Two horses and working full time.......How????

[Pep12]

Do any of you work full time and have two horses that need worked/competed regularly? If so how do you manage? How often a week do they each get ridden? Do you have facilities and would you manage if you didn't? have an opportunity to take on another horse but not sure how it would work in reality? Think my current horse would feel a bit usurped too

 

[Stoxx]

I was thinking of posting the exact same thing!
I've just been given the ride on my friends dressage horse for the next year. Yesterday was ok as I'd finished work by lunchtime, so I schooled both of them in the afternoon.
I'm at a fab yard with indoor and outdoor schools, also they are on full livery, so no mucking out for me. But with a house, OH, dog and full time working I do think it's going to be hard work. I know lots of people do it, but I never have!

My horse is going to be my priority, he has to be, but I just won't ever have a day off and hopefully a couple of times a week I might finish work early and will be able to do both.

If they weren't both on full I wouldn't be able to do it!

 

[251libby]

TBH, if you are on DIY you will be getting up very early and getting home very late!
I have one horse on DIY livery and work full time and I would really struggle to do 2!

 

[meardsall_millie]

I've had two for the last 18 months or so (although currently temporarily down to one). Both are worked (properly) 5 days per week and regularly competed. I work full time in a fairly senior role and also have a husband 2 dogs and kids.

I'm lucky in that I keep them at home and have a floodlit school.

I'd say that I manage through bloody hard work and not having much of a life outside of my horses - but that's my choice! (not quite sure about OH though.....!)

 

[Chloe_GHE]

I work full time 8.30 till 5 and have 2 horses one competing BE and one being reschooled and starting to do unaff comps. I can manage this for the following reasons...

Costs are kept low as the yard I am at is my mother's so I get all hay, straw etc at cost
Travel to and from yard isn't an issue because I live at the bottom of the hill from the yard, and my work is only a 15min commute.
If I can't make a farrier or vet appointment due to work my mother will cover for me.
Daylight isn't an issue in the winter as we have a floodlit menage and their work loads decreases over Oct-Feb

I am in a very very fortunate position, and without the help from my long suffering mother it would be a lot harder, and I think if I had to include livery costs and normal rates I think I would struggle to compete Soap as much as I would like.

 

[Pep12]

Hmmm. Thanks Chestnutmare, I am DIY and that is my worry. i already am up at 6 and Lord knows what time I get home at night??? Don't mind about not having a life outside horses but don't want to be spreading myself too thin. Again, other half may disagree.

 

[kick_On]

You just have to be super oraganised - planning/rountine is key.
I ride minium 4 times a week (per horse) and then lunge aswell. I'm on working farm with no fancy stuff

, so mine are schooled on roads or in field (if dry and avoiding livestock). I'm in local RC so get good lesson at reasonable prices and very lucky my trainer is within hacking distance aswell.
I do have very good OH with house and cooking. But i do all the horses myself except in winter i do have mobile groom who just brings my boys in feeds them tea (a total god send).
But if you not totally committed it's a long hard slog, i love it but i do also plan social life with OH this is also very important.
Good Luck with whatever you decide to do

 

[oofadoofa]

I have 2 horses in work and 2 which don't do a lot and work full time. The winter is a bit of a struggle, but I am lucky that I work 9.30 to 6 so this means that I can always ride out at least one in the mornings even when it doesn't get light til nearly 8, as I don't have a menage but do have some fields to ride around if it is foggy, etc! Now the nights are lighter I tend to ride one in the morning and one in the evening.

Mucking out 4 isn't too bad as they're all on shavings, I suppose it takes me about 45 minutes. In fact a girl used to keep her horse at my yard and I could muck out all 4 in the time it took her to do 1!!!

 

[dieseldog]

I've had 2 horses while working full time and I'll never do it again. it's OK if one of them is lame and you can't ride it, but when you have to ride them both I find it too hard. It's not looking after them as mucking out etc is no hassle it is having to make a decision as to who to ride in the evening - I can't face riding 2 after work.

I recently got offered a really nice horse (Spot) but I turned him down for the above reasons and also because he would have to jump in the same classes as my horse and I would never cope at a show with 2, especially when there are only about 15 in a class.

 

[mistered]

My partner and I have six horses in work, 2 x breakers, 2 x 4yo's just starting to go out and compete, a 5yo that is currently doing bsja & BD and an 8yo that does BE, BD & BSJA, we rent a small yard 5 mins form Home and we take it in turns doing the 'morning jobs' Mon to Fri. all of the horses get worked 5 times a week and we both compete most weeks.

We both hold full time 'proffesional' positions, and usually finish at the yard between 7pm - 8pm every evening (except on Mondays - horse's day off). It's really hard work and when you sit down and think about it, it's hard to understand how we do it!

The only real probelm we find is finding time to prepare 'proper' evening meals, but with plenty of planning and a slow cooker, we manage!

Wouldn't change our lifestyle for the world, we are very lucky to be able to do it!

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

I can feel for you, we have 2 show jumpers on DIY. My daughter is the main rider & works full time & me & her Mum help out with turn out, bring in & mucking out, so it's a case of the family, who are all into horses, helping out. This makes it all more managable. Doing it all on your own plus competing really drains you.

