Time saving/making life easier ideas?

[NativePonyLover]

I'm now approximately 18 miles away from my horse on (assisted) DIY, due to a house move. The idea was, to move my horse to a yard closer to my new home - but for various, quite unexpected reasons, this is now looking unlikely.

Monday-Friday, I work in the closest town & will be about 10 minutes away from work, so it doesn't have quite the negative impact it could do - he's on my way to/from work. My old house was literally a couple of minutes from the yard - so I was in a very fortunate position of being able to do him before work, go home get showered & ready before leaving for work. I've got around that by fully doing my make up & hair before going to the yard, covering every part of me in clothing, taking out shares in baby wipes/perfume & changing for work at the yard.

But, obviously, being further from home with additional travel time & costs I'm looking at my current routine to see if I can change anything to help.

He's currently on straw & fully mucked out every day. Is shavings/wood pellets quicker? Would rubber matting reduce time to muck out?

If so, would you recommend a particular brand? Where is the best company to get rubber matting from?!

My Y/M is fantastic - she's not only pleased to have us stay - but is happy to provide additional services, I haven't used in the past.

At weekends, I'll do one visit & either do all my chores & leave the stable ready so he can be bought in/feet picked out in the evening or have him turned out & do everything in the afternoon/evening. I've been at my current yard almost 3 years - so my friends & YM know him well & would spot if anything wasn't right (obviously, if he's not right - I'd go down for the second time).

Is there anything else I could do to help make life easier, now he's further away?

 

[Evie91]

I use rubber matting but have a full bed (some people will just use small beds). I think shavings smell less than straw (when wet) so maybe worth considering if you are having to go to work straight after.
Get as much as you can ready at weekends (I top up bed at weekends, stuff haynets) so you don't have to do it in the week.
Nothing more positive to add I'm afraid. I did this for a while whilst on DIY and hated it! Fine in summer but in winter, by the time I'd turned the horse out in belting rain, makeup had washed off and hair was wild or had hat hair! I was always paranoid that I smelt of horses too!
In the worst of the weather are you able to have livery for the days you work?
Sorry not to be able to offer anything more positive!

 

[NativePonyLover]

Ha! Don't worry - you've re-iterated what I thought might be the drawbacks

I've bought a rather hideous full length waterproof coat with a good - which will cover most of me. Plus, I've both some portable straightners - so I can re straighten my hair at the yard if need be. Vain? Me? Never ...!!

I'm quite lucky - that my Mum is retired & Dad works shifts & although only horsey by default, they do enjoy being at the yard. In bad weather, they've both offered to muck out & turn out so I can go straight to the office. On the occasions they can't - although I can't afford full livery on all bad weather days, I could get my YM to turn out as well as bring in - so I could muck out after work. He'd be coming into an mucked out stable for an hour or so, but I'm sure he'll cope with a haynet?!

That's a good idea re: haynets, thanks I guess I could make feeds in advance too.

I do worry about the smell of mucking out - but I've been assured by my unhorsey & brutally honest co-workers that I don't. It was part of the reason for considering moving to pellets or shavings, so I'm glad you find them better

 

[Evie91]

Really handy that your mum and dad can help out - that should make life a whole lot easier
full length coat is a good idea, hood is a must, also waterproof trousers and gloves - this get up is so much better when the weather is cold otherwise you'll end up sweating cobs!

 

[Magicmillbrook]

I have overalls that I wear to save my work clothes in the mornings and I only ever wear my hair in a tight scraped back pony tail/bun. You could make up feeds and put them in the large zip lock bags to keep them fresh. Do away with hay nets and have a hay bar or feed on the ground.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

Skip out mon-fir big muck out on the weekend, that's what a few up my yard do.

Make up a weeks worth of nets and same with feed in bags unless it's soaked feed.

Don't change rugs, keep turnouts on just check for rubs etc, readjust morning and night.

With five the above saves me sooo much time.

 

[calmgirl]

Can your YM feed and turn out in the mornings? Leave him in his TO rug ready to go and you do everything else at nights?

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

You could do your make up in the car, or in the work loos if you get in early.

I would use aubiose for bedding, skip out poo which will be on top and takes about 10min and take out the wet at the weekend which takes about half hour. Get through a bag or two a week depending on hours out and how wet horse is.

Large bales haylage, if you have room to store it, save money and less prickly/dustier filling nets, plus easier than soaking hay.

Use turnout rugs in the stable so no rug change in the morning. Mine go straight out and roll so I don't even bother to straighten rugs before turnout.

Keep headcollar in the stable, buckled through haynet ring so no need to get it from somewhere to turn out.

Pick out hoofs before leaving stable so no sweeping up until later when you muck out.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I deep litter my boy, poo pick during the week and do a proper muck out at the weekend. I NEVER lift the full bed just the loose stuff to get any poos I miss during the week, the hard base builds up and once very three or four months I skim it to stop his head touching the ceiling lol. The bed is a shavings bed.

I have 3/4 inches of hard base then the same or more of fluffy shavings and the bed looks clean at all times and takes me 15 mins a day to sort. I make up 7 hay nets at the weekend and I only have to soak feed twice a week so all I have to do is scoop, mix and run no waiting

 

[webble]

Don't bother with the make up and just put your hair up will also save you money on make up