Plans for Christmas day?! Any tips?

[NoltonSeaShell]

Whats everyones plans for christmas day? I think i'm going to go up in the morning, let them out, muck out etc! And then go back up in the evening, maybe a bit earlier than they normally go in but hopefully they wont mind!

Anyone got any plans? Advice for an easier day? Quite looking forward to escaping up the field for a few hours... my house can get so manic

 

[ThePony]

Tips would be hide, eat, ride out and hide/eat some more! Works for us having a happy Christmas day!

 

[NoltonSeaShell]

Haha loving the plan!!

Definitely taking the dog and hiding up the stables for a good few hours!

 

[rhino]

Be as prepared as you can - fill extra haynets the day before, can also mix any (dry) feeds together and put in a carrier bag.. Don't worry overmuch about poo picking etc!

At our yard we all muck in Christmas morning to get everything done, the horses go out as usual. I have to go and see family pm so the YO will bring in for me Used to love going on Christmas day hacks when I lived in Dorset, could ride through the centre of Weymouth and along the beach without any traffic!

 

[LaurenBay]

Make hayhets the day before. Also make feeds and leave in tupperwear boxes, so all you have to do is tip them in the feed bowls. Leave Horse in turnout rug to save time swapping rugs. Deep litter over Christmas, to save time mucking out.

 

[LaurenBay]

Opps that should say haynets!

 

[NoltonSeaShell]

Probably only muck out the stables! Poo picking the field is not my cup of tea any time never mind christmas day!

Ahh a beach hack would be lovely on christmas day! It always used to be a manic rush to get the horses ready for boxing day hunt!! Not hunting this year so looking forward to a relaxed one.

Might keep the two in their turnouts for one night to be a bit quicker, cant harm for one night!

 

[Benlot]

Will be walking with hubby and dogs to the yard (a quick 10 min walk through the village from our house), feed, turn out & muck out as normal.
Back home round the sea wall (1/2 hr walk), breakfast with our neighbours, parents over for rest of day, repeat morning walk to put ponies to bed then get ready and retreat to my brothers for the evening! Phew sounds hectic even to me, but enjoyable all the same.

 

[NoltonSeaShell]

Benlot sounds like a lovely christmas day to me!

 

[Benlot]

Benlot sounds like a lovely christmas day to me!

We enjoy it and our neighbours are elderly (81 both), but they look after the dogs for us while we are at work during the day so always good to spend time with them to say thankyou and they certainly have retained their sense of humour always come away roaring with laughter and full of christmas cheer!!!

 

[Brandy]

I will be going down to the field as and whenI get up (mine live out, great benefit!) to feed breakfast and scatter hay about. Then probably home, change and visit th eparents for an hour or so. Home again, to generally slob about, start the meal - pop out to ponies again, then home to eat drink and be merry.

Might ride in the morning depending.

 

[Lu1]

Getting to the yard early to muck 5 out and turn out
Quick ride around the village..everyone is so friendly on christmas day-doesnt last long though before they are speeding past you again!
Go home while my amazing husband cooks for all of us
Friend bringing horses in lunchtime for the night with extra large haynets

 

[Hippona]

I will nip out early as usual to feed and turn out...back home for brekkie, presents etc....then me, OH, kids and dogs will go and muck out ( funny how it will take significantly longer with their help than without)

I will possibly have a hip-flask or flask of Irish coffee with me

Home for shower-change- nip round to my mums for family Christmas dinner around 2pm.....stay there all evening but at some point me and OH will pop out and bring horses into their stables which will be all ready and waiting.

I'm lucky that horses are on my doorstep practically.

 

[Holly Hocks]

Oh gets in from work ta 7am - probably about the time I am getting up. Will go to yard, muck out and turn out and get everything ready for when they come in. Go home, take dog on extra long Christmas day Walk - come home, prepare dinner, go back to yard to bring in and feed and may take the youngster out for a walk round the lanes if the weather is ok, then back to cook dinner (we always eat later on) and then OH goes back out to work at 8.30pm so I can have control of the remote! Yay!!

 

[NoltonSeaShell]

tinselmoo i always ask my OH to do the haynets, and then i always end up filling them up even more!

Holly Hocks, control of the remote?! Jealous, its like a scrum in my house for the remote!

 

[The_snoopster]

I do my horses on the way to visit the oldies, I ground feed hay so thats quick enough buckets are pretty easy too as I can leave them next to the hay. Poo picking will be the only thing I do different that can wait untill boxing day, hope it not too windy because the bucket blow all over the field. Basically I dont do anything different on the big day its just another day for the horses except they get carrots and apples in their buckets for pressies.

 

[Ali27]

We always try and go for a hack on Christmas day providing it isn't snowing or icy! We usually get down for 8.30, muck out, ride, finish stables, put them out for day and bring in around 4pm. The only downside is not being able to drink at lunch time as have to drive back to yard but I make up for it in the eve! We are round at the inlaws for lunch this year but next year my husband will be left in charge of cooking when they come round to ours

 

[bumblelion]

Get up usual time 6.30 feed, chuck horses out etc, muck out (relying on partner to change nappy and breakfast 1yo daughter!), then open presents etc. Carry on with lunch, got 8 coming here! Not looking forward to it but family's a little distance away and having horses at home means got no one to rely on, so I always end up having everyone here! Then get horses in bit earlier at 3, and chill!! Til get daughter bathed etc and check on horses (nets etc!).

