Those of you who have more than one horse and work full time....

[petite-girle]

Do you feel you give your horses enough attention? I've currently got 3 and don't finish work til late....with the dark evenings I'm really not doing much with mine during the week anymore! (Field is pitch black and the yard is a trek away!) Then I find I have so many horsesy jobs to do at the weekend (constant electric fencing, mucking out, pooh picking) that its hard to spread my time between 3 and give them as much attention as I would like.

If only I could work part time....

How do others find it?

 

[Kenzo]

My question is for those who have more than horse, are on DIY, compete on a weekly basis, keep your horses fit, also have children, work full time, keep up with the normal house hold chores and all the other daily important thigns in life...like eating and sleeping

How the flippity heckers they do it?

I struggle with two horses, a full time job and hubby that does all the house work and I don't compete on a regular basis neither!

But I do find time to have my dinner at 9pm go to bed and sleep till 5pm in the morning but I have no life

 

[madmax1]

Same as you!

The the neighbours look down on me for not riding the horses enough, I am sure they think the horses are being wasted!

My friends turn their nose up as the horses have mud on them, what is that about?? I believe to groom as little as possible in winter for those that live out most of the time.

I do all the yard, stable and field chores first, only then do I ride. That is a MUST if you want a well maintained yard and field.

Ride when you can.

If I am in a hurry for losing the light, I would throw a bridle on and jump on for a spin around the block. No saddle and no grooming means I get out quicker.

As long as the horses are warm, fed and watered horses wont mind a little lighter workload in the winter.



x

 

[Hippona]

At the minute, my daylight hours are spent at work....

Its bum.....ferreting around in the dark, the most input I'm having through the week is rug changing and picking feet out. I don't have lights or a school at my yard, so its weekends only until it gets lighter again. I am a bit naffed off about it right now because I was making great progress with a new horse and its all taking a back seat now.

Misery is me......just got a brand spanking new saddle for him too, been waiting for weeks for it as well, will have to wait until the weekend to test it out....

I will just have to slurp away at a bottle of red to take my mind off it. For a change

 

[MardyMare]

I have three horses and one livery, a dependent mother, children, dogs, chickens lol BUT I have a horsey OH who likes to help muck out - repair fences, fill water / haynets etc and that does help. I have cancelled my dressage comps for Nov / Dec as work is just too busy and so too dark at night now to ride. I dont think the horses are bothered. I groom two one night and two the next night and try get them ridden Sat and Sun. They still neigh to me when they know its feed time lol Its just frustrating as I finally felt like I was getting somewhere with my two that I compete. I do love having them at home but I so miss having horsey peeps around me to motivate me and of course really miss that all weather floodlit menage!

 

[hellspells]

I only see the horses in the dark too (except for lunch time when I see them for 20 mins as they have to come in during the week). I am lucky too have a floodlit all weather so I ride the one every other day and my mare in my sig as often as possible, I don't exercise the pony so I only have her to skip/feed//hay/groom etc.

Its a constant struggle with time and I don't have children to fit in either! I just try to get organised at the weekends to cut down the 'chores' during the week!

(Oh and I forgo eating properly in order to get an extra 10mins sleep/or time with horses!).

 

[ihatework]

At the moment my horses are very much neglected, attention wise, from me.
One is retired and living with a friend on a subsidised loan/grass livery basis. I see him for about 30 minutes once every couple of months.

The other is on full livery. I check on him about 3 evenings a week and try and ride one day on the weekend. December onwards I'm hoping I'll be able to make enough time to drop him down to part livery and exercise him myself, we'll see!

Unfortunately I'm having an extremely busy period at work and logging 60 hours + a week so social life is pretty non existant at the moment. I am most put out at paying someone to ride my horse I have to say!

 

[dobbin27]

I do love having them at home but I so miss having horsey peeps around me to motivate me and of course really miss that all weather floodlit menage!

Ditto this!!

I cope only because I have given up even the possibility of riding before about March next year!! Just hacking at the weekends isn't really an option as when its cold and wet dragging a seven year old on his bike isn't an option, and once a fortnight at best (I work on the principle I will write off every other one to rain and dull fixing jobs!) isn't enough to keep them sane enough to brave the lorries alone!!

Yard work gets done, the worst of the mud is brushed off daily. My pottering about horsey evenings keep me sane (or at least allow me to tolerate my office job!) and my slightly hairy horses are definitely happy, they seem to enjoy being pets. How I coped without lights in my stables before last winter I don't know though.. My plan for winter is to spend my evenings boring my three year old pony with 'tack on, tack off' mauling.. Am sure he loves it really!

Long term though, I am desperate for somewhere I can build my own school, with proper lights..

