People who have their horses on DIY and finish work late...

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KatB

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What do you do about bringing your horse in at night? Do you just do it when you get down, even if their the last ones out, or do you have an arrangement with someone else on the yard or pay someone? I know I'll be the last one down, and thought I had an arrangement with someone who also works late, but it seems they've got an alternative offer which is more appealing :rolleyes: so am now pondering my alternatives!

:)
 
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I'm quite lucky in that I have my own place, so technically DIY, so its just my 3 together and I therefore don't have to worry about them being the last left out. I finish work quite late sometimes, so they just stay out until I get there. 2 live out most of the time anyway, so its a case of bringing in one, feeding the others and then chucking them back out with their hay.

On the plus side, when they are in, they are turned out early and brought in late, so get maximum time out!!
 
I pay someone on the yard to bring B in as he does not do being out late/in the dark/in the rain/wind - you get my drift ;) Most of our yard comes in early in the winter to save the fields, most are out before 6.30am and come in around 3.30pm, there are 2 people who work part time/finish early and they bring most of the horses for the "late commers".
 
Were quite lucky, theres usually a couple of horses that are always out and even if he is the only one out, he doesnt care - very handy!
 
Some days my dad will bring Dee in for me. But most of the time she just has to wait for me. Reguardless of the fact that generally means I have to use a head touch and walk around the field looking for pony!

She's generally happy with this arrangement! Means more eating time. And it does mean she's out on her own but she doesn't seem to mind, although I realise that some horses wouldn't like being out on their own which may cause problems but for Dee it works that I bring her in after I've finished work.
 
Mine wait but there are two of them. It's normally me or another girl who's last up and I always bring her horse in if he's still out. Can you not just ask whoever else is ther not to leave your horse out last? If her stable's done it shouldn't be a problem, and even if it isn't half an hour won't hurt, it's the same as it was before he left it in the morning!
 
annagin, I just feel guilty getting someone else to bring my horse in. The other person who finishes work late and I had agreed a similar agreement to what you seem to have, but she's now arranged for someone else to bring her horse in early for her. It'll all work out I am sure, just interested to know how many ponies were left out on their own, etc :D
 
This is what husbands are for, isn't it? lol

I have to work lates and I cant get them in atall when I do, so mum takes her turn in the evenings I cant do it, or if we're both working, then hubby does it.

When I was on a livery yard last year I used to rush up there hoping he wasn't the last one, but people used to grab him in for me and just leave him in his stable if I was late.
I suppose if I had him on a livery yard now id have to share the duty with someone else, pay or get hubby to do it!
 
I've never really found this to be a problem on the yards I've been at, people have always used their common sense and if all horses are in someone would always bring the last one in and give it a little hay until the owner got there.
I was even at a yard that had a policy that no horse was ever to be left out on its own, if you were second last to bring in, you had to bring the last one in as well - and of course it happened to everyone at some point so all were happy doing it knowing their own horse would never be left out alone.

Paddocks can get badly trashed by a horse going crazy for half hour, not to mention the danger to the horse slipping and falling in wet weather and slippy ground - I just wouldn't ignore that x
 
i work earlys (6-2) and a friend at the yard works lates (2-10) so she turnouts out and i bring in.
at our yard whoevers there tends to bring all horses in if weather bad tho, and we always bring one in if its left on its own, were just lovely people lol!
 
Headtorch was an essential - luckily mine lived out most of the time and if he was coming in there were always other horses in surrounding fields staying out so he was fine.
 
i don't have the same problem as you because i have 2- so if they are still out later than everyone else then it doesn't matter. up to this point in the year i leave them out til i get to the yard at about 6pm but as soon as the clocks change i then pay the YO to bring them in around lunchtime/ early afternoon (they go out at 6am!)- what i don't like is that in winter they start standing at the gate and pratting about, kicking each other coz they are bored and want to come in...if i were you Kat i'd offer to pay a kid on the yard to do it or see if you can do turnouts for someone else in the morning or at the weekend>?
 
Hm yeah I left my last yard and one of the reasons for this was the YO would bring all her own horses in at random times of day, so you never knew what time she was going to do it. If I was unlucky or held up at work mine would be the last one left out, and he would run up and down the paddock screaming... and the YO would chunter at me about my horse trashing her fields!!!! She also refused to bring mine in even for a payment as she was 'too busy'... Grrrrr!!!!

Nowadays either I bring both horses in or my friend does, depending on who gets there first. There aren't many people who would leave a horse on its own if it was getting distressed, I'm sure you will be able to work it out. maybe you could offer to do a job for someone in return, like bring theirs in and feed it at the weekend or something?
 