 

[caramel]

I'm leaving home at half 6, muck out, ride, turn horse out. Then home, back later to get horse in, make feeds, change rug, do hay (made haynet already), and feed.

 

[littlemisslauren]

I will get to the yard for 7 ish and feed, water and skip out 15 and check on the two living out. Once done with them I will go home and eat lunch etc. I am aiming to be back at the yard before dark to do the same again. All horses are staying in for the day, they live in monday to friday during term time at the moment so it really isn't a big deal for them.

All nets will have been prepared today, as will feeds
The muck heap, fields, sweeping etc will wait for a day... its christmas!

To make lighter work in the morning I am doing a midnight visit tonight to skip out

All 17 have a christmas carrot from their aunty lauren

 

[monkeybum13]

Leave everything ready in the morning, hack out at 7.30/8ish and then a friend is going to give her night hay and chuck a rug on her in the evening.

 

[paulineh]

Up at 5.30 down the yard sort things out for the evening. Feed and sort out any rugs, mine are out 24/7 put the hay out.

Home shower, change, sort parents / family out and then up to my brothers and his family.

Back in the evening feed check rugs and put the Hay out again.

 

[LeneHorse]

Oh gets in from work ta 7am - probably about the time I am getting up. Will go to yard, muck out and turn out and get everything ready for when they come in. Go home, take dog on extra long Christmas day Walk - come home, prepare dinner, go back to yard to bring in and feed and may take the youngster out for a walk round the lanes if the weather is ok, then back to cook dinner (we always eat later on) and then OH goes back out to work at 8.30pm so I can have control of the remote! Yay!!

You'll be able to watch Downton Abbey you lucky thing! I'll have to record it as OH is off tomorrow and will be doing that usual man thing of channel hopping all night

Forecast for us is not great tomorrow - wet and windy - but I'm hoping to get my horse and her pal out for a few hours then bring them in early with lots of hay. I'm looking after friends horse for the day as well so 2 to muck out. They are both on deep litter over Xmas so won't take too long. My mare has been poorly this week with a virus - she was much more like herself today so I'm hoping she'll continue to make progress tomorrow.
Hope you all enjoy Xmas day!

 

[Trolt]

Get to the yard at 8am tomorrow. 3 of us will chuck everything out. Then muck out all the boxes, put in hay and evening feeds.
Bring in 2 who are on short turn out (they should get an hour or so by the time we're done). They're staying in all day.

Then I'll head home (about 10am), shower, change and head to grandparents. Stay there til 4.30 ish and then

Myself and another livery are coming up to do the evening feeds. One of yards unwritten rules; The liveries do Christmas afternoon, or arrange cover, so that the YM gets the afternoon off. All we'll have to do is bring everything in, and skip out the 2 that have been in for the day. Should be nice and easy

After that I'll head home and curl up in front of the tele watching Downton Abbey

 

[Arizahn]

Up to the yard in the morning to muck out and sort evening feeds/hay, etc. Lunge Ali, give her a good groom and pop on some mud barrier stuff for her legs. Turn her out. Tidy up the yard if it needs it; only fair as YO is going to bring in and feed in the evening as normal.
Head home and see to our dogs/cats/fish.
Ring my dad and wish him a happy xmas
Ring round the rest of my side of the family. Try to avoid drama/crisis, etc. Realise that this is futile and wish everyone a good day anyhow.
Get ready and head up to brother in law's for dinner with OH's side of family. Explain why none of our Xmas presents are wrapped: cat destroyed the wrapping paper
Come home and collapse!

 

[TicTac]

Arrive at yard for 8am, Feed, turnout and muck out and get all shorts feeds and haynets ready for pm. Drinks and mince pies with yard owner after and then home to unwrap pressies. Christmas dinner at 1ish and then back up to the yard to bring in horses. no messing about. Home again and crash out in front of the tv. ( looking forward to Strictly and Downton Abbey)

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Roll out of bed at weekend time 6.50, arrive at yard at 7, do usual chores of feed/muck out etc & make feeds up ready for evening.

Then either:

a: Ride around 7.45 am & then turnout for day, returning around 4ish to bring in as usual
or
b: drive home as soon as all chores donw & fuzzys turned out - and shower & go back to bed for hours and return around 2ish to ride & then put to bed after.

There is only OH & myself for xmas dinner this year, so we'll be having it in the evening anyway

 

[tilly_monster]

My Xmas will be getting up about 5.30 to start work hopefully be finished about 7.30 ish go home ride ( I'm very lucky my mum doing all my horses and riding out a few for me as well so will hopefully only have one to ride) then doing presents then back out to work for an hour then back home for Xmas Dinner then leave again about 6 ish for work to be finished work by 8.15

 

[shadowboy]

One of the girls on the yard is turning mine out with hers as per usual then I will bring hers in with mine as per usual. Only difference is OH will come up and help, he's great with the horses just hates the mud!

 

[Alfiem]

Usual routine!!