working nights and managing horse

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dreambigpony

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I'm swapping on to night shifts and wondered who else works only nights? What is your usual routine with your horse? Any tips for me? Thank you!
 
I don't but know 2 people who do. Both come home from work and do the horses straight away and ride. Then go home and sleep.

The one used to work on ambulances and said she used to go to horses at about 4.30 a.m. so it must have been OK with all the other yard users and neighbours.

The other catches her horses, puts them in the stable and feeds them while she poo picks the field. They are fed forage only feeds, so she rides them straight away. She only feeds them once a day as they are out the rest of the time. She also has a very co-operative OH! They are very fit endurance horses and she does competitions at the weekends when not working.
 
I hate nights but in a way makes it easier as when on late shifts I have to ask others to bring in for me. In winter I go straight to the yard and muck out and get everything ready for the evening. Sleep, get to yard for about 4:4:30 and I can do a quick check and bring in and get a little nap. People are up later again when they have finished work. I always have intentions to ride in the morning, but always too tired, so e gets a few days off

Summer was even better, we had a poo picking rota and they were out 24/7. So quick check on my way home and poo pick if it was my day. Sleep for as a long as I wanted and then I would ride about 6/7ish before work again.

Dreading going on to nights next week already! But its more money!
 
When I worked nights I would go feed, muck out, turn out and then go sleep. Once up then bring in and ride. I was always too tired to ride straight after shift, and often would just feed, poo pick and turn out, leaving the proper muck out for later, but I did feel a bit scruffy when I did that.
 
When I worked nights my routine depended on the season. In the winter I used to change at work, go to the yard and muck out, ride etc. and be finished by about 10 am. I had a reciprocal arrangement with a friend, and she used to do my horse for me in the PM. The summer was easy as she was out 24/7, although if I could take a few hours off I loved riding at about 4.30 am on a summer morning. Shift work and horses seemed to fit together pretty well as far as I was concerned.
 
I was on nights but recently swapped onto days. Tbh I found nights easier as I would always get a second wind once I'd finished and I would ride, muck out and turn out and pay to have him brought in later so I could grab an extra hour's kip.
Riding first thing in the morning meant the school was always free, and in winter no need to use the floodlights.
 
I work nights. I get to yard by 8.30, do all stable jobs and ride. I aim to be back in bed by 12/12.30 need to fit in a dog walk too! In the winter I need to get up at 4 o clock to get them in. I poopick by torch light, walking dog at same time. In summer it's easier as I don't need to leave my bed until 5 o'clock to get them in. I then go and do a 12.30 hour shift in A&E. It is possible, I always arrange horse's day off when I have 3 nights in a row. I am on my own at a private yard, I think it will be much easier if you are on a livery yard and can get some help one end of the day.
 
Mine live out all year. I worked 6pm until 7am.
I'd get up at 2pm and go up to ponies at 5pm, go to ponies and feed/put out hay.
I'd then finish work, go to ponies, put more hay out and poopick. I'd be home and asleep by 8am
 
My husband works nights sometimes when he does we generally agree that he will check the ponies when returning home in the morning, he feeds and turns the stabled one out, he then sleeps and does the afternoon check about 4pm, I do evening chores so he can nap again before going to work
 
I prefer nights so I can do my horse and dogs (days for me are 0730-0830 nights 8-8). My big issue is getting out on time! Feel so guilty for the animals.

So horse in at 6.00 pm out at 8.30-8.45 am at old yard paid for TO now my landlady feeds them in the morning as school run is 0750 did her. I'm strict and muck out in the morning now she's here at home. I don't ride and I didn't used to poo pick when working.
 
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We do nights on our shift pattern. It just means for that week it's an hour later am and an hour earlier pm. The week off after makes up for it!...
 
I do nights and have done for a fee years.
My routine depends on length of shift,
I used to do 12 hour nights but now do shorter as I also have a young daughter to fit in.
I go straight to yard after work in the morning.
I sometimes ride in the morning and muck out in the evening.
Or other way around if I'm tired!

When doing longer shifts I used to go straight to work after the stables in the evening too so lunged so as not to get to dirty or sweaty.

Basically do what fits in with you.
People are different in how much sleep they need and the length if shift and amount if days plus other commitments too.

When I did the longer shifts i had no other commitments so it was work, horses, sleep, horse, work.

Now I have a daughter I do shorter hours to fit time with her in and still work and have a horse!

So if you can get help, do.
I never did but it would give you more time for you, to sleep and recover.
 
I worked shifts for 12 yrs, 12 hr shifts, four on four off, days and nights, I was lucky to have the horses at home and access to stables/field 24/7, my nightshift routine was, arrive home 8 am, OH would make tea/sarnie, I would whistle the horses in, fill hay racks, check water,skip out stables, check horses over and back to the house, bed by 8 30/9am, up by 1500 hrs, whistle the horses in, stable, check for injuries, feed, fresh straw down (deep littered) hay for the night, check waters, lights out and off to work, quite often the horses would see us coming down the drive in the morning and beat me to the barn, riding was limited to every four days, ditto the poo picking, dayshift was the reverse, up at 5am, hay in the morning, feed and bed down at 8pm, hard work with four horses but do-able,
 
Sorry - late replier to this thread... However I do work shifts earlies/lates/nights and in the winter night shifts are the only ones I can fot riding in properly. Here's how I do it:
* Work night shift, finish at 6:30
* Go straight to yard to ride/hack and the turn out
* Go hoem for shower and brew, before bed at about 10am
* Get up at 4pm, go muck out and bring horse in for the night
* Have tea, shower, go to work at 8pm

At least you'll get to ride in the light and you have time both before and after you go to bed. Sometimes I ride and muck out before I go to bed and one of the other liveries bring him in for me so I go on a longer ride, get to bed about 11am, so I get ap later (say 6:30pm or 7pm) and then go to work. :)
 
Permanent night shift worker on 4 on / 4 off shifts. - 19:00 - 07:00. OH also works nights but not set hours starts anytime from 16:00 until 22:00 and upto 15 hr shifts for him.
We rent 24 acres for our horses and sheep. Horses live out permanently with access to a shelter.

Normal routine is finish work, cast eye on all animals in the morning - haylage into feeder if required, bed about 08:00 at latest. Up again at 15:00ish, field, animal check, feed and haylage as required (currently got shed loads of grass so neither required just yet), home, sort out home animals - dogs, cat, chickens, geckos, lizard & chameleon, feed us, ready for work again ...............

The horses are restricted to about 3 acres for the winter with a hard standing for an A frame haylage (cattle) feeder. Once the grass is in short supply, the haylage feeder is filled every afternoon to its capacity, and the horses get a fibre based bucket feed while we sort out the haylage and check on the 60 odd sheep. We tend to only ride on our days off if the weather is agreeable. We have NO facilities - a hole in the ground from the stream for filling up waters, no electric, tap, barn - NOTHING, so you need a damn good head torch for the winter nights as we do everything in darkness during work days ........
 
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