Tell me your daily routine for the horses.

Bustalot

Bustalot

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I seem to be struggling to fit pony into my day at the moment. I work 9-5pm. I do not currently live with OH, so do like to spend time with him also. Also catching up with friends once a week is nice. Or am I asking to much to want a social life as well as pony :) so question- what is your daily routine to fit your horse and the rest of your life into each day? I need some ideas as to where I am going wrong! Thanks
 
On work days, up at 5.30 quick coffee, at stables by 5.45
Turn out and muckout, set fair, haylagege and water done. home by 6.40
Quick shower, no time to dry hair,out and in car by 07.00
At work for 07.30.
Work 12.5 hour shift, go direct to stables when finished, horses been brought in by mate about 5, so skip out and top up haylage and water, then home by about 22.30.
Thanfully only work 2 days a week these days
 
I've just changed my routine. I'm self employed, along with OH (run our own business from home) and used to ride in evenings, but often we'd end up not riding as too tired or too busy. Now I'm up at 6am, quick coffee, leave at 6.45 get to yard for 7. Bring 3 horses in, ride 2 of them, quick skip out and hang nets. Horses are in fir the day as obese. Get to post office for 9, home for half 9, breakfast. I start work at 10, OH at 8am. Will turn horses out around 5pm, skip out, do nets. Makes evenings much better for us.
 
I work full time but flexi time :-D up at 5.30 on the train by 6 get to work at 7. YO feeds and turns out for me at 7am. Finish work at 3, back on the train, get to the horses at 4.30 latest. Bring in, muck out, ride, etc. All Done and fed by 7.30 usually, then home to walk dogs feed myself and them, shower and bed by 10. OH works 6-2 or 2-10 so he takes dogs out once a day as well and one of the horses is his so we are always together. I never see my friends but we talk almost everyday, and we have to make a concerted effort at weekends to see Our families
 
When they were out at night they used to come in at 10am, beds and feeds already made up so literally take 20mins to do yard in the morning. Home, do housework etc and back up yard at 6pm to ride, muck out etc,
Now the cob is looking porky so they are in at night, so up yard between 7.30/8am feed Millie, ride Olly then turn out (Olly is only on one meal a day), muck out etc. In summer back up at 6/7 to do evening stables and ride Millie.
At the moment I am not working so I can catch up with my friends during the day as 2 have kids and 1 only works mornings. Another friend is a night owl so usually drop round about 8/9pm for a couple hours.
 
Up between 6.30-7am, breakfast etc, chuck dogs in van, drive to field, check the three horses are sound and no problems, walk dogs around the field, feed poultry, off to work. Am self employed, so often get away early, or start late, and fit in riding as required - my cob is 19, and we enjoy hacking, sometimes life dictates that we don't get out more than once a week, but at his age, and with living out 24/7, it really isn't a problem. Evening stables are the same as mornings, they get a feed once a day of A&P Fast Fibre with Hifi Lite (or whatever is out of date, we have a feed merchants) as their paddock is bare, although they are still all portly!
 
I struggle to fit everything I want in. I work tues-sat and more often than not sundays as well. Week days are usually 2-8 but this week 12-8. Weekends 9-5, it takes 2 hours travel time to get to work (hour each way). Wake up at 7 when OH gets up to go to work, sort dogs out,brew, breakfast, dressed etc. Go to the yard (horses on DIY) for about half 8, ride and have a natter then home by 11. Have dinner set off to work at 1 (11 this week, so best hurry up and ride this morning) work, swing past the yard to check on the boys, home by 9, let the dogs out, crawl back into bed.

Brilliant hours for riding, but hardly get to spend time with my OH at all especially with working weekends :( Time with friends is also difficult with working every evening on top of weekend work. :/
 
4faults - Liking the idea of flexi time. start work early and get it out the way and have more time in the evenings. Maybe something i need to discuss with the boss :) Although don't think it will go down to well!
 
On work days in summer:
Up at 5.45 & drive 5 miles to yard.
Shut Fuzzies out of overnight better paddock & bring into 'diet patch' with small feed & check over.
Barrow round paddock, wave bye, home for shower & coffee etc :)
After work, straight to yard to give small carrot & open gate into better paddock. Barrow round paddock, home to cook & spend time with OH.

Occasionally if OH busy, then may ride after work.

Non-work days, roughly the same, tho I go an hour later & ride out by about 8am having done the barrowing. Still leaves time for stable/field chores - as well as getting home chores done. Usually prep a meal too so its 'heres one I did earlier' in the fridge or oven & try to be home when OH gets in, or spend a full day with OH on Sundays as he gets a lie-in & I'm back by 9ish having had a good hours hack out.

