Winter DIY

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icestationzebra

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Just wondering how you all manage through the winter on DIY? I work 'normal' hours and although going to the yard twice a day is no problem for me I am wondering how I am going to do it all in the 'dark'
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How do you manage? Do your horses go out all day?
 
My horse lives out 24/7 now, so i just go and check her, feed her, adjust rug weights according to weather, and ride in the evenings.
i still go to the yard at the same time as i used to when she was in - 7.00 (yard only a 2 min drive away). we have 2 floodlit arenas, and good lighting at the yard, although going to the field in the dark can be a hair-raising experience!
Sarah xXx
 
I used to get up at half 6, up at the yard for quarter to, muck out, put hay in, swap his rugs over, and turn him out (he's fine turned out on his own), they were on restricted grazing so YO would bring them in after 3 hours. I'd be home for half 7, ready to go to school an hour later. I would then go up after school at 4, ride, skip out, feed, and tuck in bed, home for 6. Luckily got a flood light school and lights all round the yard though!
 
I have my horse in a rented field with a mobile field stable. I have no water or electricity and my horse is in at night and out in the day.
It is difficult because I am always there in the pitch black, but have found a way of using camping lanterns and just carry it around like florence nightingale!!!! LOL!
I envy all you lot with your electricity in your stables and nice yards! Oh well...I am grateful for what I have and do manage quite well...your eyesight gets good too!
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Get up at 5.15am. Go down to yard (floodlit) muck out do haynets and feeds. Let horse out in sand arena (no turnout!!)

Home showered and at work for 8. Finish at 4.30. ride, skip out, feed. Home for about 7pm!

I would LOVE winter turnout, unfortunately without paying silly prices it isnt available round here!!

Never mind, hopefully will keep his interest and he wont be wappy - hopefully!!
 
I get to the yard for 6.15am, feed, turn out then muck out and get to work for 8.30.

Get back there about 5.30pm, soak haynet, make feeds, bring in and groom and then put her to bed and normally get home for 7.15ish.

I'm lucky as my yard is 7 mins from home (yes, I am sad and I have timed it!) and we have plenty of lights so that helps but it it still a long day. It was worse when she was in work (now retired due to injury) as then I didn't have time for a life at all!!
 
Exactly as you say - in the dark!!!!!!!!!

Up at 7, last year feed 3 change my girls rug (the rest stayed in turnouts) hay out - turn out. I was lucky that the other owner would bring them in at about 4 or else I had to find and catch in the dark. Would try and ride twice during the week by taking long lunches and not on other days (flexi lunches) or work from home one day a week. Am lucky enough to have lights (and a loo!!!!!) but would then feed them all and groom SS.

Have you found a yard yet?
 
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I am wondering how I am going to do it all in the 'dark'

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Put the lights on
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I'm on the yard at 6.30am - muck out, turn out etc.

Back on yard at 4.30pm to bring them in.
 
I actually feel quite lucky now. Someone feeds my horse, swaps rugs and turns out monday to friday for £1 per day. In the winter our fields are open in the day but all horses are in at night. So I just go down at 4.30pm get Baron in, muck out, groom etc etc and ride, feed and put him to bed. We have a floodlit megage aswell. Im not looking forward to going down the fields in the dark though, our fields are so huge and very scarey! Maybe I will try and get one of the kids on the yard to bring him in for £1 a day, lol.
 
Agree with others get good night vision, torches and use the lights!

I tend to get up at 5.30am most working days and try to muck out and ride out in the dark before work and turn my sister's horse out and sometimes "do" him and leave everything ready for the evenings. Then pay yard £1.85 to bring in and feed in the evening or my sister does it, so I don't go back up. Luckily only work till lunchtime Fridays so that is only Mon - Thurs and work things between me and my sister as she is a home working mum most days so goes up during the day when the kids are at school. I do go up some evenings in the deepest winter, as my mare refuses to stay out in the field after lunchtime, so is brought in by the yard or my sister if she is around, so I go up and skip her out and give her some attention after work and feed her and my sister's horse.

Mind you this year we have a new school which is soon to be flood lit, so not sure whether I will ride some evenings instead.

Tips for saving time :

Chuck out your stable rugs and just use good breathable turnout rugs all the time - it really is amazing the time not having to switch rugs takes!

Rubber matting - a real life saver!

Other than that it just comes down to planning and routine I suppose.

And a separate life........what's one of those!!!
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I'm fortunate, we have one horse & the whole family lends a hand. Arrive at yard 7.30am, feed, rug, boot & turn out. Muck out stable. Bring him in about 3.00pm, wash off legs, rug change & into stable, come home. Back down later to Groom & ride him, feed him, tuck him up and go home. Also fortunate we have a menage (not floodlit at moment due to planning regs) a jumping field with a set of jumps & a dressage arena 20m x 40 in there aswell. There's also a 20m x 40m indoor school which can be used until 10.00pm. There are lights outside & inside each stable & floodlights on the carpark. There is all year turnout however sometimes it has to be limited if the ground gets too wet. As you will gather there is a waiting list for the yard. We had 2 move out a week ago & the stables are full again now. We are on DIY as are the majority & we help each other out. There are 26 horses on the site which extends to around 30 acres. We've been here for almost 4 years & have no plans to move, we're very happy.
 
