the Stables.

 

[Deltofe2493]

When do people poo pick? My horse is still out overnight. but when she does eventually come in there's no way I can do the field in the dark?? Unless I get a head torch but how effective are these?

 

[Flowerofthefen]

When do people poo pick? My horse is still out overnight. but when she does eventually come in there's no way I can do the field in the dark?? Unless I get a head torch but how effective are these?

I have an hour forunch and horses are close. I poo pick after I have brought them in at lunch

 

[humblepie]

Yes I generally manage in my lunchtime as well as work near yard. I think most people just do weekends if they are only up in the dark.

 

[MarvelVillis]

When I get to the yard, I turn him out straight away, changing rugs if I need to. Muck out the stable, throw bed up, refill hay feeder. Can be done in 30 mins if I don't stop to chat! He doesn't have breakfast so I just feed his dinner when I bring him back in. I haven't got to worry about riding this winter as I'm pregnant, but last year I left work between 3-3:30 (I'm on flexi hours so can leave when I like), bring him in, tack up and do the 30 min loop before it gets dark or go in the school. Saved the longer hacks for the weekend.

 

[dixie]

When do people poo pick? My horse is still out overnight. but when she does eventually come in there's no way I can do the field in the dark?? Unless I get a head torch but how effective are these?

it doesn’t happen in the winter I’m afraid - they are in a large field though. If they had a postage stamp patch I would do that at the weekend.

 

[Carrottom]

Poo picking by head torch is easy if the grass isn't long or tussocky.

 

[scats]

When do people poo pick? My horse is still out overnight. but when she does eventually come in there's no way I can do the field in the dark?? Unless I get a head torch but how effective are these?

Head torch in the dark after I’ve fetched in in the evening.

 

[black and brown]

Poo picking by head torch is easy unless it's foggy, then really weird, lol

 

[atropa]

I have three...Up at 5.30, on yard for 5.45. Generally already fed by first at yard. Swap rugs if needed, pick out hooves and turnout usually by 6.20 (fair walk to field and need two trips).
Rinse and hang soaked nets to dry, fill new nets and soak. Collect and wash feed buckets. Fill hay mangers then muck out and sweep up. Back to house for approx 7.40 for breakfast and start work at 8.30 (wfh so have time for some house chores before this)
Generally try to fit in a ride or lunge on lunchbreak.
Bring in as it's getting dark, pick out feet, change rugs if needed. Maybe ride or lunge another too. Make up dinners and following mornings breakfasts. Roughly 45 mins if not riding, probably 2 hours if I am.

I seem to be very slow in comparison to some....there's no way I could arrive at the yard and be on board 25 mins later to ride having skipped out for example. Perhaps the setup of my yard isn't very efficient in terms of fields and tack room though.

 

[sjdress]

When do people poo pick? My horse is still out overnight. but when she does eventually come in there's no way I can do the field in the dark?? Unless I get a head torch but how effective are these?

i poo pick with a head torch after work, no choice with working full time