I have an arrangement with a friend. I do my boy in the morning but leave him in with half a days ration of haylage and she turns him out when she gets there. She then brings him in about 4 ish and he comes in to whats left of the haylage. I ride and sort him out when i get there. Worked really well last year and he maintained his weight which he failed to do the year before, when he was out for longer, despite actually consuming a greater weight of food.

In return my friend and I do her two boys on full livery when she goes away at various times through the year.
 
I have a couple of options

1) The YO charges £1.50 to fetch in and 50p for a rug change costing me £2.00 a day (Mon to Fri)

2) I turn out another livery's horse in the morning (give breakfast, change rug and turnout) then she brings my horse in & changes rug around 3.30/4 so before it gets dark.

3) Take a torch and put aside my fear of the dark and the fact my horse would be the only one out and get him in after work.
 
i don't get to the yard till 6.30 at the earliest after work - but mine lives out so it does not matter what time i get there really. If he lived in at nights i would have to pay someone to bring him in as they have to be in before dark.
 
My horse is turned out with two others, so whoever gets there last gets the final two in. Seems to work well especially as my horse won't stay out alone!
 
Rather than get someone else to get your horse in, could you get one of them to leave their horse out with yours and you could bring them both in? I suppose the only problem would be if they want to ride or spend some time with them.
 
KatB,

Mine just waits! She got used to it very quickly, and didn't have a strop, btu then she was turned out alone, though with neighbours. Individuals paddocks in a big field style.

I try not to have too strict a routine with mine, so they go out early early when I'm on nights and I do them on my way home in the morning, and if I'm on days, they get done when I finish.
 
Thats guys! We've sorted out a system between a few of us now, so should mean nothing is out on its own. Everyone on the yard is lovely, and will get the last horse out in, but I don't like relying on someone else to do it out of good will, as it feels like it is taking the p!ss a bit! I am more than happy to bring in another horse if it is also left out, but not many people are mad enough to leave them out as late as I sometimes finish work ;) :p L is very good, and won't run around, but she will stand at the gate yelling (she is normally mute!) so does get stressed!
 
May yard has assistance. Horses have to be in by a certain time - and if you can't be there by then you have the horse brought in for a fee.
 
I just bring them in in the dark :)

I work until 7pm and its about 7:30pm+ by the time I get to the yard so they are used to coming in when its dark now.

TBH I dont bring them in unless the weather is really bad IE blowing a gale or heavy rain/snow as they prefer being out as my mare is a weaver and my gelding get stiff as he is older now.

Head torches are great but I find by the time I walk down the dark lane to the fields my eyes have adjusted enough to be able to see them :)

Nikki xx
 
We have the same rule, you never leave one horse out on its own, have bring yours and the last horse in too. If you bring yours in and you can see that someone elses is distressed (even if they are not the last ones out) then you bring them in too, we all help each other out. I'm very lucky, we have a great yard
 
mine stay out and wait for me but i have 2 so they keep each other company, and although they are the last ones out the latest i get to the yard is 5pm so it isnt too bad..this is the first winter i have been at this yard though so i am yet to see what it will be like once the clocks change and its dark early. My WB comes to the gate when i call her, but daughters very grumpy 11h sec a could be fun to find in the pitch black in a 7 acre field!!
 
alsxx said:
I'm quite lucky in that I have my own place, so technically DIY, so its just my 3 together and I therefore don't have to worry about them being the last left out. I finish work quite late sometimes, so they just stay out until I get there.
On the plus side, when they are in, they are turned out early and brought in late, so get maximum time out!!
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Same here....less mess in the stable too;)

When I was on DIY I would just either leave them out untill I got there, or if the weather was really grotty me and a mate would take turns to bring in and I would go down after work to top up haynets, skip out etc etc.
 
We never leave anything other than one horse on it's own, and he is very happy out on his own. If someone is later than usual, someone else will give them a call to see how long they will be, and will bring in if they are going to be out alone. It all works very well.
 
We used to bring in ourselves (those on DIY) but since last winter our YO brought in his first rule lol said all horses must be brought in at the same time so no horses are left out late or on their own which is common sense anyway, so regardless of what type of livery your on, he brings them all in and dumps them in your stable :D although I'm usually up more or less the same time so we all tend to chip in and grap a bunch of head collars and bring each others in. :)

But yes, prior to that, I used to bring them in once I got down to the yard, never really caused a problem, they just had to get used to it.
 
All the horses on our yard are in by 4pm in winter whether their owners bring them in or they pay us to bring them in.

We only allow 6-8 hrs of turnout in winter anyway so even if a horse was fine out on its own (which is very rare in my experience) then they have to come in early anyways :)
 
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