Who works long hours and us on DIY in winter?

I work 10-12 hours a day and have 2 at home. You get up early and finish late! If you are on a yard, you can most probably find someone in the same situation and help each other out.

It all depends on whether the yard has 'rules'; if so, they may not fit in with your schedule.
 
I have to be at work and start at 8 am, so am up at 6.30, get to the field by 7.30, feed and get to work asap!!!
Then I finish at 5.15, get to field 5.30/5.45, check them over and feed, home by 7pm.
Normally in bed by 9 :D

At the weekends me and mum will blitz the field poo picking etc ready to start again on monday :)
 
I work about 50hrs a week and am on DIY (only 1 though!). I don't know any different.

I get up at 6am, get home about 8.30pm (if I ride which is weather dependent as our school freezes). It is tiring but fine :)
 
Mine have varied from leaving home at 4.30 to do horses, home by 6, on train by 6.30, off train at 6.30, home by 10, to leaving home at 5.30 home at 10. Hard work, but worth it!
 
It is doable.
The only thing I can struggle with is that sometimes I need to T/O before others do in the morning and this means my girl has to go out on her own. And the same can happen in the evening.
I also manage by being on a yard where they do services - I couldn't be on a strictly DIY yard anymore as due to my job I can end up working in different parts of the country, meaning I need to put her on livery for a day.
 
I am lucky in that the yard is on the way to work, although things have changed this winter and I won't be able to have someone else bring in Fat Boy when all the others come on, so will be looking to taking the late lunch slot and getting him in then, but he will only be in about 1.5hrs earlier than last year.

I will be on the the yard for 6, and this year as I have moved jobs am lucky enough to be able to shower at work so might actually be able to ride in the mornings now before hand so not dragging the day out at the end and lets him finish his cooling down in the field :D Even when someone brought him in, I rarely got home much before 7-8pm :(

And it didn't seem to be any easier with one from when I had 2!!
 
Mine are DIY - its my yard so I have to do them myself :D

I'm up at 5.45 on a work day in the winter - out the door 5 mins later & home around 7am & then off to work an hour later after coffee, newspaper & shower etc, Home in the evening around 6.30/7pm after pulling them in.
It helps that the yard is around 4 miles/10 mins drive (non-traffic) in the mornings.

Things to help you are: (which I find works for me)
Set aside time on a weekend to fill lots of nets/or divide up hay so you can just grab each day to set up. You could allso make up feeds for the week into plastic bags - easier to tip out & add additives daily.
I also in the depths of winter only scrub out feed & water buckets at a weekend, the rest of the time its a quick rinse from the water butt.
I also square up muck heap & really sweep down all yard (the rest of the week its a quick tidy)

Saving time: I skip out on work mornings & take out wet only if really necessary (leaving proper muck out till non-work day)
I also leave stables totally ready for evening inc water done & hay in.
Feeds are mixed up & ready to add water to for the coming evening & next morning.
Torch - I have 2: 1 lives in the car & another in the feed room. Both are non-battery but are clockwork ones so never need to worry about batteries.

After work I locate Fuzzies in the dark & bring them in, change rugs if necessary, feed & wave goodbye when they have eaten. If dry, have been known to teeter across yard in work gear if am in a hurry on a Fri night :D

I also poo-pick most work nights with the use of the torch, luckily mine tend to use the same patches of the paddock. I cant bear leaving barrow loads of it for a weekend :o

I just could not go off to work knowing I have got mucky stables to attend to at the end of the (what could be a horrible) day.

Have fun! :)
 
Last edited:
I work shifts but very often my day starts 4.30 to 5pm turnout and muck out if wheather all go do nets and feeds exr for lunch and at night if bit done already , evening yard duties usually finish 9pm ish I have 3on DIY livery x
 
It is hard work but it is do-able. I have 3 at home and then another one is out on loan so I really hope he stays there!

I am lucky in that I work flexi time. In the winter I start at 10 am but that still means I have to leave the house at 8.45. Apart from the darkest months of Dec and Jan I even get chance to snatch a quick ride before work.

The down side is then that I don't finish til 6 and am not home til 7 pm but then it's a quick meal then up to the stables to bring in.

I get up early and make feeds up and bayonets, muck out and bed down in the mornings so have limited things to do at night
 
You'll be fine - lots of people do it!

In Winter, my two are stabled overnight so, I get up to yard for 5.45am. Turnout and muckout, put beds down, do haylage and clean water and feed buckets. I get ready for work at the yard (we have a warm tack room). I return to yard in evening at about 5.30pm (give or take half an hour). I bring in, ride one, do waters, feed and check alls well before going home to eat - usually about 8pm.

It's hard work but do-able :)
 
I work 9-5.30 and have an hour communte each way, currently one horse possibly 2 (OH's as he works away at times).
It'll be leave home 6.15, turf out and muck out, coffee home for a shower/change. I'm lucky enough to have servcies if needed so YO will bring them in. If I can't muck out on a morning they'll be done after work. Riding will be done after work and weekend with at a day or 2 off per week where poss. I normally eat around 9pm with a much needed vino :p

Prep is the key - make up feeds/haynets, have spares to hand rather than miles away or at home and get into a routine/habit. ATM I can muck out/feed/rebed the box rest ned in 16 mins (I am proud of this :D)
 
Auslander said:
It's those pesky bayonets that take all the time! You might consider replacing them with surface to air missiles - which come pre-prepared.
Click to expand...

:D

I'm similar to Fuzzy Furry, though I only have one and have the added advantage of a DAD! He brings her in for me weeknights as I don't get there until 7. Separation anxiety would be the undoing of her if left out alone for 2 or 3 hours. If I had 2 (God forbid) then I could bring them in together.

Morning 6.15am up yard (4 miles from home)
She eats readymade breakfast while I skip out around her.
Rug change, out to field
Back to stable to tidy up, refill water and add readymade haynet
Leave latest 7am

Dad brings her in around 5pm and gives her readymade dinner
He also changes outdoor rug to an indoor one

I go back at 7pm for feet picking, riding, cuddles, skip out, general check over.
I am home any time between 8 and 9pm.
 
One thing I found really helps is consider using a rug that can be used for indoor and outdoor without needing to be changed 2 x day unless necessary. By all means undo it and move it, but beats time changing a heavy mucky rug after a day out in the field :D
 
Nugget La Poneh said:
One thing I found really helps is consider using a rug that can be used for indoor and outdoor without needing to be changed 2 x day unless necessary. By all means undo it and move it, but beats time changing a heavy mucky rug after a day out in the field :D
Click to expand...

This^^^ I work lates and earlies so my rountine varies but like my lates as I can ride before work. Me and my yard partner [only us on yard] help each other out. Also invest in a slow cooker so dinner is ready when you get home. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top