WWYD- Not sure new job will work around horse

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PaulnasherryRocky

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I currently mostly enjoy my job as a CAD technician/property surveyor close to home, but am on a measly wage of £12500 a year, and am struggling to afford my horse on part livery (moving to DIY soon though due to yard closure- but will all of the services I need it will work out about the same cost wise). I can afford the horse, but nothing else.
However the company i work for are very flexible, If I start early I can leave early, which is really useful for horse related things such as vets/dentist/saddlers and the likes.
Also it is about 3 minutes away from my home and yard, so i can go to those at lunchtimes.

Now I have just been offered a job as an Estimator a little further away (wouldn't be able to visit horse/home at lunchtime), but offers £18000 a year. The job itself is pretty much totally unrelated to what I currently do now, but I'm not sure if I should be worrying about how much I will enjoy it if it pays that much more!
The company seems the total opposite of what I am at now- it is an office full of women (something i'm not used to, I have always worked in an entirely male office! so i'm not sure how I would get on with everyone)
Also, the hours are the same 8:30-5, however I don't think they are flexible in that at all.

Does anyone else have a job that isn't flexible? How do you get vet vists/farriers etc if you can't get out of work early or book a day off on short notice?

So worried about taking a new job, hating it and wanting to go back to my old poorly paid job!
Help me!
 
I currently live at home, but me and partner are saving to move out (he earns far more than me though!) He's on part livery atm, but moving on to DIY in about two months time when a space comes up.

EDIT- Horse is on part livery...not partner!
 
I do have a certain amount of flexibility at work but I don't take advantage.

My farrier does weekends so that isn't an issue and if I ever need him in an emergency I leave headcollars on and he will see to the horses without me being there.

Again with the vet Saturday is a normal working day for them so any scheduled call outs that I need I get on a Saturday, if it's an emergency visit (which thankfully I've never had to have during the week, they've always been on a Sunday!) then I would be phoning into work and taking the time off - the same as people would for any other pet really.
 
I work in London, a 1.5 hour commute from the yard and my horse. I work 9-5. My horse is on DIY livery, I go up at 6am to turn out and I have someone bring her in at 4pm. I then go up in the evening to skip out and ride, getting everything ready for the morning. I take a day off work for vet visits and I have a helper for farrier visits.
 
9tails said:
I work in London, a 1.5 hour commute from the yard and my horse. I work 9-5. My horse is on DIY livery, I go up at 6am to turn out and I have someone bring her in at 4pm. I then go up in the evening to skip out and ride, getting everything ready for the morning. I take a day off work for vet visits and I have a helper for farrier visits.
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I'm glad to get a post from someone who works in London, I really can't complain about my extra 5 minute drive in comparison- puts things in to perspective that I am just spoiled at the moment in terns of how much time I can spend at the yard- but as I'm so spoiled with it, it makes me reluctant to give it up!...but more money to spend on fluffy saddle pads..
 
When you move to DIY can't you do most of the jobs yourself? So save you cash that way?

How far away from your new place is it? Can you go before and after work to much out. Do you get a period of out 24/7 at the new place? If you buddy up with someone to check your horse over, you should could be able to visit only once a day in the summer.

I work 8-4.30 with flexibility or I take time off if I have to. I go up twice a day in the winter, muck out and do jobs in the morning, bring in in the evening/ride and at least once a day in the summer. We have services if needed but I don't tend to use them that often.

All you can do with new job is decide if you want it and then not regret your decision.
 
I have very good flexibility at work, but mine is on full livery. The yard attend to farrier, vet & dentist etc. Much simpler.

For certain appointments I would work from home and pop out at whatever time was needed, or agree a day where I would start late/finish early. I'm very lucky that I am able to manage my own time in this way, my boss just asks that I let him & the rest of the team know in advance.
 
