Working fulltime - how many horses is viable?

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kit279

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For those of you that work full-time, just wondering how many horses you manage to keep in work over winter and how long that takes you per day? Do you ride before or after work and how many horses? For those of you with a long commute, how do you manage?

I'm actually struggling a bit to keep two ticking over at the moment and just to school them both took me about 2 hours today (and I didn't even bother to scrape all the mud off..). Would be interested to know what everyone else does to manage - I'm trying to keep ours fit enough to go for an hour or two hunting at the weekends so I can't just abandon them over winter.
 
When I worked fulltime, I persuaded my boss to let me work 10-6 - I rode both before work, and then they either stayed in and I put them to bed late, or I got someone on the yard to bring them in before dark.

Couldn't have done it otherwise as I can't hack in the dark and the school was only floodlit as I left my job!
 
I can just about manage my 1 horse and he's on part livery
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, I ride at 7am before work most days unless I'm staying away with work (I have a very full time job with no defined hours......'hours as required'
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)!!!

You're doing well with two, but its not worth killing yourself trying to keep them going, is there anyone that can help you exercise or do the stables for you??
 
I work full time in racing but luckily the horse are start early and finish late - start at 7 and finish at 3. I ride the pointer in my lunch time which is however long i want - withing reason! - so i really finish inbetween 4 & 4.30 and then rush home to ride song in the dark usually!! Im lucky as that mum is on a 4 day week at the mo so rides the pointer one day in the week for me so i can get home to hack/jump song or have a lesson and give him a day off in the week so i can give song another day as well as the weekend - so zac (pointer) gets ridden 6 days a week and song a min of 4
 
Last Winter I only managed one because I had to hack to the school in daylight... so ended up schooling or jumping at 6.30 in the morning weekdays and hacking or lessons at weekends. I had enough time to ride more after work but no light
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A school with lights makes all the difference, especially if you can lunge one and ride the other to save time one or two days a week.
 
Well I go to school full time and do my horse myself and my mum works full time and she does her pony. I suppose we could manage one more between us and the pony's sharer. They are turned away until next Sunday but after that we will do breakfast, hay and turn them out before work/school. I ride whenever the sun is up and we end up doing supper and putting to bed around 5:30.
 
I work full time but have negotiated 8.30 - 3.30 with no lunch so I can drop my son at school on the way and way back. Before work I feed and put haynets up for 12 and muck out 6 whilst he turns out and then after work whilst he rides 2 I either catch and sort rugs then make feeds etc or skip them if they've been brought in. Then between 8 and 9pm I skip and hay 6, do night rugs and check the others. I couldn't do it if the yard wasn't at home.
 
2 max whilst doing everything myself and keeping them hunting fit. Can manage more in the summer but 2 is enough in the winter.

I only have one this winter but usually muck out etc. about 5.45 then 3 or 4 mornings a week I go to ride out for a trainer before work - usually 7-8.30 or so (2 lots) then I ride a horse for my in-laws at lunchtime if I get time (not every day - it gets lunged or put on the walker every second day) then skip out and ride/lunge mine when I get home. If I'm not at the racing yard in the morning I prefer to ride my own before work rather than after. I usually work 8.45-5.30ish but do at least one late night a week (I'm at work now and will be for another hour or so) and work one weekend a month too.

I feel tired just typing that!
 
I have 2 and keep them at home so do everything myself.

I turn out & muck out before work and am always in the office well before 8am (often closer to 7.30). I work flexi so depending what I've got on can finish anywhere between 4-6pm but usually aim for about 4.30.

I ride 2 when I get home (luckily have a floodlit school), then do up and feed, etc. Back out about 9.30-10 to check and skip out.

I do all this fairly comfortably but live in a state of constant tiredness and have no other life! I debated taking on another a few weeks ago (absolute bargain and guaranteed moneymaker) but was well and truly talked out of it by Baydale and Horsemad12 (thanks ladies - good decision!)
 
I've got 3 at the moment but only one is in work and they're all living out which makes life so much easier. They will all be coming in soon though which means very early starts to get my 3 plus my sister's 3 done before leaving for work at 6.45am. Then I'm not usually home until 5.30-5.45pm so unless I box up to an arena or work from home mine don't get ridden during the week as I haven't got an arena at home
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In the past I've hunted horses for half a day on a Saturday with no work/one flatwork session during the week and they've been fine.
 
I look after and muck out both of ours every day before work (9-5). I like to ride before work in winter but I can't get out of bed at the moment.

I really want to hunt, but I'm just not getting the hacking miles in, and I won't hunt Mick unless he is super fit. There is still time though.
 
I work full time and am finding it very difficult at the mo - but compared to the rest of the thread i have it easy!

I have two horses one i ride and the other i dont (sadly), i feed 3 horses in the morning and turn one of mine out. Then two days a week i have a sharer who rides for me
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the other three days he doesnt get ridden.

Then my mum gets both horses in and i muck out my retired horse when i get back (usually about 6:15) but i dont ride at all in the week
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How i wish i worked flexi time - i HATE having an hours lunch i think of all the usefull things i could be doing!

I used to have such an easy life mum used to do the horses in the week and i would take over at the weekend - if i wanted to ride on a friday i would leave at 4 and be home for 5:30 (having made the hours up earlier in the week) the joys of flexi!!
 
I'm doing a full time degree and working part time (12 hours a week). I have 2 to keep (one retired) and have given up riding my eventer and decided to give him a winter break as it's just too much right now. When the uni work calms down in January I'm going to bring eventer back up to fitness. But it's tough at this time or year, hardly any daylight, no school with lighting etc and too many other commitments! All a bit depressing really!!!

