Who looks after your animals when you are ill?

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peaceandquiet1

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As the title, I am really ill with a winter virus and struggling to cope with six equines. Luckily they are at home, as driving would be a challenge. OH has demanding job and can't see how he could fit it in. So what back up plans do others have?
 
My OH will do them and he too has a demanding job, but he just gets up even earlier. The kids will help him after work. It's tough on everyone when I can't 'do' them but it's only ever happened when I've been hospitalised and had genuine flu (once).
 
This is the best thing about our tiny DIY yard, just me and one other owner and we manage to be ill at dfferent times so all it takes is a txt and whoever is on the sick list stays home whilst the other just gets on with it. It seems to work out about evens!
 
I use a 'professional horse sitter'.
Saw an ad in local tack shop for Kirsty's Horses and got in touch through their website.
My local 'sitter' - Clare - is great. I keep my boys on rented land rather than livery and the owner is non-horsey, so unable to help.
I have called upon Clare's help many times for over a year now and would have struggled without it.
Rates are very reasonable, but most of all, she is reliable and trustworthy and good with my horses. A very nice person too :)
 
martlin said:
I just drag myself around the yard on a ''go slow'' mode, animals have to be sorted no matter what :o
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As above until this year and a heart attack. OH has been getting up at 4:30 to see to them and is back there every evening with never a complaint. He has been amazing, and although he is horsey it has been a massive increase in his workload. Really, I can't thank him enough for all he has done.
 
horsemadmum1 said:
As the title, I am really ill with a winter virus and struggling to cope with six equines. Luckily they are at home, as driving would be a challenge. OH has demanding job and can't see how he could fit it in. So what back up plans do others have?
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Even though I have eight horses to care for on full and part livery, I do not have any one who is emplyed to help me. However, I do have very understanding and helpful liveries. One in particular, I know would come and do the horses for me if I was so ill that I was unable to, so long as she could fit it in around her part time working. The last time I was really ill was three years ago. I haven't had so much as a cold since *touches wood* :o. But yes, I do really dread getting too ill to run the livery yard.
 
My hubby and/or my mum.

My mum is very nervous of horses though so the most she'll do is throw their buckets over the fence for me, and maybe top up the water from the other side of the fence. Luckily, mine all live out so it's no great drama. She'll tell me if any look lame or aren't interested in their feed but they'll be assessed from a distance.
 
The mother :p

Ended up being run down with the flu a few weeks back and confined to my bed for a couple of days :( she sorted him for me luckily!
 
The OH looked after my two on DIY livery (all our yard does) whilst I was off with a broken ankle - I couldn't walk for a year! In between times, I am very fortunate in that there are around 20 odd people at the yard, and so I could ask for help from friends if need be. There is a girl on the yard that will do chores for a minimal amount of money, so when I go on my jollies, I pay her to look after my two. xx
 
i do them myself unless i'm absolutely unable to do them, if it's tricky for me to drive then my OH will drive me to the yard and help me do them but if it's more than just the driving going to be hard then he does them alone.
 
Mine are kept away from home but not in livery, a private yard where I keep them with no one else. so if im ill i have to drag myself out of bed, see to them, then go back to bed, also the same in the afternoon. they live out, so this is easier & i normally poo-pick. but if im ill, i just make sure they are fed & not injured then go home.
 
I usually manage to crawl to the yard myself but if thats an absolute no-no then my daughter, whose horse is kept with mine, would do them. Failing that, there are plenty of lovely people at my yard who would chip in and help at the drop of the hat :)
 
I've always managed to do them but go into hospital on Monday so OH is taking over. They are still out though, and only young, so its not too much.
 
Thanks for all replies. Just to be clear, I do the horses no matter what but I was thinking of the type of flu when you just can't get out of bed. I have dragged myself round the yard in various states of ill health for years and just seem to manage albeit slowly. There are pet sitters in the area so always worth keeping their no. handy.
 
If I cant do my horse then the two people who own the yard do her...if they cant do her its me only...she doesnt like anyone else!!!
You could advertise locally for horsey help...I put in an advert in our local shop offering to help...and now help look after 15 ponies who are very naughty!!
 
I luckily only own one horse, and he's on DIY so can upgrade to Full if necessary - the YOs are lovely and very flexible :) I still normally drag myself up to the yard to check he's ok.
 
My YO, and if worse came to worse, my mum.
YO feeds, gives a haynet then turns out every morning as part of her DIY livery thing. She has a pet hate of people coming up at different times and there are only about 5 stabled horses in winter anyway.
If I rang her and said "I am ill can you do her" that would be fine. Its an extra £6 per day for muckout, feed, bring in, rug change, feet pick out and a quick groom, and exercise if necisarry so I get a good deal I think!
 
MyBoyChe said:
This is the best thing about our tiny DIY yard, just me and one other owner and we manage to be ill at dfferent times so all it takes is a txt and whoever is on the sick list stays home whilst the other just gets on with it. It seems to work out about evens!
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This, although they are now on a bigger yard and I have a sharer so either sharer or YO does them.
 
Me! I would have to be really, really poorly to not do them myself. As in on the verge of hospitalisation. I haven't been that ill yet ever. I am DIY and would have to call in serious favours to get someone to look after them for more than the odd session. I am sure the lovely ladies at the yard would do them without a second thought but my two are a pair of arses and I wouldn't want to inflict them on anyone unless 100% necessary. Especially as everyone else I livery with also works full time and would struggle to fit them in. My mum lives too far away and my OH isn't horsey.
 
Just me & my Fuzzies.

Have got lovely lady in next door yard who does them when I have to be away & she has offered if I am stuck at anytime, tho I know it will cost, but they will be done as I like them

DH is rather anti horse now - only since big fuzzy arrived and he got stood on & then shoved hard on day 1 :o tho am sure (fingers xx'd) that if I was really stuck he would at least feed, water & hay them both till someone could let them out or change a rug etc at this time of the year when they are in.

He has once opened stable doors last winter to let them take themselves out into field, no drama but he forgot big fuzzy was in nightie & not in anorak :rolleyes::D
 
martlin said:
I just drag myself around the yard on a ''go slow'' mode, animals have to be sorted no matter what :o
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Yep....although I did have a small op last month and couldn't lift anything 'heavy' for a week or so.....so OH and kids helped.

Although....I did ponder....who's definition of what accounts for 'heavy'? Most people I know couldn't pick up a bale of straw- but thats not heavy to me....but just to be on the safe side I let OH do it:D
 
No one does my lad...I have to man up and get on with it! I lead a healthy lifestyle which does ward off the usual colds and flu...never get them and if anything serious happened I would have to look at plan B...but if it is just the usual illnesses or aches and pains I still have to do him myself.
 
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