People with more than one horse and a job...

[khan]

I have 2 horses and work a 5 day 45 hour week, you'll be fine, you'll find out what works for you, i usually get up the yard just before 7, (3 miles away), help my mum turn her two out, then turn mine out and muck out, bed down, do hay and water and i usually leave the yard about 7.50am,go home, walk dog, go to work........... go straight to yard from work (arrive around 6.00pm), and get changed in car (with heating on - lol) and get them in from fields, change rugs etc, ride or lunge and feed. We are lucky in that yard has floodlit all weather menage, loads of lighting and electric, and i have half of a barn (my mum has other half) and my own tack room (so no rows about anyones tack being unlocked). Only this year, i am expecting a baby at xmas, so it may not be as simple anymore! lol!

 

[SpottedCat]

We use bat detectors which turn their ultrasound into detectable sound - each species calls at a different frequency and you get good at working out if it is several coming out and flying off or just one circling. Well, you did ask!

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
bat detectors

[/ QUOTE ]
I feel a joke comming on................

 

[SpottedCat]

I have bat chairs too....

 

[AmyMay]

Holy recliner Batman!

 

[chestnut cob]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who's a miserable cow!!

Alternatively...why don't you move to a yard where you can have help from a YO?

 

[kit279]

That made me laugh! I count things too - lots and lots of cells... At least they stay still though..

I have 2 on DIY and I let them live out 24/7 with decent rugs on. I keep the dryest field as a winter trash paddock and clip the white legs so I can keep them as possible (dreaded mud fever

). They only come in when the weather is foul or the paddock is underwater. This keeps them a bit fitter from moseying around than if they were stabled more. I also ride and lead if I'm short of time. Don't use oil on their legs (it gets everywhere and stains everything), I use liquid paraffin which brushes on and solidifies and has the same effect and you can just towel it off. Those snuggy hoods are good for keeping the mud off their necks as well, although my grey won't stand to have it put on..

 

[Lill]

Um well i do them in the evenings and B does them in the mornings usually.

We have previously (past 6yrs) had 3-4 horses in over night, and i got mucking them out (they were on mats with shavings bed) all of them, down to taking me about an hour each evening in the end. You just need to get into a sort of routine, mine was pick out all droppings from each stable with rubber gloves, before running round again with a shavings fork, broom and shovel and taking wet out and neatening up. Chuck hay sections on floor and they have automatic waterers so that saves time too.

This year however we are hoping to just have 2 come in at night which will be a luxury!!!

ETA I get to yard for 6.30pm each night, am home by 8.30-9pm in the summer after riding Blue as i faff about too usually, however in the winter i sometimes don't get him until 10pm

i hate winter

 

[lacey111]

I have 2 in at night during winter, i have them turned out in the morning as i have to be at work for 7.30am. When i get home i then have to wait for my OH to arrive home around 6-6.30ish (cant go down without him as yard is 15mins away and one horse is his)
We alternate the nights we ride, one rides, the other does stable duties etc. I always have as many haynets as possible filled up, and they stay in their turnout rugs overnight and feeds are made up the night before. I pretty much have an hour to do 2 full muck outs, beds down, feed haynet and water and bring one in whilst the other is being ridden. im normally home for 8 at the latest.

it works because we stick to the routine, chatting at the yard is kept to a very minimum otherwise you will be there all night!!!

 

[I_A_P]

To be honest i would be able to work totally full time ( i work approx 34hrs a week) with 2 horses say i had somewhere to ride in the evening or if mum would just exercise one once a week or something.

To be honest i could cope and just not ride if i had to but at the moment it works well and means i can try and keep him fit for as much of the year as possible.

 

[Marymary]

We had 11 in last winter - 7 in work at one point and both myself and my fiancee work full time we have an 1.5 hr commute each way to work and have to be in the car by 7.30 am and we are in the office 9 -5 . Our day starts at 4am - we do the yard together and the boxes are mucked out at least twice a day. We hav some on shavings and some straw. I do a rota at the start of the week who is being worked on what days and if its ridden work or lunge work, I do all the ridden work myself. We think we are on to a good thing if we are in the house by 10pm most evenings all year round. Am very lucky as our horses at home and we have a indoor school albeit a very small one that we converted from a cow barn ourselves but you make the best of what you have got and if you want something badly enough you will work as hard as you can to make it work. We enjoy it and to keep us going we have lots of coffee

 

[jellybaby]

Bloody hell - good effort!!!!!!!!!!!

JB xx

 

[Laafet]

My situation is basically two horses on DIY, they live out so that I can have a life and they are both happier this way. I stupidly work with horses so depending on which week it is I either am working 7 days 7.30 to 4.30 or 5 days at the same times and go back two nights every week to check on the horses at work 7.30pm to 8.30pm, unless I am in charge which will then mean I'm at work for 6.30 to feed. It is really hard come the winter, as I have no time to ride apart from weekends due to no school. It is also why I am looking for a more normal non horsey job.
ETA - what's a 35 hour working week full time! I work minimum 42 hours and it is often nearer 50 or more compulsory and I have absolutely no one to help me at all, no husband/boyf or family. Last year I had T in and it was a nightmare but I coped and like SN I do poo picking and lungeing by torchlight. I'd love to start work at 10 then I could ride before work. Even with them both in at night working 10-5 would be easy for me to sort out doing the neds without going into a meltdown - wouldn't bother getting up until 7.30 for a start and still would have time to muck out and ride!

 

[luckilotti]

not had chance to read all of the replies but heres my input

When i was on a livery yard with no winter turnout, i would have a tiny 'day bed' down and sweep it out at night before i put the 'night bed' down, i have matting so was never too worried.
i did haynets in bulk whenever i had the chance, if you are feeding hay, maye you can section it all into the correct amount in advance?
My feeds, i made up all of the 'dry feed' in used Tesco bags, and just tied the tops, hence all i had to do was grab a bag from my feed bin and add sugar beet, supplements etc.
automatic water feeders are a god send if possible.

Having winter turnout is a god send as its so much less mucking out etc but then again you have the mud issue!

You really will manage a routine somehow, i always try to get as much done in the morning so that i have more time in the evenings. I've got used to being on maternity leave though so god knows how i am going to manage in a few weeks time! (i have 2 weeks full time 9-5 in cumbria - plus the babies to sort out, the yard, and the horses, ooo, and hubby!)

another idea, not sure how far your muck heap is from your stables but if its a way away, could you use a little trailer to put muck in by your stable and empty it at weekends when you have more time?