I used to work 7-5/6ish in the city but the horse was in full livery and there was a floodlit school. I would ride at weekends and 2-4 evenings a week but wouldn't get home until 1030-1100 at night then collapse into bed to do it all again!!
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Bring on spring!!!!
 
If they are already fit, then day about is enough to keep them going. There was an article a couple of years ago that siad horses keep their fitness much better than humans, and I have used this regime ever since.

I even did Burgie 3 day taster using this method, of riding every other day. Means much less miles on ponys' clock too
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i work more than most people's full time being a vet. i have got 2 horses on DIY which means up at 6.30ish to do them before work and then i normally get down the yard at 7pm and ride one. The old guy is mostly retired so I dont ride him much, try and get friends to ride him to keep him ticking over. I dont think I could cope with 2 in full work. I dont get home till gone 9pm most nights as it is. It's exhausting and they live out!
 
I have 3 at home, I have a menege with lights so in theory can ride all of them every day, however that is not physically possible. I try to ride 2 a day, with all of us having at least one day a week off. I also have a weekend rider for my old mare, which helps.
I find 2 easily managable, but 3 is a struggle especially when the weather is as crap as this as every thing takes so much longer!
 
Two at two yards and then having to work 200 miles away has already taken its toll.... the bay mare is now going tomorrow! :-(

I was up at 5.30am to muck out and turn out, then when i wasnt 200 miles away, riding one in my lunch break and then the other in the arena.

After tomorrow, this will leave me with one again and she will soon be at home, so back to an easy life! :-)
 
For the first winter ever, I am down to 1 competition horse (and my 2 elderly retired ponies). For the past few years, I've always had 2 or 3 competing horses on the go so its quite a shock to only have 1 now! Trying to keep 3 horses fit during the summer etc. was rather tough I have to admit - they weren't ridden everyday, Id generally try to ride two an evening sort of time-about. The one who needed to be fittest (ie. my main comp horse) was ridden the most obviously.

Keeping them turned out permanently helps a lot, it literally takes me 5 mins to give them their feeds and hay. Keeping them rugged helps to save time too.

My horse is off work just now though on his annual break, it works for both of us - I simply cant ride over the worst winter due to only having a paddock to ride in so its just not practical!

I have noticed that having 1 is a hell of a lot easier though I must admit!! Doesn't stop me looking for more rides and even considering a youngster Ive seen for sale lately...
 
I have one on box rest atm and one in light work and am struggling to cope with walking the lame horse in-hand etc through the winter months.
Both mine are usually out overnight from November til April which cuts down on the work and ridden/lunged four times a week.
I'm dreading bringing the one that's on box rest back into work next month in the horrible weather and will have to take annual leave so I can hack in the daylight.
I think two on DIY is more than enough for one person who works full-time through the winter.
 
I have 6 on the yard the others are turnout 24/7. Im blessed that my mum works shifts early or late so she does all the mucking out for me most of the time. I pick the job to fit around the horses. my last job a postie - early morning till mid afternoon.
I now work nights, 2 nights at 6-6 and 3 at 7-2. so i sleep till about 12 and then get the 4 eventers ridden. I ride and lead alot. I have had to give the eventers a holiday though to try and get my two 3yr olds backed. I tried a 9-5 job for one week, i don't know how any of you do it. I don't think i could keep 2 horses fit with thoughs hours let alone 4!!!!!!
 
OMG, you lot make me feel really lazy! I have 3 horses, 2 living out but due to come in overnight in the next few weeks. One been on box rest since July but now allowed out in field all day. Was walking out in hand but have struggled to keep it up since clocks changed and have kind of decided to leave him til Spring now. He'd done a check ligament and it's healed well and is staying stable now he's having the odd blast round the field, so I figured leaving him til spring to bring back into work isn't going to do him any harm is it?

I only ride one of the others as the old boy is on long term rest, but I'm struggling to ride her consistently in the last few weeks. I used to ride 5-6 days a week; this week I managed 20 mins in school. I've just lost my motivation even though I want her to stay fit for winter showjumping. Might follow the comment made above and aim for every other day at least.

I work 4 nights a week, 8pm til 2am, have lots of running around to do in addition to the horses, and am always very tired. I rent a private yard so I do everything myself. I wouldn't have it any other way but am disappointed with myself that I seem to be finding excuses not to ride at the moment - I think because the weather's been crap, but that's no excuse really is it!!

Well done to all of you who do it all before going to work! Must try harder!
 
Very interesting thread! I may be looking for a second horse in a year or two, and time managment is the biggest worry for me. Hat off to all of you for managing so well!
 
I'd totally agree with people who say 2. We actually have three between OH, sharer and I, but old girl lives out, so days sharer is up I don't have to do anything for her, and days she isn't I only have to grab her in and feed - walk past her field on way up drive so not really an issue.
OH does quite a bit of the riding with the youngster but when he is away wityh work (quite a bit) I have the youngster and my boy. I tend to ride mine Sat Sun Mon Wed Fri, and the youngster Tues/Thurs/ and once at the weekend - or if I manage two hacks at the weekend will only do him once in the week.
At the moment I aim to muck out and turn out and do all the other chores in the morning, leave for work about 8.15/8.30. Then only have to fetch in and ride in the evenings! Am also riding a friend's mare as she is pregnant but only doing her twice a week and friend lunges once - only doing a bit of dressage with her so that is enough to keep her ticking over. I would definately struggle to do three that lived in and were in proper work!
 
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