Unrealistic daily routine?

wills_91 said:
I don't understand why it tales some folk so long?! I can feed, muck out, change rug & t/o do hay, water in 20 minutes?!
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I agree in that I can do two (morning feeds, hay, make feeds for next 24 hours, waters, feet, rugs, turnout, muckout) in 30 minutes.
But I tend to only go up mornings, so I also - Equissage both, do carrot stretches both, do leg crossing with one horse, do odd jobs, ride one or both. So overall visit takes fair bit longer!

I do prep most things most of the time at the weekends, so all is topped up and ready.
 
XxCoriexX said:
Ok so a friend of mine has said my daily routine is unrealistic and I am going to burn myself out! Can anyone let me know if their routine is similar to mine?

5:45am up shower feed cat make lunch etc
6:45am leave house go to yard, feed, turnout, muck out and sweep yard
8:00am leave yard go to work, get changed and make up on in the bathroom!
6pm (supposed to be 5 but needs must) finish work back to yard, ride, skip out, set stable for night and feed
7:30/8pm leave yard and either go home or to the gym, if I go to the gym then im home by about 9:30/10pm
11pm. bed time!!!


Weekends are a little bit quieter, usually Friday nights are spent out or with my sister, Saturday days are cleaning days or outings, and sundays are my days to visit my granddad!
is this unrealistic? I thought this was an ok daily routine?
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I think up at 5.45am and bed around 11pm wouldn’t be sustainable for most. If I am going to get up before 6am, I need to consistently be in bed, and close to falling asleep by 10pm. Else I get exhausted as week goes on.

I prep everything night before, and get up and leave within 15 minutes of alarm going off. Take 2 flasks coffee and a protein and frozen fruit shake with me. Lunch / food for day is can tuna, box salad, apple, two packs oat biscuits.

The time between getting up and finishing mucking out in the morning seems a long time. Can you lean it in some way? E.g. my horses live in turnouts, I use wood pellets (super quick to muck out), I use haybars (super quick to fill) etc.

You mention horse needing time to eat, how about a token breakfast, and a bigger dinner? Mine have adlib hay, and I give smaller breakfast. By the time I’ve made next set feeds up, and changed rugs they’ve finished.
 
OP I couldn't do that because I need more sleep or my mental health suffers. I like to gym too (or cycled to work) but used to manage it at lunch (on site), sharer day or his day off. I've never found diy sufficient for fitness or weight control though I did hope it might so I think those for whom it is enough are lucky
 
Last winter I was up at 4:45am drive 20 -25 mins to the yard, 5 on DIY livery so would feed all, swap three in stables for three in the little turnout corral, muckout 3, do haylage and water. Drive home, check on sheep and be home just after 7am to get showered, eat breakfast and be leaving for work just after 8am

Leave work somewhere between 5-6pm and then feed sheep and go up to bring in 3 horses and swap for the others, muck out, hay and water the 3 coming in and try and exercise as many as I could.

Normally get home about 8:30-9pm unless farrier coming which would make it later.

Arrive home and try and eat something (usually rubbish) and go to bed about 10pm.

I did this from October to April as we had no grass turnout in this time. I had some serious health problems and this regime did nothing to help and I also feel that it damaged my mental health too. It was unrealistic at best and darn right stupid at worse.

I was forced into making lots of changes this summer after my accident and this year is so much easier. I feel like I have my life back!
 
It's only an issue if you don't enjoy it and it becomes a chore... otherwise it just means your fit... you should get at least 6 hours sleep or sleep deprivation can become an issue... but everyone's different on that score
 
wills_91 said:
I don't understand why it tales some folk so long?! I can feed, muck out, change rug & t/o do hay, water in 20 minutes?!
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It takes me 15 minutes just to turn out plus my (big) horse is very dirty so even if I only skip out it takes me 20 minutes. Add the 15 minutes turnout and probably another 15 to sweep, get the muck heap done, hays and waters, and put everything away, I struggle to get it done in much less than an hour.

