Who does their horses in the dark?

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Partridg3

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And what precautions do you take?

I have lights and electric but still act like a big baby when doing horses at my yard. I'm not sure what I'm scared of most...potential murderers or mice. I get everything prepared and I'm in and out on a feeding stealth mission in nano seconds at night. I can't get back in the car quick enough. Even took my dad last week (I'm 40!)
 
I do mine every night at about 9pm and then again at 10:30/ 11:00. I don't care about the dark but mine are at home and my dugs are usually out with me.
 
I go to my horse all hours - depends when I finish work or if I get called out. Sometimes I start mucking out at near midnight, then get called out again and don't get back to bring her in until two or three. As long as I let my YO know I am on call that night earlier in the eve then there is no prob - he knows not to panic if a light is on.

With regards being there alone, it never worries me, never has. I am a lone worker who deals with dangerous situations in my career, sometimes all hours of the day and night, and I actually enjoy the peace and quiet of being at the yard in the middle of the night.:)
 
Haha I am such a wuss, mine lives out so we don't have electric but I just bought a headtorch which has made a big difference, I just pop in and feed/check her really at that time, but I get freaked out walking across field in the dark and on the footpath (although it does have cats eyes for some visibility, tis also quite busy with cyclists at all hours, don't know if that's a good thing or not!) But when its windy and the shed is rattling and whistling away... eeek! I do take my BF with me quite a lot which was good the time I actually did see a mouse, bless it I wish they wouldn't move so suddenly!
 
I often have to at this time of year. I have them at home and have some lights at the stables. Had to walk across their field to check their water last night and wasn't too keen on that. For some reason I feel safer walking across their fields than going along some streets at night though.
 
I don't mind the dark. It gives me a chance to look to look at the stars :)

There was some kind of feral cat thing living in the stables one winter. That shooting past me in the dark hissing was very scary!!
 
Mine are kept at a very basic yard, which even with lights on us poorly lit.
95% of the time I have no probs going up in the dark or being the only one up there, just occasionally I get the thought pop into my head.... What if... Then I freak myself out and have to wait a little while or drag hubby up with me!!
 
We have ones in & ones out, done in the dark on the days we are working. I like having my dog with me, he might be little but thinks hes big, typical JR lol
 
I do mine in the dark, there is electricity in the stables but I have a fair walk accross fields. I wear a headtorch, and dont usually think about it too much.
 
I do , worst moment was last year when putting out hay in the dark, one of the donkeys who roam the forest was just the other side of the fence and decided to bray.

Have you heard the noise they make, sounded like hound of the flippin Baskervilles!

I'm sure my heart stopped!!
 
I do mine in the dark sometimes, we have no electric down there except for a car battery & light that attaches to that for the feed shed.
I also hate walking about by myself in the dark, I'm never sure if the fact the field is well out the way to be seen or heard is a good or a bad thing, I always take the dog with me which makes me feel calmer. Although one night last week she was acting really weird & freaking me out, but no murderers appeared so she's obviously just nuts!
 
I do mine in the dark morning and night this time of year on my days at work. It used to bother me but it's not so bad now.

I have lights which light up enough of the field for me to get in and feed them. Although I do still prefer someone with me.
 
When it's my turn to do them I bring them in before it gets dark before my afternoon shift at work. When I come back to feed/skip out/top up hay the yard is well lit... but not the bit where I park my car nor the path leading to the stables. And my torch is pathetic. I literally feel like I'm in Slender-- every time I turn around I'm pretty sure the Slender man is gonna come and get me :o
 
I try and get things done like mucking out in the daylight then bring in and change rugs with the help of my car headlights and a head torch. I never really think about and danger tbh!
 
me and its a good 15 mins walk across the farm to our field, we have to turn out in the dark-when i walk back along the track and the badgers hurtle past my legs it scares the b'jesus out of me but apart fromthat its fine:D
 
I don't even think about it being dark. I leave the house early and get back late so have to do them in the dark from November to February. I use a headtorch for everything, just have to watch and not blind the ponies with it. I poo pick in the dark and will walk the dog round the stubble fields in the dark too. My grandad always said that there isn't anything about at night that doesn't exist in the day so I dont get spooked very easily.