You get used to it but then I have a well lit yard which helps. In the winter we only have turnout in sand pens so I get to yard about 6:30 muck out do feeds etc put her in a pen then pay someone to bring her in about 9am, that way she gets out for about 3 hours before the mad rush for pens begins and she would only get out for about half an hour. I then go back after work about 6pm, ride muck out etc.
 
I am up yard at 5.45 (6 miles either way)-got daughter's horse to do this year too. Got electricity in yard, so mucking out mine will be ok. But hers - Ted out in field stable with another horse - rigged up electicity running off car batteries. Fingers crossed there then! IN evening up yard at 4.30 (depending on after school clubs, music lessons for other daughter etc) floodlit menage (pay extra for lighting in winter) and also have got poo picking to be done daily (job for daughter there methinks - wonder if a miner's lamp would help?) Not looking forward to it - but that is all part of the horse owning devotion, isn't it?!
 
All our horses live out 24/7 all year around, unless the weather in terrible, last year they were only in one night.

Same routine as summer really, except changing rugs and feeding
 
Ive recently moved yards so now have a different order of doing things as before i didn't have an arena so couldn't ride on a night just weekends, but now i have an arena with lights so will be riding on a night. Here it goes;

Go to the yard for about 7.30 ish, turn my boy out with hay then muck out and if time do hay and water.

Get back to the yard after work for about 6.30 finish off any stable jobs, then bring him in (have to walk through woodland to get to field in the pitch black, scary
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) and ride. Will be quite scary as most people will have gone by then, will get home for about 8 -8.30.

I also agree that rubber matting saves alot of time, so if you can afford it its worth getting. Ive just got mine after debating about it for a couple of years.

I also use breathable outdoor rugs instead of indoor, saves time i tend to have two of each so if one is very wet then i can change them over.

Another tip is to buy enought hay nets for the week and fill them up on a weekend so you dont have to do them each night. I find this saves alot of time. My horse has hay in his field so i use the bags i save from my shavings and fill them with hay. So i have the weeks hay supple done.
 
No - not sure what to do. I love where I am at the moment - rubber matted brick built stable, floodlit school and everything is immaculate with lots of turnout. What am I worrying about I hear you say? Well, we are moving house and I will be probably 6 miles away. I know that is not far but we are moving to be nearer work and it is 6 miles the wrong way if you know what I mean as I would have to double back on myself to get to work. The other thing that worries me is that YO daughter goes to college in Oct and taking her horse with her so I will be on my own. No other livery to help me out if I need it (reciprocal of course) and I would rather my horse had company. Solution: nice other DIY that would perhaps chuck out for me in the morning so I could go after work instead. I have mentioned it to YO and she is happy to take on another livery - just finding someone I guess. As it is a private yard at her house I guess they have to be the right person if that makes sense? All up in the air at the moment!
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Note: YO doesn't have her own horse anymore and does not want to be 'doing' on the yard as she is trying to set up a business so I can't ask her to help, but I knew this when I moved there.
 
eat my carrots!
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Reassured that you all seem to manage in the winter evenings and I won't be alone. We have lights on the yard and around the house and car park but it was just the bringing in from the field that I was worried about - but I'll have to get used to it - a torch will be essential kit I guess!

Thanks for all your time saving ideas too. I will def not get into lots of rug swapping. In fact I have always left a heavyweight NZ on at night as long as dry but thought I was just being lazy. I see now that it is just sensible when you don't have much time!
Lets just hope that this winter is a dry-ish one. Don't mind the cold but I hate the MUD!
 
I manage exactly the same as in summer!

Till's is checked on route to uni in the mornings and again in the evenings. At weekends its no different except she may not be checked till mid morning!

Last winter she wintered out and most likely will again this year but she does have access to her stable 24/7 and it wouldn't make a hugfe difference to keep her in.
 
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it was just the bringing in from the field that I was worried about - but I'll have to get used to it - a torch will be essential kit I guess!


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Ive got a huge yellow torch it lights up about half the field, makes things less scary! A torch and warm wellies are a must for the winter. Anyway good luck with which ever way you choose to go.
 
My 2 live out 24/7 & I check them 6am & feed at 6:0pm. Thay have learned that when they see my head torch food is coming so I don't have to find tem - they find me. Head torches are great as they leave both hands free.
 
Because my girl is at home we have no luxeries such as electricity.
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You just have to get good at managing haynets, buckets, and whatever else whilst carrying a torch! It does mean that my stable never gets a really thorough mucking out until the weekend, becuase I just can't see!!
 
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