 

[silverbreeze]

up until Feburary this year I had 5 horses in work, 3 of which were youngsters. I live 45mins from my yard and work about 20 mins away. I work full time.

I am very lucky that my parents help out when I am stuck but I used to have to spread my time very thin. it's not as bad if you partner is horsey but mine isn't and very regularly feels very left out; although I have to say he is very very understanding.

I used to ride 5 times a week and I would manage this by splitting morning and evening (get up very early and home very late) all my horses are worked in the dark in the winter as we have no flood lights and no indoor.. they are very good but it is purely fitness work for them.

I put one of my babies out on loan as she needed more attention, one of my older ones has just pulled a tendon and one of my other youngsters was killed in a hunting accident in feb so I am now down to two in work which I find very easy in comparisson. again, I split rides morning and night and two nights off where I just feed and go straight home (to keep OH happy) They both compete at weekends.

The biggest thing is when going from one to two is that for some reason your work load doesn't just double.. it seems to triple??

The horse you have right now, is he very time consuming? I am lucky that my older boy can tick over but I have definately benfitted with my youngster so much now I have more time to devote to her!

 

[Pep12]

You are a busy bunch!!! i want my mum!! Unfortunately although she is horsey she lives too far away and also has a "professional" full time career. Shuffles off to go and think some more.

 

[jennystreek]

I work from home full time, so i think this is why I can manage having 2 horses. They both get ridden 6 times a week each.

I keep them on DIY which has an outdoor school (not really floodlit), and it takes about 45 mins to muck out each morning. Luckily there is a lady there who can help me if I cant get down - I give her ten quid per day if I'm not around.

Typical day is getting up at 5.40am, driving to yard to get there for 7am (I'm currently living 60 miles away from the yard - I hope this will change soon

!!!), quickly mucking out and getting on one to ride at 7.45am for an hour... Get back to my parents house to start work about 9ish, then back down the yard at 4 - 4.30pm, ride the other one, then travel back home, do shopping, cook etc - usually 8.30pm by the time i have dinner. Do some more work, then bed!! OH always has lots of work to do, so I dont need to worry about not giving him any attention

Life is hectic, and would be much easier if I wasnt living so far away from the yard!!

When I was closer to the yard last year, I was even considering getting a third horse

x

 

[Pep12]

Silverbreeze I am very impressed by all that. Yes my current horse is a high maintenance guy both for riding and care of. I think the young one that I have been asked to take on could prove to be easier, but as a youngster would need regular work. I am lucky in that my OH is happy to help out a little bit, but he works even longer hours than me and it would be unfair to expect him to do my s**t shovelling all the time. Ho hum

 

[BBs]

I have 3 horse, 2 in work and 1 retired.
All at DIY livery, and livery is 15 miles from home.
We have great facilities, indoor and outdoor school, all year turn out etc.
I work 9-5, and my work is 7 miles back towards home in opposite direction to yard.

In the winter I was getting up at 5:30/5:45 got to the yard by 6:45, all mucked out, turned out by 8:15, giving me enough to get ready at the yard for work at 9am.

In the winter I would ride one horse one day, ride the other the next and both at a weekend.
For some of the last winter I only had one to ride due to one being off which made life slightly more simple.

Now horses are all turned out, and I ride two a night

I did everything before work so all i had to do at night was bring in and ride. Now they're out full time I can ride before work if i like and just rug up at night or just quick check in morning, and ride of an evening with everyone else

. Luckily there are a fair few ppl at our yard with more than one horse, so youre never on your own.

I even get a lay in till 7am now

It is doable, you just have to be organised and have great friends who help you out or share duties with

 

[Delta99]

It's doable if you don't want a social life. I have 2 in own yard (away from house unfortunately), ride both 4 times a week but they live out in the summer and I get to finish early on Fridays. Not competing at the moment but have managed in the past to ride both 5 times a week and compete around a full time job.
Have dogs as well, so really no chance of going out in the week, it's usually about 9 pm by the time i get home.
Think carefully about it, its great if you enjoy it but one of mine is out of action at the moment and I must admit, I am loving the extra time and the fact that I can do other things in the evenings and am not constantly knackered!

 

[flyingfeet]

I do it, but again would struggle without help from my family.

They are kept at home and I generally ride one every other day, which keeps them fit enough for Dr and SJ, but probably not if you wanted to event

My social life is dead, and life revolves around training and competing. I have my two in during the day and out at night due to sweet itch, but this makes life easier as they are not so messy in the day.

I also mug any friends and family to ride one, so nice to get 2 exercised!

 

[Fanatical]

I’d agree with Kick_On and say that Planning/ Organisation is the key. I used to have 3 horses on DIY livery which was a good 20 mins from home. Two of them were in full work/ competing and one was on box rest and then after a while being walked in hand. On a weekday I’d be up at 4.30 and at the yard by 5/5.15am. Feed, turnout, muckout and back home for 6.45am then in work for 8am which is between a 20 min and half hour drive away (in opposite direction!). In the evening I’d be back at the yard by 6pm, ride two, skip out (as I’d have brought in during the afternoon) two, muck out the one on box rest, and do all the nest, feeds etc for the next day. It would be at least 9pm, quite often later by the time I got home. Again, no time for a social life or anything else really but you just get on with it when you love it. It’s amazing how when you have one it can take you just as long to muck that one out as it used to take to do three. You do adapt to the time you have.