 

[Lady La La]

I only see my horses in the dark durin the week too, but I make do.
I don't have children, but I do have two dogs and my own house to walk feed, keep clean etc, and I work full time.
I have three horses, however one's a shetland and one's out of work for the winter due to injury so I only have one to worry about keeping fit, She gets lunged with a torch durin the week and I have lessons/compete at the weekend. I try and drag a brush over the other two a few times durin the week and they all get a good groom at weekends.
I spend the same amount of time mucking out/poo picking etc as I do in the summer, I just have a torch on my head!

 

[smiffyimp]

My question is for those who have more than horse, are on DIY, compete on a weekly basis, keep your horses fit, also have children, work full time, keep up with the normal house hold chores and all the other daily important thigns in life...like eating and sleeping

How the flippity heckers they do it?

I struggle with two horses, a full time job and hubby that does all the house work and I don't compete on a regular basis neither!

But I do find time to have my dinner at 9pm go to bed and sleep till 5pm in the morning but I have no life

im with you here! i just dont worry about it pony doesnt mind lightening up the workload after a summer of competing. Mind im looking at the dust in my conservatory and thinking i should sell up and become a full time cleaner! YUK

 

[Hippona]

I spend the same amount of time mucking out/poo picking etc as I do in the summer, I just have a torch on my head!

Yes.....but do you stretch your head-torch over a green woolly hat? If not, why not? Its a sexy look, and one that I am sure will catch one....should more people see it in daylight.

I went into our corner shop one morning after mucking out, it had got light by then but I was still sporting green hat plus head torch ( still on). People were too polite to mention anything. In fact, they all avoided looking at me full stop. I wonder why that was......

 

[Bug2007]

My friends turn their nose up as the horses have mud on them, what is that about?? I believe to groom as little as possible in winter for those that live out most of the time.

^^^^
Agreed

It is hard I have five at the mo, work full time in an office and teach in the evening....they are all out which helps, but like you said weekends are a lot of chores...luckly on the riding side of things I don't have much to do, my old boy is ridden weekends by my mum to keep him ticking over, we have a 27 yr old Welsh A so retired and happy with no attention, he'd much rather be left alone to be a grumpy old man!!!! 2 yr old forester x that is having lots of ground work done, but that doesn't take ages, little at a time....a 12.2hh on sales livery so that is about keeping him ticking over, most of his exercise is on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then Lady who is having a winter off before starting her 4 yr old year.

next year when she is in workk that'll be a bit more time consuming with rugs and a stable for her.

But i plan on winning the lottery so will have lots of time soon.

 

[scatty_mare]

But i plan on winning the lottery so will have lots of time soon.

This is an excellent plan! (It's my plan too).

The winter is such a struggle. I am lucky that my work allows me to start a little later in the winter (9.30) so if I get up early (5 ) I have time to muck out the 4 I do, and ride one or two if I am extra organised. Struggling more than usual at the mo because a) these 5am starts are killing me and b) I have a horse recovering from a fractured stifle who is on box rest and just coming back into work. So i have to walk him out every day - and come back at lunchtimes to give him some stimulation and grass, and then come back again in the evening. And he is 25 mins away from work! So that's a pain but ho hum it won't last forever.
Having said that I'm not sure I will survive the winter!

 

[Paddydou]

I don't feel as though I have spent enough time with them when I spend all day on the yard! I don't think I give my chooks enough turn out nor the dogs enough walks and I would still feel this way if I didn't work...

The old boy forgives me because he gets spoilt! The chooks forgive me because they get cooked breakfast on cold days. The dogs couldn't care less as they have a few fields and hedges to run round in as their "back garden"!

Do what you can and be grateful for the tim eyou do get with them.

 

[Lady La La]

Yes.....but do you stretch your head-torch over a green woolly hat? If not, why not? Its a sexy look, and one that I am sure will catch one....should more people see it in daylight.

I went into our corner shop one morning after mucking out, it had got light by then but I was still sporting green hat plus head torch ( still on). People were too polite to mention anything. In fact, they all avoided looking at me full stop. I wonder why that was......

No...BUT, I do have a built in torch hat!!!

WINNER!

 

[millitiger]

I moved mine to part livery simply because I was spending all of my time mucking out and doing chores and not actually doing anything with the horses themselves.

It is bliss on part livery as I still spend the same amount of time at the yard as I used to, the difference is I now spend my time with the horses instead of clearing up after them.

 

[Depp_by_Chocolate]

I work full time and up until recently also had 3 horses but I'm now down to 2 so that should be easier on my time (and money). Mine live out 24/7 which is also a big help so I don't have any of the stable chores, but like most people I still only get to see them in the dark. I just have to make the most of my weekends.