Winter is also similar, except they come in at night, so the early run means feeding, mucking out & turning out - leaving yard completely ready to just damp feeds & pull them in in the dark.
I have copious haynets so will fill ALL once a week, thus meaning only one day of itching seeds & time saved on other days.
Big water tanks filled every week on days off, saves time again - and stable water buckets can be 'dipped' if yard tap frozen.
Poop-scooping paddocks is left to daylight days off or when it is light in the mornings.

To add: I'd rather spend time in the early morning at the yard doing all I need to do & then I can spend time after work with OH.

HTH :)
 
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Horse is living out at the moment. So I go up straight after work, ride and poo pick. Home by half 7. I don't go up mornings, as my YO goes up every morning to check them all over.

If she's in at night, I pay my YO to turn her out for me (£1) as it's cheaper then driving up myself. Then I go up, do my jobs and ride, bring in and get home about 8.

I haven't had a winter with her yet, but I will probably carry on paying YO to turnout for me. On the days she can't go out, I will go up before work and do jobs, give hay, water etc. then straight back after work.
 
Go up once a day whenever suits to feed and poo pick, takes 10 mins. Ride at weekends and once or twice in the week.

Couldn't go back to stabling!
 
This is my routine (allthough I have only done 1 day of it - horse only arrived on Saturday!)

Up at 6am. Feed, turnout, muck out/fill haynets & top up water.
Work 9-5
Bring in, groom, exercise & feed.

I was home by 7.15 last night - I only lunged though!! :)
 
I'm very lucky as hve 2 jobs and can fit my boy in between them. First one is 8-11 so I go down at 11(when it's summer) ride and poo pick and then home for lunch for next work at 1.30. I finish that job whenever I have done all my jobs so I sometimes go back up to check or if winter will bring him in
 
On assisted diy, so don't go in the mornings. Work 9-5 (ish, sometimes later if have a deadline). In the week I get to the yard between 6 and 8pm (depends on "home chores" and if I am riding/lunging). Muck out, fill hay nets, leave breakfast and tea ready for next day, groom Ned, ride or lunge (if doing so) usually leave the yard between 9 and half past, home 10 mins later.

Weekends is when I can catch up with family and friends during the day... Sometimes I'll go to yard for 7.30am and muck out and leave all ready for me to nip back 8-8.30pm to check her over and groom her (get there an hour or more earlier if I want to ride/lunge her). Skip her out, top up water and put her ready prepped hay nets in, as well as prepare next days meals. Takes me about 30-35 minutes to do a rush job - usually I try not to spend any less than an hour with her though..

Other times I'll go down around 3pm and do it all then getting home for between 6 and 7 if we're off out socialising.

My mare has her routine by being fed and turned out/bought in at the same times by the yard staff, as long as I appear she doesn't get phased at all, in fact she's super settled :D (we've only been at current yard a couple of months).
 
OP, you need to find a routine which suits you both. Could you possibly get your horse to live out 24/7? I have field shelters, so I can do this if I want.

At the moment, I am leaving out at night and bring in during day. That means the horse is in if I want to ride and also but that if I am under pressure that particularly day, they can have a day off and stay in the field.

Also, I fill lots of haynets in advance so they are quick when I need one and I poo pick a couple of times a week - but get someone to help so it only takes half the time.

Really examine your routine and don't make work for yourself, then yes, you can have it all!
 
During the week:
06:00 - alarm
06:10 - leaving house
06:30 - arrive at yard. Turnout, muckout, hay & water, bring in friend's horse
07:30 - back home, half an hour on the exercise bike or go for a half hour run
08:00 - breakfast, shower, dress
08:55 - leave for work
09:00 - arrive at work (yes, I'm very lucky)
17:00 - leave work
17:10 - arrive home
17:45 - leave home for yard
18:00 - arrive at yard - horse brought in earlier by friend, feed, muck out, hay and water
19:00 / 19:30 - ride
20:00 / 20:30 - leave yard for home
20:30 / 20:45 - arrive home, eat supper, watch telly, irritate OH, talk to cats, have a bath...
23:00 - bed

Weekends:
08:00 - wake up, breakfast etc
08:45 - leave for yard
09:00 - arrive at yard, muck out, hay, water etc
10:00 / 11:00 - ride / hack, turn out after
12:00 / 12:30 - leave for home
13:00 - 18:00 - do stuff at home, including exercise bike / run
18:00 - back to yard for evening stables
19:30 - finished, leave for home
23:00 / 00:00 - bed
 
I am fortunate in that I don't work, and the horses are at home.