Good luck!

 

[Bossanova]

I work full time but my hours are pretty dossy for having horses (I'm a teacher)

I have 2 horses in work- 1 is eventing and the other tends to get ridden when I have time and left when I dont!! Both live out which is the only way I could possibly do it- I would hate it if I had to muck two out and do all chores through the winter.

 

[251libby]

Sorry for being so pessimistic in last post. I think if you are really organised then it can work... but it is hard work, if I were to have someone to help me then it would be alot easier but it is just me

which is ok with one but I dont think I could do it with two. My horsie only gets worked 4 - 5 days per week and thats usually because i'm cream crackerd to do anymore, I've thought about getting another before and think I will when my girl goes into semi retirement.
Good luck xx

 

[silverbreeze]

Thanks.. Look back now and wonder how i coped for so long.. Was competing 3 greys last year too.. Nightmare getting ready for shows!

hmm, I find that if one is high maintenance then it can put a different slant on things as you could end up feeling guilty about the time spent on another horse (thats how used to feel) Also, don't forget how much easier everything is in the summer.. winter was tough last year for me as I had so many..

Could you try running your routine as if you were doing two? when you are riding your current horse time it as if you knew you had another to work. My schedule was really tight when I had so many, some nights I had 20mins to make each ride count.
Time how long it takes you to muck out one and do all the yeard duties then times that by two and a bit.. Do that for a couple of weeks and see if it gets to you or something?

 

[scrumpygus]

Ive always had 2 horses and i compete at least twice a month. I work 8.30 - 6pm 5 days a week aswell. My routine is normally get up at 6.15 go to stables turnout and put beds up the wall for floor to dry then go home shower go to work then in the evening i ride one or both or lunge - lay beds get home by about 8pm - 9pm sometimes later if im training for something particular. I have loaners that do saturdays which gives me a day off. Sometimes i wish i had 1 but i just do everything x2 and its easy enough.

 

[Heidi1]

I work full time and have four, but two are in full time work, 1 retired and the other has a little holiday over winter, she is due back into work this week. I also have a fantastic OH who helps, he is happy to muck out and do waters, so time is less than halved, we do have all year turnout, which makes a huge difference. I have a friend who turns out for me in the morning in winter and checks them in the morning in summer and then I do the evening run. Thought summer I try to ride two a night, depending on who's turn it is. I also have one in at night time over summer. It is doable if you have help and support from friends.....

 

[Ferdinase514]

It is really hard work and I found I stopped enjoying it in the winter, so went back to one.

 

[OliveOyl]

I have 4, but only 2 that are in work, the other 2 are retired.
I don't have a parent or anyone to help, so they all have to live out to make it work, but they're fine with that as long as their meals are delivered on time. Still see to them twice a day everyday and have to maintain the field myself too, so am there most hours that I'm not at work.

I aim for 4 rides per horse per week, so 2 to ride both weekend days and 1 ride before work for 4 days of the week.

 

[miller]

Had 2 on DIY working full time plus on call every 3rd week (24hrs) a while back, DIY yard was 25 mins from home, 15 from work.

Now have horses at home, one mine, one OH's and looking for another couple (OH's mare retired, my lad now 20) and would mean my current one in work and another for me and 1 in work for OH.

Dependant on shift we are out from 7-5:30 or 7:30 - 6:30, get everything doen in mornings so only stuff to do is groom /ride in the evenings (horses in at night)

Up at 5:40 daily, in bed by 11

 

[MagicMelon]

Yes definately do-able. I have had 2 competiton horses for the past 6 years and I've also had a "project" pony as well on and off during this time which has often meant Ive had 3 to keep fit! Mine (and 2 retired ponies) are kept at home, all live out 24/7 which makes things so easy - I couldnt do it if I had to muck them all out daily!

I have found keeping 3 horses fit rather tough recently though with a full time job, I now have Wednesdays off work due to family circumstances but still work Mon,Tues,Thur,Fri full time. I feed mine and move them around paddocks if need-be in the morning and in the evening I do the same and ride depending on the weather. I have just sold 1 as of today however so that'll help!!

 

[CrazyMare]

Make life easy for yourself - I have two although one is a youngster, she gets inhand sessions and walks etc.

I don't use haynets - they have hay bars, so that saves quite a bit of time. I take enough water barrels up to the field to last a week - a milk churn and three barrels in the back of the car from the stables to the paddock sees me through the week.

I keep my tack room meticulosly organised - I can put my hands straight onto whatever I need, no searching.

Rubber mats! My matted stable takes half the time of my non matted stable.

 

[amandaco2]

ive got 3 horses, two in work one unbroken. on DIY
i work full time sometimes 48hours a week!its hard work.
at the moment im only competing one horse usually once a week or fortnight.
being organsised is key