So if you can't do the horse, who will?

Cinnamontoast

Cinnamontoast

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This came up today at work about babies, a Ugandan colleague says it's the whole family's responsibility so he was ok to take the school ski trip and leave the baby with his wife and his extended family who live close by. (Mother dear was moaning tonight on the phone that she doesn't have her children round her-her own stupid fault, but I have no family nearby.)

It made me think about the threads about being unable to look after horses this week too! I organised for my horse to be caught in and mucked out yesterday because I had Parents Evening. It took several conversations, checking with two mates, couple of weeks of notice because I always do afternoons for mine and one other. My husband is desperately unhorsey! Has led mine two steps then gave up!

It occurred to me that if I couldn't get up to him, I'd be up a creek. I could pay full livery, but if I only rented a field or was on a tiny yard, what would I do?

How about you guys? What arrangements do you have in place in case of illness/holiday?
 
I'm lucky as my sister also has a horse, so we cover for each other. Plus both my nieces are very capable and at a stretch my brother in law and my dad could cover jobs and the odd bring in etc. Plus I know if I was really stuck have several horsey friends who would help.

I'm on a non serviced DIY yard, if I didn't have cover available as above, I would move my two to a yard with services.
 
Mine are at home so OH could do them if around - although not sure he would always remember and get their feed right! Otherwise have a neighbour and family to help out occasionally. Otherwise I would need to get paid help. Think they might miss me!
 
I've trained my Mum and Husband up this year as I had to have an operation and couldn't get up to the horse or do certain jobs few weeks and weeks! I feel much more at ease now I know they can do it - I did worry beforehand!
 
I'd have a big problem. I have six here, recently moved so no acquaintances and my husband isn't especially horsey and has mobility problems so I'd worry terribly about him having to deal with some of them.

I'd have to get paid help in pronto.
 
My daughter and I keep our horses at the same livery yard so one of us would usually be available to see to them. However, if for some reason both of us were unable to get to the yard there are other liveries on the yard that would willingly see to them. We all help each other out when necessary as its a DIY yard with no services.
 
My mum would do the 2 cobs at home and BBB would been done by a friend at the yard but I would pay her as I would feel bad.
I remember when I was a child and had my first pony, both my mum and I came down with very bad bronchitis. The lady who kept her horse with our pony (the only 2 in the field) saw to her but as she was living out it was only haying/feeding and checking.
 
I'm on a yard with services so can pay to have mine done, or the husband can do her (he does a better job than me) I also have a few people on the yard who can help if I'm in a tight spot. Then there is my sister, she can do the horse but she lives about 40mins away and shares a car with her OH so she isn't my first choice but her son loves coming up to help.
 
I rent land, my OH is well competent enough to feed and take care of them for a couple of days (he is still at the confused by headcollar stage but learning), we live within walking distance which is an important factor as he doesn't drive! If we are going away together my neighbour takes care of them, or I have another friend in the village who will do them, and she has a young sharer who would also do it, so I'm pretty well covered actually!

If OH is doing it he would always consult our neighbour if he thought something was wrong and we keep an eye on each others in general :-)

The good thing about them living out is at most they need to chuck out a pile of hay and buckets twice a day and maybe rugs although mine are fine without, and at the least (summer when no feed) they just need to look at them and see there is nothing amiss!
 
We are on a stock farm so there is always someone about. However most of the time it would be people who wouldn't know one end of the horse from the other. Would give hay and water in an emergency but would have to make plans/ask a neighbour if they needed anything more technical. Nice thing is as they are good with stock they would recognise an animal in distress so I don't worry about that.
 
OH is not horsey. He does a good job of mucking out but doesn't want to handle the horse. Hopefully fellow liveries would help out short term in an emergency.
I've just arranged with an out of work friend to do my horse in the evenings for payment as I'm going to be flat out at work for the next week or so. I didn't feel I could impose on the other liveries for that length of time.
 
On a DIY yard with assisted services - which I use regularly, so YM would just do him for me and bill me.

