those who work with horses, working weekends & hrs question

charlie76

charlie76

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Quick question for those who work with horses. Do you work weekends?
How many days a week do you work and what are your hours?
What type of yard do you work on?
Many thanks.
 
I worked weekends at my old job. It was a hunting/showing yard. Father was master of local hunt, daughter had HOYS show ponies.

I worked 5.5 days a week. I had Mondays and Wednesday afternoons off. 8am-4pm. Finished at 12 on Wednesdays.

They treated me very well and I loved it. But unfortunately pay wasn't great and I wanted my weekends back.
 
I have worked on a couple of yards before, always weekends and/or evenings due to school. Hours varied slightly but usually between 7:30 - 5:30 give or take an hour.

I have worked on a small private yard with a few mini-shetlands and other livestock, a medium-large equestrian centre (riding school, livery yard) and a smaller, but well-established riding school.

In general I really enjoy working with horses but from experience so far, I find that I prefer smaller yards as you tend to get treated better and things are more organised. However, I know that the same cannot be said for all yards so I'm willing to try pretty much anything.
 
I worked at a small yard (12) which grew to about 35 in a year, worked 7/8am- whenever it all got done, quite often 8-9pm 5 days a week. I wasn't on a contract (bad move!) and was desperate for work so more fool me. I enjoyed it for the being around horses 24/7 but it was a rubbish job with rubbish wages.

I'd do it again with a small amount of horses but I'm now in a position where I don't desperately need the money so I'd be far more choosy about my contract & wages.

The hours however in my mind would not be a huge issue because horses need as long as they need, it used to really annoy me when another worker would leave at 4.30 on the dot regardless of how much work was left to do because they refused to work past that :(
 
I'm a self employed groom/rider so it's a bit different for me as I can work some of my work around myself. However, I do three full days at a large livery yard/riding school which are the same every week... Wednesday I do 8-12 and then have a 4 hour break to do my horses and then do the late evening shift 4-8 and Fridays and Sundays I work 8-5. I have done Sundays for years, but have done both weekend days in the past but not sure I would do that again! The rest of my work varies as most of it is temporary but I have one horse I ride once or twice a week regularly which is kept with my horses so I work that around doing my own.
 
I work 5.5 days a week. 7.30am-4pm(ish) Monday-Friday and 7.30am-1pm(ish) Saturday one week. The next week I get a day and a half off during the week when there are enough staff in. I work every other weekend. Days when I am away racing can go from 5am-12am in winter, some over nighters but they are always long, long days. At this time of year when everything needs clipped I don't tend to stop for breakfast (9-9,30am) or lunch (1-ish-2ishpm) and just keep kicking on. Bloomin knackering! Summer is easier.

And that's before I get home and do my own mob ...
 
I use to work at a yard only on weekends during studies. I worked 8am-4pm (ish), however I was always in a bit earlier so that I could make sure yard was finished before liveries and lessons started arriving.

The girls who work full time usually do 4.5/5 days a week and they will do typically 7.30am-4.30pm, however they rotate those who feed early mornings and evenings, so sometimes it could be a 6.30am start or 6.30/7pm finish. They get one weekend day off and a week day, and if it is quiet will get an odd additional afternoon off too.
 
Minimum 6 days a week during the busy times, 7-4. From now until the sales, no days off, just an afternoon at the weekend and then at the sales it'll be no break at all working from 5 until 9ish. During the summer we do get some early finishes and weekends off.
 
Generally split shifts as working with racehorses, 4am - 10am then 2pm - 5pm. A half day and a full day off each week with the occasional weekend off.

Pay was reasonable as NZ has a minimum wage regardless of type of job currently around £7 per hr.
 
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