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Frankie10

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Hi
Am bored in work ... And wondering how everyone is planning to balance work and horses over the winter, now the clocks have gone back and it's dark and miserable.
Do you ride before or after work or rest your horses or how do you keep things going?
Frankie x x
 
I am lucky that my work hours are relatively flexible so I ride a couple of mornings a week and get to work a little later. I don't have an arena or facilities so am limited to hacking out to keep the fitness up during the winter. I do attend riding club training once a week during the evening though and that helps with the schooling.
If I had an arena I'd probably prefer to ride in the evening after work as it can be such a rush in the morning. Roll on spring!
 
Hi bounce I'm on flexi time which makes things a bit easier too. I tend to have a Monday off, school on a tues eve, have a lesson at home on a weds or ride before work, go to the riding club on a thurs eve, lunge or day off on a fri, do a clinic or a comp on a sat
And hack on a sun.
I try and stick to the same routine each week but also go out once or twice a week as I'm on my own yard, which gets a bit lonely over the winter otherwise.
I did struggle for motivation last night schooling in the rain after a long day at work!
X
 
Hi,

I rode my little devil at 7 this morning! Not keen on schooling too much so have been breaking it up. Day off, lunge on day school one day, jump another and then hack either in the mornings or at the weekends. I wound him down a bit at the end of the season but I'll start taking him out once a week now to break it up too.

We have a big flood lit school at ours but the yard is quite dark and I'm on the end by the woods.. I'm often on my own and convinced all sorts of horrid crimes are taking place in the when its just the bloody foxes!! Getting him exercised before work is really handy.
 
I ride before work and in my lunch hr if they are in. I generally resign myself to the fact that they get ridden every other day and do some harder work or a comp on the weekend, instead of beating myself up by having a rigid routine.

As long as they get turned out enough (mine go out daily) IMHO they don't need half as much work as we try and drum into them, but this is just my view and it suits my bunch, and gives me some down time.

In the eventing season obviously its more important but for winter activities every other day is fine, mine even hunt through the winter.

If you find it's all getting a little to much then try dropping a day or two, I expect you won't see that much difference unless the horse is one of those that needs strict daily exercise.

I learnt all this the hard way....after years of strict routine these past two winters have forced mine to be off for up to 3 weeks and be stabled, and they were none the worse for it!!!
 
I ride my two after work in the winter - I'm lucky as our yard has a floodlit outdoor school and a small indoor. I do get very bored of the tiny indoor though and worry about boring the horses so it is a constant battle to vary things. I get to the yard about 7.30pm and leave around 9.30pm.

I would prefer to ride before work but they are both 5 year olds and all they want to do at 6.30am is get out to the field. I find it much easier in the summer when they're out and night and I can ride in the mornings!

Oh to win the lottery/have enough money to work part time....
 
I do work her most nights to be honest. I have an indoor and outdoor school to play with so we just ride as normal. Mixing it up with lunging/poles/riding etc

It sucks, i hate being in the dark constantly but i'm at quite a sociable yard so that's not as bad as some places i've liveried at...it's the no hacking that gets me and the getting home between 9-10pm. That really sucks.

Find i'm in a constant state of tiredness in winter!
 
Rode one out at 7.00 ish this morning as fortunately straight on to fields and all we frighten are the pheasants then lunged the other one. Realistically generally only ride or lunge one a day during the week as the older horse is just ticking over and the newer one is only doing a little. Once it gets really dark will start work later a couple of mornings a week and have saved enough holiday to have the odd half day here and there. Horses go out every day so if the older one has a holiday from being ridden it won't matter. Two years ago I just had one horse at full competition livery so this winter is bit of a change doing two myself but it is lovely riding out early of a morning or at least it is until the novelty wears off.
 
We have lights and and arena so if I finish work at a reasonable time and weather is OK I can ride afterwards. My horses are at home and my Mum rides and lunges them too.
 
At the moment I'm lucky as I can work at home a couple of days a week so hack early those mornings and school after work the rest, then hack or compete or have a jumping lesson at weekends.

Am changing my job in January though and already getting stressed about how/when I'm going to fit it all in as I will then have to be fully office based :( It's a bit backwards really as I'll be able to keep him nice and fit up to then, then have to let him off a bit just as I should be thinking about bringing him back ready for the season - oh to win the lottery!
 
I work full time but some days home based, yard has lights so ride most nights, but 'I' have Wednesdays off to do other stuff. Ride both my two both days at the weekend to make up for it, so one (oldie) get ridden 3 times a week, other gets ridden 5 days a week.

Keeps me sane!
 
i try to ride before work every day - i can get into the office around 9.15 so long as i'm on the yard by 7am and i take a cavalier approach to personal hygiene (my poor colleagues!). i have to travel quite a bit for work, so she'll normally get one day off in the week and if i'm away for any longer i get one of the lovely stable girls to ride her for me. thankfully we have an outdoor arena, some big fields and direct access to bridleways so it's possible to mix it up a bit. can't say i enjoy all the grey, miserable mornings though!
 
Bruce is ridden anything between 4 and 6 times a week (always one day off at the least). Days off depend on my life and his fitness - although I do try to time my social life in the week in accordance with a day off for him.

I don't hack, so that makes things easier (partic in winter).

Lucky enough to have a menage with floodlights so I can ride whenever. So even though I get home from work around 5.45pm it doesn't matter.
 
I plan what I'm doing each week depending on work and other commitments. Have floodlights at yard so does not matter if its dark but I do prefer to do the mornings. Usually do both of them monday and tues or thurs, and do one of them on wed and tue or thu, with yard lungeing the other, and yard usually does them fri as I am normally knackered from getting up at 6. I'm lucky I don't usually have to leave home until half past eight so I can get them both ridden before work if I'm up at 6. I am truly sad and put my clothes out the night before which saves me ten minutes or so in the morning.
 
I just get used to doing things in the dark. If i get up at 6.30 and get to the yard just as its getting light then i have time to hack out, muck out, get home, shower, change and leave for work at 9. Our school has floodlights and there are usually a couple of people around in the evenings. But if i don't ride before work i won't get home until 8.30 at the earliest. I also have to feed my youngster, fortunately she comes to call and is very easy so i can do her in the dark if i have to.
 
I have 4 horses to do, and 3 to ride and compete this winter. If I thought too much about it and how much effort it is and how long it takes me I would probably cry and give up! I get up at 6am, turn out and muck out before work. I get back to the yard about 6pm if I leave work on time, and ride or lunge them in the arena with floodlights.

I tend to get home around 9.30-10pm, quick bite to eat and then bed to start all over again the next day.
 
i'm not a morning person - struggle enough to get up in time to be in work for 9am so I ride in the evenings although fortunately normally only once a week as he gets Mondays off, I get a long lunch on Tuesdays so ride then, normally a half day on Wednesdays so only tend to ride in the school in the dark on Thursdays. He gets Fridays off and then normally goes to a show or hunting on Sunday so normally schooling on Saturdays. Seems to work quite well and means not too much schooling in the dark for either of us.
 
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