Those who muck out etc before work

T

Twiglet

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What time do you get up?
How long does it take you to do your horse?
What time do you have to leave for work?

I have been mucking Twiglet out before work this week - as my full livery services have just rocketed up in price despite being very shoddy! - but I don't think it's sustainable.
I have to get up at 5.30am to be at the yard for 5.50am. Need to leave yard by 6.30am to be ready to leave for work by 7.15am....and that's without washing hair etc! .

I normally get home from work around 6.30pm but is often later.

I know I can make things quicker at the yard by making up hays and feeds at the weekend etc, but it doesn't really change the fact I have to be up so early, and the day is so long!

How does everyone else cope?
 
I roll out of bed at 5.40am, throw some clothes on and (luckily) walk down the lane to the stables so am there by about 5.50am. I feed all three (2 mine, 1 YO) and muck out around one whist they're eating (approx 10mins) then turn all three out into field (max 10 mins, maybe 15 if rugs involved). Muck out my other horse, empty barrow, clean feed buckets and sweep up and am back home and in shower for 6.40am. Out to work at 7.30am and back home just after 6pm.

"How does everyone else cope?"
Mmmm, I don't! I'm crazy but admitting it helps!
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I'm up at 5.45 in the winter - on the yard for 6.20/6.30am. Do horses, get on train and in work by 8.00.

I don't get up that much later now. However, I finish work at 4.00pm.

Can you organise for someone to bring the horse in for you or do a PM field check so you don't have to go up both ends of the day???
 
In winter up at 4.45am on yard by 5am, feed, muck out, change rugs and turnout 3 horses. Home by 5.45am leave for work by 6.15am, office for 7am, leave office at 3pm and back at yard for 4pm. Fill up all 30 haynets at weekend, use very large water buckets and top up during the week and then scrub out at weekends.
 
Can you deep litter him during the week, and do a big muck out at the weekend, it might save some time.

In the mornings when I am in the office, I need to be on the road by 07.30, so I get up at 6, wash hair, put top half of work clothing on, jeans and wellies. Get to yard for just before 7.

It helps that YO has already fed by this time. Change rugs and turn my two out, done by 7.10am, then poo skip both bedsm and straighten them up, done by 7.20. Make up my night feeds, night nets, morning feeds and morning nets, change into bottom half of work clothes, wash hands, brush hair again, and then hit the road!

JB xx
 
I get up at 6.30am, have shower, eat breakfast - drop daughter at village for bus at 7.30am then go to yard, and do 2 horses. Home at 8am, get changed, take younger daughter to bus for 8.20am and then drive to work.

I skip out the poo in the morning and then tidy up properly in the eveing. Buy a load of haynets and fill them all at the weekend. Bag up feeds so that you can just empty into bucket or manger.

My horses live in their turnout rugs in the winter so cuts out rug changing in the morning.
 
In the winter alarm goes off at 5.50, At yard at latest 6.15 having fed cats etc. Turnout my horse and friends which is 15min round trip then was chucking pony out. Mucking out the two, haynets up ready for if they come in at lunch. Home by 7.30. Leave for work by 8.20am having wash, dried, straightened hair decided what to wear and done makeup

In the summer add 15mins on to those times as I seem to be being a lazy B!tch at the moment and no managing to get out of bed!
 
OMG I could never be up at that time and if I was I'd be soo grumpy you wouldn't want to bump into me
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For those that do this I admire your discipline.
 
During the week I'm up at 6, at yard at 6.10, turn out, muck out, make up feeds and hay, normally leave yard about 6.45, home, shower, get ready for work, breakfast and cup o tea. At train station at 7.50.

Normally get home at 6.15, at yard by 6.30, ride etc and am home again by about 8.

It's a long day, but I love it all. Weekends YO turns out so I get a lie in and just muck out, bring in and ride later on in the day.
 
Twiglet not a fan of 24/7 turn out unfortunately, otherwise I would have turfed him out weeks ago!

Hate deep littering, and one of the reasons I wanted to do him myself is because I hate his bed being a state (and me spending a fortune on woodchips).

