people who work 12hr shifts and do DIY livery??

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Leighb

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How do you all manage?

ive just started doing 12hr shifts (got a new job!) and a woman at the yard has been giving me a hand but shes made no secret of the fact that she wont be doing it for much longer! (even though i help with hers on my days off!)

at the moment, i work 7-7 days and nights.
Nights are no problem, i sort the horse on my way from work then when i get up about 3ish i go back to the farm.
Days im there at 6am to do my mucking out and i was turning mine and the womans horse out but now shes saying she doesnt want to do me and she will do hers twice a day so mine is gonna end up out on his own for a couple of hours!

He will be 2 in may, hes never been out on his own before so im not really sure i want to risk him being out incase he panics.

ARGHHHH!
 
Is there nobody whom you can pay to give you a little assistance on your 'days'? I think it is very hard to manage a horse either side of those shifts without a little help here and there.

If there are only the two of you at the yard maybe you could find somewhere with more people where you could share the load or have assisted DIY even?

Although you could try the turning him out on his own when you are actually there to observe and fetch him in if necessary - a test run basically.

Good luck :-)
 
theres 5 of us on the yard, 3 of them dont really speak but the other girl is really nice.
can ask her if i see her but the yard is that bitchy i try to go down when no one else is there!
 
Leighb said:
theres 5 of us on the yard, 3 of them dont really speak but the other girl is really nice.
can ask her if i see her but the yard is that bitchy i try to go down when no one else is there!
Click to expand...

OMG move!! What a load of rubbish! Go somewhere nice! Or ideally, somewhere with 24/7 turnout!
 
I did this for years- still do and no way could I manage in the winter without help. You may ned to move yards to somewhere that help is available- being out on his own, hungry and cold is a big ask for horse and you will worry and after a long shift it is nice to just go home. I got stuff ready in the morning for someone to bring in for me.
 
There is a policewoman on our old yard who does this and I think she is amazing. She does have two so they are never out alone, she sometimes brings them in at midnight! We were all happy to help her when we could but ideally you need a permanent help. I have assisted DIY now it's heaven!
 
Can you get the horse desensitised to being out alone by leaving him on his own on days when you arent working maybe?

I have an 18 month old that is left all night on his own when I bring my other pony in for the night, he neighed a lot for the first few times but adjusted very quickly, I also work long days and the other pony is back out with him before daylight
 
Hi. I too work shifts including 12 hour days/nights. I've found the nights aren't too bad as I can sort Fred between finishing work and going to bed. I normally make an arrangement with one of the other people on the yard that I'll sort their horse too in the morning then they sort both in the evening. I've found that (especially amongst the younger owners) they prefer a lay in on a saturday and sunday morning. On the days where I cannot get cover at all then my yard has the option of extras. I am on assisted DIY but can pay extra for full livery as and when needed, just settling up at the end of the month. In summer it's not too bad as Fred is normally on 24 hour turn out but at the moment it's a bind due to the dark, the cold and the snow.
 
I work odd shifts, years ago I used to pay for extra services at yards. Now I'm on a yard with 2 friends & we share the bringing in so I'm happy when I'm working that people I trust are doing the horse. Our yard is quite small & everyone there will help each other when needed.
 
I work 12.5 hour shifts, i do my horses in the morning before i go to work which is a forty min drive away, i either shower and change at home or at work and i have help from my husband who brings them in for me and checks them over in the evening when he brings them in.
When i finish work at either 20.00 or 21.30 i go right to the horses and skip out hay again and just double check theyre fine, so i really only need someone to bring in for me, luckily im in my own place just 3-4 minutes from home with multiple horses, it can be done but it is early rises and hard work.
 
I work 9hr days but have a 2hr commute. Me and another lady do have each, I go down in the mornings and feed turn out, muck mine out then when she's finished work she brings in, feeds and mucks hers out. Before this happened I had to pay for someone to bring him in for me
 
A lady at my yard does shift work. She shares stable duties with another livery and for the most part it works well. If no assistance was available I guess she'd have to look elsewhere for livery.

With regards to your youngster going out alone for a couple of hours - is there anyway you can get him used to it slowly? Turn him out first for 15 minutes alone and build up from there. I did this with my mare and she shouted a bit to begin with but soon got used to it. She can now be turned out alone in the mornings (with hay) and will patiently wait for something else to join her. Usually turnout first and alone is not a problem - leaving out last and alone at night can be the problem.

Hope you manage to sort something
 
I turned him out on his own this morning whilst I mucked. Popped some hay in the field and he just stood munching away.

To be honest I think he would be ok on his own waiting for the others to join him, he only gets worked up when there used to be horses in the field next door and he kept galloping up and down the fence line!
 
If you do it every day, I'm sure he will soon get used to it - tends to be they only get really upset for the first few days, then settle down. Or if they sometimes get left, sometimes dont, they are worse.

Could you leave a section of hay outside the gate and ask her to chuck that in when she gets hers in for the first week maybe - give her a bale of hay or something to say thank you?

Does irritate me people being selfish on DIY yards as everyone needs to muck in and help each other - what will they do when they need a bit of help!?! Or when theirs is going to be last out?

Is there no-one on the yard you could pay to get your's in earlier?
 
I work 8-8 mon - thurs then 8-4 on a fri - im up the yard by 5am to feed muck out and turnout (shes in 24/7 at the mo so a bit easier! although that involves mucking out 2x a day..) I then pop back in my lunch hour to bring in, then back down at 8 to skip (muck out at the mo) and ride (horse has mondays and thursdays off) ..Luckily work is 1 mile away from yard and so is home! but I am very tired but worth it IMO :)
 
The other girl at the yard has offered to give me a hand.
Theres only really my day shifts I need a hand with so hopefully got it sorted for now!

I just wish there wasnt so much bitching involved with livery yards!
 
Not shift work, but very long days so chuck out before work & muck out and ride after work (when there's no snow on the ground).

I have two and keep at home - it's bl**dy hard work and not sure some days it's worth it. One I can leave on his own, the other (TB :rolleyes:) goes into meltdown as he's a very anxious sort so can't be left out on his own.

Try it and see how it goes. I don't think it's so much turning out on his own with hay that will be the issue; the litmus test will be if he is left out on his own when the others are brought in.
 
I'd find a new yard! No decent yard will leave a horse out on it's own. It's no hassle to bring 2 in if you're already catching one! We bring all 7 horses in when the first 2 of us arrive at teatime. We all work different shifts/days, so we all end up doing it some days.
Otherwise, see if someone wants you to do their morning jobs if they do evening?
 
I struggled working very long days on DIY and in the end I decided to rent my own place. Its a bit lonely but no-one steals my stuff, no-one is there to be bitchy and I can bring in and turn out at any time that I like.

On a livery yard I could never have afforded to have two horses and pay two sets of livery but I've now got a miniature shetland as a companion. Much cheaper than the alternative which was full livery.
 
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