The only thing that has scared me so far was when the dog started barking at the fence with her hackles up and I couldn't see what it was and jumped out of my skin, lol (it was just next door putting their hens to bed!)
 
I'm out on the yard by 4:30am - it's always dark when I'm mucking out!

We live in the middle of nowhere on a private country estate, so I never feel nervous. I have the dogs with me, and OH is only twenty metres away in the house.
 
Starzaan said:
I'm out on the yard by 4:30am - it's always dark when I'm mucking out!
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4.30?! :eek:

I feel sorry for the horses being woken up at that ungodly hour, mine does the 'I'm blind, turn off the lights' blink when I go at 6am :D

I put hay out in a pitch black field, and that can be fairly interesting, esp when you lose a welly to mud :p
 
Tinselface said:
4.30?! :eek:

I feel sorry for the horses being woken up at that ungodly hour, mine does the 'I'm blind, turn off the lights' blink when I go at 6am :D

I put hay out in a pitch black field, and that can be fairly interesting, esp when you lose a welly to mud :p
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Haha, they're all used to it. I feed at half 4, then turn out and start mucking out at 5. It means that by this time I've mucked out and turned out the whole yard, walked the dogs, and have usually ridden at least one. I've clipped one instead this morning because it's so bloody frozen everywhere!

I finish mucking out at 7am, which leaves me the whole day to ride and get on with things. Much nicer!
 
I do in the dark, it's down a lane, covered with trees and surrounded by woods, there is a tramp who lives in these woods, and guess who got to find him all alone in the dark? Yep, me!
Can't use lights because horse freaks out at shadows, the moonlight is VERY helpful, and when it's cloudy, walking across a 28acre field is not that easy, however I'm lucky in that my horse comes over and calls to me so we can locate eachother's whereabouts :) yay for good horsies!
 
Mine are kept basic DIY, no electric & remote location, I regularly go in the dark alone.
I feel safer there than walking through our local neighbourhood in broad daylight.
Not much scares me...

:D
 
At think time of year I pretty much only see horses mud week in dark.

Use head torch to feed and check field horse and break ice. Occasionally feel bit isolated and vulnerable in field / where I park but mostly don't mind dark.

Other horse at livery about a mile away. Often only person there first / last thing. Are yard lights but is a 7 minute hack in private tracks to the arena which I do with a head torch. Don't mind the dark for this. But do curse if hazards appear on route e.g. the large heap of gravel in middle of track.
 
I do not envy any of you and am now very thankful the yard im taking my new horse to (collecting her this Saturday ... Yipppeee) lights up like the blackpool illuminations and the field is a stones throw away from my stable as all the winter grazing is up and wrapped around the yard so one flick of the switch and half the field is lit up as well :D
 
I do mine in the dark every morning but stables are right next to my house so not scary and I have flood lights on the yard which light up half the little paddock as well. I also walk my dogs around the fields whilst the horses have their breakfast and thats really dark as no houses close and no roads with street lights but I am used to it. Was walking a few years back when my horses were in having their food as usual and I got to the furthest point of our land which is pitch black and felt a nose on the back of my neck and it snorted. Jumped out of my skin I hadn't seen him at all, he was under some trees and had stepped out behind me. It turned out it was a neighbours horse that had broken into our field. That scared me!!
 
cheeryplatypus said:
I don't even think about it being dark. I leave the house early and get back late so have to do them in the dark from November to February. I use a headtorch for everything, just have to watch and not blind the ponies with it. I poo pick in the dark and will walk the dog round the stubble fields in the dark too. My grandad always said that there isn't anything about at night that doesn't exist in the day so I dont get spooked very easily.
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Same here.....if you see someone bobbing around in the dark, headtorch on..... poo-picking, its probably me rocking out to some chunes.....:D
 
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