That's the other issue actually, if I'm first down in the mornings (which I will be at those times) then I have to feed the whole yard - 25 horses. Takes up a substantial amount of time at that time of day!

I don't always go back at the end of the day but would have to to ride. Can definitely have someone else bring in for me though.
 
Alarm goes off at 5:45am and it's a case of sit up, put on clothes and out. No washing just go. Throw dog in car and get to yard around 6:15. Spray haynet and leave to drain, Drag horse out, quick flick, tack up and ride. Try to ride in the field so I can take the dog with me and kill two birds with one stone. Get off and feed breakfast and whilst eating I skip out, hay and water ready for evening. I skip out in the week and leave bed up and disinfect floor at the weekends. Then turn him out and go to be back to get myself and son ready for 8:30am, drop him off at the childminder and race to work.
 
Feeding 25 would not be fun...I am thnakful that my YO does all the feeds when she gets on the yard at 06.30......

What about a bedding change? Deep litter is not that bad of the opriginal bed is good enough....I have a mixture of cushioned, hemcore and old fashioned fluffy shavings, and the mare is on straw.....works ok for mine.

JB xx
 
I have 2 horses and a little cheeky pony, all of which are out during the day and in at night. I get to the yard about 6.15, and whoever is there first will feed the yard, sometimes me but sometimes another livery. They get turned out straight away, I am usually done by half 7, 8am - this includes a full muck out, haynets and feeds ready for the evening other than supplements, and waters done. When I get to the yard again about 6pm, all i have to do is bring in, cuddle and ride! I also check them last thing at night and skip out and give the big lad an extra feed.
 
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That's the other issue actually, if I'm first down in the mornings (which I will be at those times) then I have to feed the whole yard - 25 horses. Takes up a substantial amount of time at that time of day!

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Who says you have to do this?

And if there are horses turned out 24/7 - sometimes it's just better to go with the flow, especially if your finding the whole thing hard work.

Make life easy for yourself......
 
Up at 5am, out the door by 5.10 at yard by 5.30, feed whole yard (as always first one there) which is 10 horses atm, field clear paddock where riv stays at night, turn out my two, muck out Luca, fill hay nets do feeds, sweep and tidy, empty barrow, in car by 6.15-6.30 at office by 6.30-6.45 shower at work and at desk by 7am!!

Leave work anywhere between 5 and 6 pm and am home around 9ish normally!! Its shattering but I wouldn't change it for the world. At the weekends a friend and I take Sat and Sun mornings in turn so we get a lie in...

xx
 
I've got mine turned out 24/7 from May to end of September, but the rest of the time I have the following routine:

- leave house at 7am
- get to yard by 7.15
- feed, rug change and turnout by 7.35 (horse likes to savour every morsel
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- skip out, tidy up banks, sweep, level off bed takes till 7.45am
- hay and water takes me till 7.55am
- make up feeds, sugarbeet then sweep yard takes till 8.05am
- grab clothes from car and get changed in freezing toilet - whilst changing, use a ridiculous amount of baby wipes to remove any hint of horsey smell/sweat and generally tidy myself up.
- leave at 8.15am latest

I have it fairly relaxed compared to others, but it's knackering doing that for 8 months straight. I survive thanks to really absorbent bedding (Bliss, potentially going onto pellets) and baby wipes. I have to scrub my hands and do make up when I get to the office though - might also invest in some hair perfume (sod it, Febreze!) for next winter
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Also, the above only applies when I'm in the office which is only about 17 miles away - clients are between 32 and 70 miles away, all heading London bound so mega-traffic issues... days when I'm not in the office are an earlier start and a mad dash.
 
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That's the other issue actually, if I'm first down in the mornings (which I will be at those times) then I have to feed the whole yard - 25 horses. Takes up a substantial amount of time at that time of day!

[/ QUOTE ]

Who says you have to do this?

And if there are horses turned out 24/7 - sometimes it's just better to go with the flow, especially if your finding the whole thing hard work.