My parent's also happy to help when needed - this week, for example as got the flu!

I wouldn't personally choose to be on a yard that didn't offer services - I like the freedom it brings :)
 
Bertolie said:
My daughter and I keep our horses at the same livery yard so one of us would usually be available to see to them. However, if for some reason both of us were unable to get to the yard there are other liveries on the yard that would willingly see to them. We all help each other out when necessary as its a DIY yard with no services.
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Mine would get looked after by the yard but I'd rather friends helped, both for the fact that they know the horses and because they don't want paying! Thing is, I wouldn't want to rely on mates too long, they'd get peed off after a couple of weeks!
 
I quite often have emergency admissions into hospital, which leaves my pony rather stranded.

I'm very, VERY lucky that Moomin1 on here is a fellow livery and she helps me out without even asking. She is very competent and I don't have to worry about his welfare or care. I know he is in very capable hands.

If all else fails there is a local horsesitter who me and Moomin have used in the past and is very reliable :)
 
My OH is my only other option. Last may I was hospitalised for meningitis (again *sigh*), and when released was still very very poorly. OH saw to Dizzy for me whilst in hospital (when I say saw to him, I mean made sure he had enough hay & chucked him a little food plus checked him quickly over to make sure he still had 4 legs) :rolleyes:

The day after I came out, he went back to work and I struggled around to take the kids to school and see to Dizzy. :(

We dont take holidays, but if we did I suppose would ask the farmers wife & her MIL to keep an eye out for him :o
 
I'm currently laid up following surgery and have seen my girl twice in the last 2.5 weeks :eek::eek: (I'm seriously in withdrawal). She's currently on full livery with my sister fetching her in (we share a field and her coming in earlier would leave her horse out on his own)
If I didn't have access to full livery then my sister or several friends would help out but if it was for more than a couple of days I'd probably chuck her out in the field and just ask for them to check/feed her and put haylage out as it's a big ask to have someone else doing full care for a stabled horse for more than a couple of days
 
For this very reason and the fact that I work a long way away, I keep my horse on a yard with services. However I've only missed one day in nearly eight years.
 
My mother would do them, they're low maintenance anyway as can be chucked out easily enough and just have haylage thrown at them :)
 
ive always been on diy livery and have been able to find someone who can help me with mine if needed and i help them with theirs. we also have a lady i know well who runs a dog walking/pet sitting service and she used to have horses so if i was really stuck i could pay her to do my horse....
 
I have my horse at home, if I have to go south to see my elderly parents I get a moomin1 like person to live in my house, do my dogs, hens, cats and sheep.
 
My daughter does ours, helped by my hubby.

Hubby still a bit scared of them, so he will now help muck out/feed. But daughter has to bring in / turn out.

If only they all trotted into the right stable one at a time he would be fine !!
 
I'd like a Moomin to look after mine too.:D

I have a list of people, OH (when he's in the country), daughters, although they live 60 miles away, YO and friends.
If they go on full livery, daughter or OH usually over see/help as well.

However, after reading posts on here lately, it seems it's perfectly OK to find the cheapest grass livery and sling them out with additional services, hay and rugs being optional.
 
horserider said:
I'd like a Moomin to look after mine too.:D

I have a list of people, OH (when he's in the country), daughters, although they live 60 miles away, YO and friends.
If they go on full livery, daughter or OH usually over see/help as well.

However, after reading posts on here lately, it seems it's perfectly OK to find the cheapest grass livery and sling them out with additional services, hay and rugs being optional.
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I can send you a Moomin relative if you want?! Or will the Hemulen do?
 
My OH is horsey (one of them is his) so he can do them. One of mine is on a livery yard so can put him on full livery or pay for extra services, other 2 are next door at friend's house, so if OH couldn't do them, she could (or other friend who also has one there). Between them all (and fellow liveries and friend in village) there'd be someone to look after them :D

This time last year I had an operation on my foot, so put one on full livery for 6 weeks and OH did the other 2 every day.
 