Op your schedule is punishing but certainly doable. What are you doing for an hour when you get up though? Even with a shower it shouldn't take more than 30 mins and if you're at the gym the night before you don't shower again in the morning too do you?
 
wills_91 said:
I don't understand why it tales some folk so long?! I can feed, muck out, change rug & t/o do hay, water in 20 minutes?!
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I arrive at 6am, for 2 fuzzies, I do the following : Damp feeds & chop apple & feed Fuzzies, muck them both out, turn them out (changing 1 x rug), remove old hay nets & tie in new.
Rinse feed buckets, check/fill water buckets and make up feeds for pm and next am. Shout toodle-pip and go home - yard clock is usually showing 6.20/6.22am.

I do not sweep yard on work days, nor do I square muck heap, both those chores are left to weekends :)

However, I have my own yard, and so can arrange my chores round me and the winter turnout in 1 of the 3 paddocks off the yard so no distance of more than 30 feet to walk,; mine are trained to walk out into paddock in the dark. All nets are pre-prepped etc, I never leave the yard in the morning without having pre-done feeds & left stables ready for evening.
 
wills_91 said:
I don't understand why it tales some folk so long?! I can feed, muck out, change rug & t/o do hay, water in 20 minutes?!
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Among other reasons stated, there may be a medical factor. Don't be so quick to judge.


OP - Depends on you. That routine would kill me but if you feel fine and it works, carry on. My horses are at home so I'm up at 8, out the door and chuck out before breakfast. Do chores at some point during the day as i don't work, usually in bed by 11pm. Just about get by on this without making myself ill.
 
ShadowHunter said:
Among other reasons stated, there may be a medical factor. Don't be so quick to judge.


OP - Depends on you. That routine would kill me but if you feel fine and it works, carry on. My horses are at home so I'm up at 8, out the door and chuck out before breakfast. Do chores at some point during the day as i don't work, usually in bed by 11pm. Just about get by on this without making myself ill.
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I'm not being quick to judge. I'm just surprised that is all and I am entitled to that opinion! Yes there are factors such as turn out being a great distance ect but how many of us are walking 10/15 minutes to turn out? Granted my 20 minute schedule is only a 5 minute walk to turnout but I don't see why everything else should take so long! My horse is mucky to, very mucky! I just do everything in bulk at weekends and a full muck out every morning. There really is no need for it to take so long yo see to the essentials leaving more time for rising ect ect
 
XxCoriexX said:
Ok so a friend of mine has said my daily routine is unrealistic and I am going to burn myself out! Can anyone let me know if their routine is similar to mine?

5:45am up shower feed cat make lunch etc
6:45am leave house go to yard, feed, turnout, muck out and sweep yard
8:00am leave yard go to work, get changed and make up on in the bathroom!
6pm (supposed to be 5 but needs must) finish work back to yard, ride, skip out, set stable for night and feed
7:30/8pm leave yard and either go home or to the gym, if I go to the gym then im home by about 9:30/10pm
11pm. bed time!!!


Weekends are a little bit quieter, usually Friday nights are spent out or with my sister, Saturday days are cleaning days or outings, and sundays are my days to visit my granddad!
is this unrealistic? I thought this was an ok daily routine?
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I would imagine that your friend is not a horse owner? What you do & the timetable you have is not out of the ordinary for any horse owner who looks after their own horses. We've been doing this for years, I'm not dead yet........permanently knackered....... biut not dead! :)
 
ester said:
I think it depends how far away your turnout is, it can take no time at all or on my previous yard 20mins round trip.
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well I for one have 9 boxes to do, and some of them are 14 x 15 stables with very mucky horses in and it depends how thorough your bed is and how far the muckhill is remember and how big your wheel barrow is and how far the fields are and whether some horses need to be in different enclosures
 