I have a non-routine which works just fine for me, I don't do clockwatching. If something doesn't get done today, it will go on the list for tomorrow... it will still be there:)

6 am ish - up, coffee, let dogs out, check which horses are where from the back door.

At some time between 6 and 9, depending on weather, circumstances, diary, how I feel...priorities invariably change, I will check/top up hay and water in 6 or so paddocks, also check horses at the same time. My horses live out, so do most of the Boarding Horses, some Boarders are in overnight, obviously they get fed, turned out, stalls sorted etc, anytime between 6 and 7 generally.

After that, I do what has/needs to be done, or not, if it's 30C + humidex I stay indoors.

Social life...Roping on Tuesday, Penning on Thursdays, maybe Rodeo Saturday or Sunday depends who is going from the barn. My place is like Grand Central at the weekends and early evenings with Boarders and friends coming and going. Winter is a bit quieter, we all hibernate :)

I see OH and our daughter when our paths cross.
 
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My horse is out 24/7 at the moment, with my daughters horse, so she checks them in the mornings as its on her way to work. We both go straight to stables after work, daughter gets there before me so she poo picks and brings them in. We then hack out or take them in the school. We are usually home by 7.30pm.

In winter if they are in at night, then one of us will turn out the horses in the morning and after work we muck out, do haynets and water, then bring in. We usually lunge or school the horses during the week in winter and hack out on weekends, weather permitting! Horses are then fed and settled for the night, and we are normally home by 8pm.
 
Work mon to fri 9 to 5.

Up at 7.30 shower dry hair do makeup. Leave 8.30 drive past yard to get to work so quick check and do rugs if needed. Leave at 5 get to yard for 5.10 groom n feed sometimes ride or lunge.
 
6:30 get up & have breakfast
7:15 leave house
7:25 arrive yard
7:25 turn out pony, check water in field
7:40 muck out
8:00 leave yard
8:25 arrive work, change in the loos
...
5:15 finish work - get changed in loos
5:50 arrive yard
5:55 bring pony in
Mon, Wed, Fri groom & tack up
6:10 ride
6:50 untack
7:00 fill haynet
Faff around a bit while I wait before I can feed
7:20 ish (depending on hot hard she's worked) feed
7:30 home, eat, sleep

Tues, Thurs pony has day off so just give her a quick groom, fill haynet & feed in the evening. I can be home for 6:30
 
Winter:
Morning:
7am: Wake up, shower, dress, do my hair.
8:15: Arrive at yard, throw bed up, do haynets to be soaked, feed, turnout
8:45: Leave yard, in work for around 9.

Evening:
5pm: Leave work
5:20: Arrive at yard, horse is brought in for me generally, if not I bring her in first, groom&ride, feed, haynets in the stable, rug up for the night.
7pm: Home.

Summer:
She lives out at night so she is brought in for me in the morning by the yard.

Evening:
5:20am : Arrive at yard, ride, feed, turn her out, muck out do haynets and water for the following day.
7pm: Home

I like spending time at the yard but I try not to spend too much time up there otherwise I won't go to the pub and meet friends and at the age of 20 I should really have some form of social life :D Like Enfys, I try to make the horse fit around what I want to do. I.e if I want to go to the pub I won't ride and I will get done earlier, or if I fancy a lie in I tell the yard the day before and they will turn her out for me or hay/feed/waterchange if they are in for the day.
 
I work FT, but hours are a bit flexible depending on when lectures are. Pony lives out 24/7. Thus, riding/feeding happens at a random time of day. He doesn't seem bothered!
 
Up at 5, shower, leave the house at 5:45, at the yard by 6. Fetch in (he is out 24/7 at the moment), ride, feed, turn back out. I get changed in my lorry aided with baby wipes, deoderant and purfume, do my makeup in the rear view mirrior. My hair is purposely long so i can just tie it back. Get to work about 8:15 and have my breakfast and a cupa ready to start about 8:30. Finsh work about 6 and go straight home and spend some time with my OH.

I do this 2/3 days a week and the other days I ride after work. If I ride after work, I normally don't get home until 8:30.

Riding before work is the only way I find to be able to spend time with OH, family and friends.

I do cheet though….my horse is on part livery so he will be checked if I miss an evening/morning and I don't have to muck out! It does free up more time this way and I don't think it costs that much more. It just means that someone else is handleing your horse which isn't ideal but needs must!
 
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