Riding in the morning before work

Me :)

Up at 4:45am, yard for 5/5.15 am depending on how sleepy I am. Up to yard. We work on a shift rota so everyone does their bit in the routine, plus poo pick your own field.

So I feed all the horses who are on AM feeds. Get tack out, go and catch horse. On board for about 6am. Normally hack in the morning, so out for an hour. Some roadwork and field work. Bit interval training at the minute as he is a fat pie.

Back to yard, if its warm straight out if its warm (he's low maintenance as he doesn't like being in any longer than he has to and lives out all year 24/7!). Rug on if its chilly.

Poo pick his field and collect all the buckets. Chuck hay out for the ones on the low grazing. Next person up will make feeds and all the rest. I'm always first up.

Home for 7.30 / 7.45 am. Leave for work at 8.20am to be there for 8.30am.

Some days I go back up after work to ride for a second time, and I'll either hack again or school. He is very fat!

I'm very lucky that horse is a mile from the house and work is 2 miles from the house. Horse went on holiday for 2 months to good grass 15 miles away and none of that was possible at all.

And fully aware my life is easier because he lives out, although I do help with the mucking out in the winter as I'm a quick mucker!

Oh, and by the way - totally worth it!
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I did all last summer and loved it; would be up the yard at 4:45am as had 2 to do. Yes it was hard to get out of bed but I find I am most motivated in the morning and 'get ***** done' more!

The roads are lovely to hack as literally no one is up. Riding around the fields too was lovely and also its not too hot in the morning so I think the horses much preferred it as they could concentrate and have a good wash off after and then go and chill in the field for the day.

I start work at 8 so would always be an early morning but if you only ride once in a day it just means you can have a relaxing evening and an early night :). I also only did this 3-4 times during the week but it is definitely worth it :).
 
I used to when I had a horse. If the weather was suitable I would ride. But I was lucky enough to keep my horse at home. I'd get up at 6.30 and it would usually only be a short hack around the fields or up the road, but felt it kept the horse ticking over and in a work frame of mind.
 
YoungNag22 said:
I start work at 8 so would always be an early morning but if you only ride once in a day it just means you can have a relaxing evening and an early night :). I also only did this 3-4 times during the week but it is definitely worth it :).
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This is what I like about it, that if I want to go to the gym or meet friends I have time to do it, and maybe even wash my hair and have a shower before hand, safe in the knowledge the horse has been exercised.
 
dressage_diva said:
I think it purely depends on your circumstances: where yard is, what shower facilities you have at yard/work, commute etc.

I start work at 8am and already have a 1hr commute so I'm out of the house at 6:50am and up at 5:55am! Absolutely no chance of me riding before work.

I also much prefer being able to spend the day at work looking forward to having a ride when I get home!
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I agree. I do a 1 1/2 hr commute each way to work (leave at 6:45ish) and the yard is 20-30 minutes drive away. I would never managed to ride in the mornings.
Plus I cannot function very well until about 9am anyway! Although ridiculously tired by Friday, my horse is my therapy at the end of each day.

I might think differently if the yard was walking distance or within 10 minute drive away though.
 
It's doable. I always shower and dry/straighten hair in the evening then it's up at 5.15am, coffee in a travel mug and on the yard for 5.50am (10 mins from home). Feed the ones on my block, muck out, hay net and water then tack up at 6.30. School, lunge or hack until 7.15 then it's rug on and turn out. I change at the yard and leave by 7.40am to be pulling up outside work at 8.15 for an 8.30 start. Work til 6, back to the yard for 6.35, skip out, night feed/net and probably ride the other. Generally home for 8.30pm. I don't ride both every day as the owner of the other does do road work with him so sometimes ride mine in the evening, or have an evening off horses or ride both in the evening then I'm really late home! I don't ride before work when it's raining though as need to keep myself clean and dry and also don't have time to wait for the horse to dry before rugging and turning out. Luckily I don't work Thursdays so can always do a good intensive (sweaty!) session mid week although I do work alternate Saturdays.

Long days, but worth every minute. Have to be ultra organised. I stuff hay nets the night before and have six feed buckets so make my feeds up in batches. I also eat breakfast when I get to work.
 
I try to hack mine as much as possible in the mornings as I often ride for an owner a few evenings a week. I am lucky that my horses are at home but I try to be on board for about 6.30, ride for an hour or so, pop her back out in the field and be back in the house for 8ish and then head straight to work. I am lucky that I work for an equine company so if I am running late and don't have time to change it doesn't matter as everyone else wears breeches and riding boots to work as they ride straight after.
 
I do - I much prefer it as have a clear head and a stressful job so sometimes find it hard to get away on time in the evenings

I get up at 5.30 - drive from West London to the yard 12 miles away in Surrey, ride, back in the car by 7.15 (horse on part livery so I arrive, yank him out the stable, ride and put away again)

Home by 8.30 (traffic back into London terrible), leave home by 9 to get to Canary Wharf for 9.45..... it's ok in the summer, pretty hellish in the winter!
 
In the winter I ride in the morning before work on my late shift 9-5!
I prefer riding in the morning, means I can usually get the school to myself as its quite small as well!

In the morning I will ride, muck out 2 and get everything ready for evening stables and turnout.

I will go straight to work from the yard so not the best for looking presentable but means I don't have to stay down the yard long in the evenings which isn't enjoyable when it's dark and the weather is rubbish.

Plus one major bonus is my horse is generally so much nicer to ride in the mornings- for some reason he is a lot more forwards. That time of day agrees with him I guess!
 
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