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wills_91 said:
I'm not being quick to judge. I'm just surprised that is all and I am entitled to that opinion! Yes there are factors such as turn out being a great distance ect but how many of us are walking 10/15 minutes to turn out? Granted my 20 minute schedule is only a 5 minute walk to turnout but I don't see why everything else should take so long! My horse is mucky to, very mucky! I just do everything in bulk at weekends and a full muck out every morning. There really is no need for it to take so long yo see to the essentials leaving more time for rising ect ect
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Well that's the point isn't it you don't know how many people are walking 10/15 minutes to turn out because you are just looking at schedules, especially if you are on a bigger yard set up not everyone can have a field near the yard or a stable near the muckheap. The biggest difference time wise to me is having small bale hay or large round bales, that can add a good 5 minutes. You wondered why it was taking people so long, don't get riled at those pointing out why it might take them longer than your 20 mins because I am pretty sure anyone on DIY with a full time job is not dawdling unnecessarily! My comparison is having them at home, so access to field essentially open doors and let them go out, only 2 stables so tap, hay, and muckheap etc all very close to a 15 box yard, with tap and hay at one end, muck heap at the other, a 10 min round trip to turn out in winter because we didn't own the 'short cut' so had to go down oneside of the hedge, and up the other and a 20 min round trip in 'summer'. It is surprising how even on a relatively small yard how much difference it can make time wise, and I have a very tidy horse! Add a bit of ice breaking, or poo picking so you don't have to do it by torch light and things can definitely take longer than 20 mins.
 
That's been my routine for 17 years, I have three horses on DIY. Only difference is I leave the yard at 7.15am and start work at 8am.

I muck out all stables in the morning, do hays and waters then I can ride at least two at night.

Its a 12 minute round trip to the field so I lead all three together. I change rugs twice a day. I can do the lot in 45 minutes.
 
I think you're mental but then again I'd skip going to the gym and would have morning jobs done in half the time, so could get up slightly later and go to bed earlier!
 
ester said:
Well that's the point isn't it you don't know how many people are walking 10/15 minutes to turn out because you are just looking at schedules, especially if you are on a bigger yard set up not everyone can have a field near the yard or a stable near the muckheap. The biggest difference time wise to me is having small bale hay or large round bales, that can add a good 5 minutes. You wondered why it was taking people so long, don't get riled at those pointing out why it might take them longer than your 20 mins because I am pretty sure anyone on DIY with a full time job is not dawdling unnecessarily! My comparison is having them at home, so access to field essentially open doors and let them go out, only 2 stables so tap, hay, and muckheap etc all very close to a 15 box yard, with tap and hay at one end, muck heap at the other, a 10 min round trip to turn out in winter because we didn't own the 'short cut' so had to go down oneside of the hedge, and up the other and a 20 min round trip in 'summer'. It is surprising how even on a relatively small yard how much difference it can make time wise, and I have a very tidy horse! Add a bit of ice breaking, or poo picking so you don't have to do it by torch light and things can definitely take longer than 20 mins.
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Sorry that is a typo it should read as doing bulk at the weekends and I do see to my own horse and work full time, so I'll stick by my point even taking the turnout away mucking out, hanging nets and filling water for one horse shouldn't take more than 20 minutes IF you are organised. Maybe it's from working on yards I feel this way.
 
DIY, shift work, OH, 2 horses (one older stallion, one nearing 2 year old), long walk to field with the youngster (no 24/7 turnout in winter damn it) , 2 young children, all the chores and general chaos that goes along with that lot...

Winter is my enemy - up either 5.10am or 6am depending, sometimes later depending on work start time. Basically if I want to ride, it's a super early start... Whilst kids still sleeping = guilt free schooling. Even then it's only a 30 min max.

Summer = bliss as they can stay out ! ...no time for gym or anything else really!
Although do like to go for a run if I get the chance.

Must be mad. I admit I do feel drained. If I had the cash I would pay for a bit of help, but hey ho, we manage.

Edit to say my OH does help too! Which I'm grateful for.
 