Ten years ago I kept my two horses on assured DIY at a predominantly part livery yard. I had always assumed that help would be available as I'd often booked my horses in for paid services or full livery when needed. I then had a near fatal allergic reaction to painkillers and ended up in hospital so my OH rang the yard and asked for the horses to go on part livery yard until I was better. He was told no they didn't have time as they wanted to ride more!! He had at that point had nothing to do with horses so he asked them to do the horses that night and he would be there first thing the next morning so they could show him exactly what he needed to do to look after them himself. Exactly an hour later he got knocked off his motorbike and ended up in the same hospital as me and was in plaster for 13 weeks. I am lucky to be able to say that my friends stepped in to look after my horses for the next 3 months. My friend had a full time job, a young child and two horses of her own but took full responsibility for my two. You really learn who your friends are at times like this. It is hard to prepare for situations this major and I have had serious health issues for the last ten years as a result of this so I have learnt to prepare as best I can and also to ask for help when I'd rather not.
I had my horses on part livery for several years but as I often was unwell or unable to drive and I didn't feel comfortable not checking them myself, after a number of unacceptable instances we decided to buy a place with land and keep them at home.
A lot of people questioned my sanity considering how ill I've been but I live close to all my friends who have all offered help when needed. I have 3 people I can pay to do the horses if I am unwell and my OH is now confident to feed, change rugs etc and on 3 occasions has spotted colic symptoms in my and my neighbours horses so I consider him trustworthy enough to be my first port of call. My second port of call would be paid help but to be honest I've never got to that stage as I have 3 really good friends who text or call me everyday and if I even sound a little off they have offered help.
So from my vast experience on having to rely on others I would say you can plan for the minor events or planned events that prevent you from doing your horse but for those major life changing moments you will soon learn who your friends are and those that jump in and take all the stress and worry away are the ones you treasure.
 
My mum will do mine but he can just stay out in the field if need be as have turnout all year 24/7 and always a couple of others out. Friend also lives just down the road so could check him when she did hers. When I went on holiday last summer she did that and rode him most days, meant my mum didn't have to go up. If neither of them could check him then pretty sure YO would keep a eye on him as some of hers are usually in the field in summer anyway.
 
I'm lucky enough to have my mum sharing my field so if I couldn't do it she would (I look after hers 4 days a wee ;)) and if for some reason we both came down with the lurgy I am friendly enough with the girl in the field below us that I'm sure if I offered her a bit of money (or even a box of chocs tbh) she'd be happy to check them over and give them their daily hay :) I'd do it for her in return. If all else failed I'd get in touch with some of the people at my last yard and offer to pay someone to do them for me.
 
My two horses are on full livery thank goodness and one of them was being competed by a friend. I broke my leg in September 2012 and am still not driving or able to fully deal with them. Luckily they have been well looked after by the yard and the younger one kept in work by my friend as he is not yet established enough to just turn away. The older one has enjoyed the Winter rest. I have only managed to see them about once a fortnight since Christmas but get regular updates, before that I was too ill with complications. My husband does not ride now and would not be in a position to do them and I would have been worrid sick if they had been on diy or part livery at a time when I just needed to be able to concentrate on getting better.
 
OH and his dad have theirs out with mine so they both see to them when I'm away at business conferences. Friend has a couple with us and could ask her too if really stuck (as imo not fair to ask her with her own, family and job unless necessary but know she'd do it in a heartbeat, true friend) and if anything happened to all of the above another friend would have them (planned all of this initially to make sure they had forever homes if something should happen to me).

They live out 24/7 unrugged and haylage put out by tractor so nothing except checks needs doing with them.

All of the above know that should something bad happen I'd want the horse shot asap whether they had time to inform me or not and wouldn't question what could've been done if any of the above thought it the best action at the time. And if ill to call a vet whatever time of day and I'd pay up even if wasn't necessary, so have no worries on that side.

Wouldn't hesitate to ask any of them from a horse care point of view.
 
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