Make life easy for yourself......

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Yard rule since the beginning of time - not a chance of it changing.

No point me turning out 24/7 when all it gets me is a miserable, knackered horse who struggles to keep weight on - regardless if the bog ponies on the yard can do it.


PS. It's "you're" in that context
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I think I'm going to have to up the search for a new freelance groom.....can't see me doing this long term.
As much as I enjoy spending the extra time with the boy, there's no way I can sustain this through winter, especially as work will pick up later in the year, and I could be in the office past 9pm....
 
Up 5.15 - shower, breakfast, ironing (can't be bothered to do it at weekends, so iron what I want to wear that day!) etc
On yard for about 6.30
In the summer - bring in and feed, only takes 20 mins or so
Off to work by 6.55 to start at 8am.

I finish work at 4 and then go home, ride and put everything ready, including soaking my hay so I just have to tip it in the morning. In the winter, I have her in at night, so muck out (deep litter) while she has her brekkie.

It's not bad, once you get used to it - I've been on this routine for 5 years now and wouldn't be without my horsey time in the morning. It wakes me up brilliantly!
 
I was thinking the same as AmyMay; why on earth do YOU have to feed 25 other horses. The yard I am people come and go at different times and the horses get fed when their owner wants to feed them.. none of the others bother as they know I am not their provider.
What do the owners of the other 25 horses do for you? Maybe you should get them to do your horses 3 mornings a week or something!
 
When my 3 are in my routine is:

5.30am get up and dressed
5.32am feed horse and pony's (my stables are right outside my door and feed for horse and chopped carrots for little ones done night before)
whilst horses are eating fuss the dog, feed the cats, feed the tortoises.
5.45 rug up horses (if necessay, fly/to weather dependant) and turn out
5.50 - 7am completely muck out 3 stables, fill haynets, water buckets, scrub feed buckets, sweep yard
7 - 7.15am spend more time with the dog
7.15 - 8.15am, get washed, changed and have brekkie, read the paper (always have an hour to get ready)
8.15 - leave for work
 
Both mine are now on straw, much faster to muck out and I tend to muck one out and skip the other out - alternating days.

I am on the yard just before 7 and leave at 8 to run home and shower.
 
could you switch and have him out at night/in during the day? that way, all you have to do in the morning is bring in and feed? then in the evenings, ride, feed and turnout and then you can do a proper muck out? I used to do that in the summer when I was on DIY and it worked really well. They also tend to be cleaner as they spend their time in the stable sleeping!

Also, I could get people to bring in and feed in the morning, so I only had to do 1 trip in the evening. If I wasnt riding, I sometimes would have someone feed him dinner and turnout, then I could come down later and do proper muck out etc.
 
I get up at 5.20 and get to the yard for 5.30. I turn out or in winter give them thier brekkie. Muck out, wash feed buckets and hang evening haynets, leaving the beds up to air. I'm home for 6.30ish and have to leave the house at 7 to be on a train for half past. I get home just before 6 and head straight to the yard.

It is knackering and I find the middle of the week the hardest but after a while you just get used to it I suppose!
 
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I was thinking the same as AmyMay; why on earth do YOU have to feed 25 other horses. The yard I am people come and go at different times and the horses get fed when their owner wants to feed them.. none of the others bother as they know I am not their provider.
What do the owners of the other 25 horses do for you? Maybe you should get them to do your horses 3 mornings a week or something!

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I think it's a very common rule, and I've done fine out of it so far - am very rarely the person to feed all, even at the weekends. That might change now I'm doing him myself, but for the past five years I've had my horse fed pretty much every morning by someone else.
People get told when they arrive at the yard that it's the rule, there's been the odd whinge in the past but people are pretty used to it - and the horses definitely are!
 
We have four on DIY, so I do four every morning in winter
yard at 7 am, leave for work at 8,30.
This is possible as I have somwhere to get washed and changed at the yard.
back to yard at 6.30 pm for bring in and tuck up for the night
out 24/7 in summer.
 
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