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wills_91 said:
Sorry that is a typo it should read as doing bulk at the weekends and I do see to my own horse and work full time, so I'll stick by my point even taking the turnout away mucking out, hanging nets and filling water for one horse shouldn't take more than 20 minutes IF you are organised. Maybe it's from working on yards I feel this way.
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Well no, I'd agree if you aren't turning out then you should likely get it done in 20 minutes though I have been to a yard where the heap was a good 5 min round trip too! But turning out is likely what takes quite a bit of time for people and most people are turning out so it isn't possible to just remove that from the time frame.
 
Obviously it's up to you but I'd leave out the gym as it seems to be the only non essential part and you'll be exhausted!
I'm lucky, my pony has no hard feed and her 'DIY' livery includes her either being turned out at 9ish or brought in at 4/5, so I only have to go in evenings on weekdays. I'm at school so I get there for about 4:30, bring in, muck out and set stable, normally take ages grooming as she gets every patch with no rug on plastered, ride, rug, go home
 
Turnout in the morning is different on all yards, believe me I have as much done in advance as possible which is why I go back up at night. However as I feed and turnout other peoples horses I cant control everything....for example I have to change the rugs for some of the field mates before they are turned out, not my horses so I cant dictate that they are in the turnouts overnight. Out of the four that I turnout three of them require boots on in the morning for the field....again not my horses so I cant decided that they don't need them.
The yard that I am currently on is owned by a lovely but very clean lady, so the concrete on the yard must be swept after turnout, this takes 10 minutes on its own as well as sweeping the hay barn (if I have had to fill an extra net for whatever reason) and raking up any hay that has been dropped while carrying it over to the stables! I know not everyone would appreciate having to do these chores in the morning however it was a compromise I made for getting the otherwise perfect yard.
I have worked on yards as well so know how to multi task and cut time.
 
My routine varies in that pony only comes in if weather is particularly bad and I split jobs/visits with the other lady we share a field with but she does sometimes work away a few days at a time, so a worst case scenario winters day for me would be:

5.45- out of bed and get ready to drive the 5 minutes to the yard
6.15 - get to yard, feed 2 ponies, put hay in field, rug up and turn out, wash feed buckets
6.55 - get home in time for my OH leaving at 7 so our wee one isn't home alone! Shower, dress, get daughter ready, feed cats, put a load on washing on, chuck something in the slow cooker for tea
8.00 - leave home for nursery/work
8.15 - drop wee one at nursery
8.30 - start work
17.15 - leave work
17.30 - pick up daughter at nursery
17.45 - get home and have a very quick dinner with OH
18.15 - get to yard, muck out, fill nets & water buckets, bring 2 ponies in for the night, make feeds and sort out hay for morning
19.15 - home, cup of tea and Hollyoaks(!), put daughter to bed
20.00 - sort out washing, do dishes, tidy up, get packed lunches made for next day
21.00 - spend an hour reading, watching TV etc. before bed at 10

Daughter only rides at weekends through the winter months so that's not an issue. Summer is different in that mucking out in the evening is swapped for riding and pooh picking and I don't have to get up so early in the morning as we give them a check on the drive to nursery if it's my turn to do it!
 
ester said:
Well that's the point isn't it you don't know how many people are walking 10/15 minutes to turn out because you are just looking at schedules, especially if you are on a bigger yard set up not everyone can have a field near the yard or a stable near the muckheap. The biggest difference time wise to me is having small bale hay or large round bales, that can add a good 5 minutes. You wondered why it was taking people so long, don't get riled at those pointing out why it might take them longer than your 20 mins because I am pretty sure anyone on DIY with a full time job is not dawdling unnecessarily! My comparison is having them at home, so access to field essentially open doors and let them go out, only 2 stables so tap, hay, and muckheap etc all very close to a 15 box yard, with tap and hay at one end, muck heap at the other, a 10 min round trip to turn out in winter because we didn't own the 'short cut' so had to go down oneside of the hedge, and up the other and a 20 min round trip in 'summer'. It is surprising how even on a relatively small yard how much difference it can make time wise, and I have a very tidy horse! Add a bit of ice breaking, or poo picking so you don't have to do it by torch light and things can definitely take longer than 20 mins.
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Also don't forget that some people CHOOSE to not rush like a headless chicken. I take about an hour at the yard in the mornings (field is about a 5 min walk each way, twice).
Yes, I probably could do everything in 30-40 minutes but I would be running around flat out and getting stressed. I would rather get up 15 minutes earlier and have a more relaxed start to my day.
It's not a race.
 
