Time saving tips!?

[Sandstone1]

Now the dark nights are here and horses coming in at night, does anyone have any time saving tips for working owners? I have had horses for years and have a few things that save time such as making up haynets at a weekend for the week ahead. Skip out beds in week with major muck out at weekend etc.
Anyone have any other ideas for making life easier in winter? Thanks.

 

[Jeni the dragon]

Make feeds up in advance! Small tubs are really handy for this.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Never cross the yard empty handed.

 

[PSD]

Leave them in turnouts if you’re rugging, far easier to just Chuck them straight out and leave a turnout on (unless it’s saturated) than mess about swapping rugs and getting muddy.

 

[Astara92]

Iv started to deep litter during winter as it saves so much more time also make loads of hay nets at each time.

 

[meleeka]

Never cross the yard empty handed.

This.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

I do the following

• make all hay nets up for week
• Make all feeds up in lidded buckets to do mon-fri
• Have a bucket of water ready to wet feeds without going to the tap each time
• Rinse but don’t scrub buckets except at weekends
• Leave turn-outs on
• Leave wet in mon-fri unless horse is messy or stirs it up
• Use wood pellet bedding as cheap and quick to muck out
• Have hooks hanging on top part of stable door with headcollar and hoof pick and anything else I need to grab
• Do all extra chores at the weekend
• Wear boots that can go from yard to riding.
• Keep focused until essential chores done and don’t get distracted.
• have my essential coffee in travel mug to take
  

 

[TPO]

Don't stand still. Stopping us lethal and on a yard there's always that one person that wants to chat.

Get out the car as soon as you get to the yard and keep moving. Never being empty handed is a good thing.

If you're near the tap then try to have water bucket filling happening at the same time as mucking out.

If you have feeds that need soaked make them up as soon as you arrive.

When you finish give tack a quick wipe over and brush/wipe/wash off saddle pad, bit and girth. Saves time next time you want to ride that everything is ready to go.

Waterproof trousers to pull on over riding/clean clothes.

Rubber gloves over normal gloves. Easy to wash and keep your warm gloves clean and dry

 

[scats]

I have a little basket hanging in my stables with a basic grooming kit- dandy brush, body brush, hoof pick etc. Ideal for grabbing for a quick brush before and after riding without having to remember to take a grooming kit in.

Don’t waste any time. When my horses are eating breakfast, I go and do the water buckets.

I’ve also started putting all my fresh bedding down on a Sunday to last the week. I used to add a bag mid week but it really adds to the time. I just chuck most of it on the back bank on a sunday and drag it down over the week.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Oh yes, decent overalls and a hat -overalls are great.

 

[PurBee]

Depending on your water set-up - a timer fitted on the hose filling their water tub/trough, is a god send! There’s no going back and forth to check water, just the once.

Im at home and have 1000 litres per 24hrs of spring water available. The amount of times i forgot i was filling up their water with hose, (i have a hose permanently fixed within their trough, so it silently fills) and drained the entire 1000 litres all over the yard were numerous! A hose timer has meant i just walk by it, turn to 10 mins and it fills and turns itself off.

It shaves a minute off so not much, but over a month is half hour!

 

[Sandstone1]

All good ideas. Thanks