5.15am up and on yard
6.30am back in for breakfast and feed cat
7am 20 min nap
7.45am out the door for work
5.45pm back home from work (unless teaching in which case 8.30pm)
11pm bed

At the weekends I'm up at 6am as like to go for a swim first thing.

I also run my own business as well as working full time and home life isn't the most straight forward.

If you want something enough, you'll do whatever it takes. I really don't get people who act like they'll croak in they don't get a perfect 8 hours sleep. No one remembers the nights you went to bed early. Life is too short to sit around.

ETA reading post above, I agree. I prefer to get up a little earlier than necessary and know I have 20/30 mins spare time should anything happen (IE cat has made a mess or fence has blown over etc etc). It's much easier than running round blue in the face.
 
my day was a 5.30 am start and I rarely got home before 9.30pm when I worked full time I had 2 horses at different yards for a while in the winter that wasn't easy, I did get burnt out after some years of doing it and I wouldn't do it again, so hats off to everyone with such a full on routine.
 
It looks like a normal routine to me! :)

This is my intention, but something always happens to break it :P I also need to find some time to do proper riding as I've joined the wobbleberry challenge so need to get some consistency.

5.30 get up, feed cat, feed dogs, cuppa
6.30 walk dogs for an hour
7.30 shower etc
8.00 get to yard, prepare 2 feeds, feed 1, turnout 2, bring in another, turnout first horse, muckout, hay, water
9.00 work
12 - 1.30 go home to let dogs out, ride if poss
6.00 leave work
6.30 walk dogs for just under an hour
7.30 back up to yard, feed my 2, turn 1 out, muckout, check other over, general pottering
9.00 home
11.30 bed
 
I really don't get people who act like they'll croak in they don't get a perfect 8 hours sleep. No one remembers the nights you went to bed early. Life is too short to sit around.
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As Esther says, though, getting enough sleep is really important for a lot of people's mental health. If I get too little I get really anxious and for me it's just not worth it - I need to prioritise taking care of myself.
 
XxCoriexX said:
Turnout in the morning is different on all yards, believe me I have as much done in advance as possible which is why I go back up at night. However as I feed and turnout other peoples horses I cant control everything....for example I have to change the rugs for some of the field mates before they are turned out, not my horses so I cant dictate that they are in the turnouts overnight. Out of the four that I turnout three of them require boots on in the morning for the field....again not my horses so I cant decided that they don't need them.
The yard that I am currently on is owned by a lovely but very clean lady, so the concrete on the yard must be swept after turnout, this takes 10 minutes on its own as well as sweeping the hay barn (if I have had to fill an extra net for whatever reason) and raking up any hay that has been dropped while carrying it over to the stables! I know not everyone would appreciate having to do these chores in the morning however it was a compromise I made for getting the otherwise perfect yard.
I have worked on yards as well so know how to multi task and cut time.
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Presumably you are paid in £££ or in kind for changing rugs, putting boots on and turning out three other horses.

In terms of the sweeping, would it not be quicker to pick ever horses’ feet out, and just sweep each door back in?

And if need to move hay, put it in a bag (e.g. Ikea to some large carry bags) and don’t make any mess? Or in a barrow.
 
The routine you quote is pretty normal for any working horse owner on DIY!
I've been there and done it, as have most on this forum I expect.
Personally I reached the stage where I get little enjoyment from being permenantly tired and with no time for anything other than working, shovelling poo and trying to squeeze in time to ride.
I feel lucky now to be in a position to pay for assistance with chores.
 
I'm with you on that one ihatework,...Been there and done that in previous years. I too am fortunate enough to be in a position where i can use the extra livery services as and when needed (as well as going onto part livery from DIY).
 
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