I work from 9 to 5.30, my horse is kept privately on DIY, I make 19.5k and have a mortgage and all bills to pay. its 6miles away from my yard to office and I get an hour for lunch.
I get up at 6am am down the yard for 6.30am and back home before 8 for quick wash change and too the office. In winter I pay my yard owner extra to put him to bed mon-fri evenings but as soon as its light at 6pm I do it and in summer he lives out 24x7.
If he has any routine appointments I try do them in my lunch hour or see if my yard owner is happy to supervise (luckily horse is an angel so farrier happy to go in field fetch him trim him and chuck him back). If its anything am worried about I take half day leave or ask boss if he will let me take shorter lunches rest of week to make up for any extra time needed at yard.
Cant hurt to ask prospective employer if they mind any flexible arrangement like the above with in reason, if not then you know you need part/full livery services instead of DIY.
DIy is very doo able but you need to be organised and willing to put in early starts / late finishes to your day. I do all my extra prep on a weekend make all haynets for week ahead, clear muck from field, fill sacks with straw so I can quickly tip in to top bed up, have dustbins filled with water by stable and field so don't have to run hose pipe during week can quickly top up his waters with buckets, etc anything to save time so my mornings are speedy
 
Mine are on DIY. My horses are 1 mile away from where I live and my job is an hour away (flat out/non stop driving). I also arrange farrier at weekends or last appointment on Friday when I finish an hour earlier (I work 7.30-4.30 normally). If they're in Im at the farm for about 6am and then back with them around 6pm. Thankfully I share the yard with a good friend and we help each other where we can!
 
Don't be blinded by the thought of extra cash...if you enjoy the current job and there is oppportunity to earn more within that set up then I would stay there....you may very well regret a move to a job you don't like purely for the money because no amount of money can make up for being unhappy. Just my thoughts.
 
Midlifecrisis said:
Don't be blinded by the thought of extra cash...if you enjoy the current job and there is oppportunity to earn more within that set up then I would stay there....you may very well regret a move to a job you don't like purely for the money because no amount of money can make up for being unhappy. Just my thoughts.
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This is exactly my worry, however my partner would then recite the 5000 times i've come home and said "god i need a new job"...I think I'm now looking at my current job through rose tinted glasses because i'm "comfortable" and not great with change
 
Remember you don't have to take the first job you're offered

I work full time ans usually takes half day on vet and farrier days but my boss is flexible. The company wouldn't say that I can do flexi time. But my boss is happy that I can go to lunch when I want as long as I'm doing my hours. So going at 2.30 at the moment. That way I can bring the boy in without having to pay the yard to do it for me. If I paid he'd probably get an extra half an hour out most days. So save myself the extra
 
Everything in life is a balancing act!

Personally I have always based my job/horse choices on the long term aim rather than short term inconvenience. So for me I made plenty of sacrifice to get to a point where I earned the income and had the flexibility.

You won't go far on 12.5k for the rest of your life, if you are happy at that the fine 😃 but what happens when you start to want your own house, go on holiday, nice car etc?

I'd say build your career now, and manage the horse the best you can in the interim
 
I'm a teacher so work 8.30am onwards. I'm on part livery and only go up in the morning, so ride, muck out, turn out etc and pay the yard to bring in and put to bed. I really couldn't do DIY, two visits a day would not be sustainable long term for me. Luckily my farrier is really good and will shoe at 7am but if I need the vet I have to pay the yard to hold her for me. I organise all non emergency appointments for the holiday.
 
you cant do much with 12.5k so I would definitely take the new job!

Lots of people manage their horses DIY while working full time. My job technically isn't flexible but in reality if a vet visit means I will be in half an hour late no one minds. Otherwise I take holiday.

The most complicated thing is if the yard has rules re timings.. we have to get in at 2pm in winter- this wasn't mentioned before I moved ;). There was a lot of flapping about arranging someone to get them in this year as YO doesn't want to do it all the time but their rule their issue as I was happy for mine to stay out :). As such I do pay £2.50 2/3 days a week for a bring in.
 
Have you asked if they are able to offer some flexibility in working hours? Is being an estimator a job that can be flexible?

Often as long as you put the hours in and are there when needed then many good companies will be accommodating if it is possible.Even if they can't be most people manage with fixed working hours.

Maybe not the best time to swap to DIY unless you have services such as bring-in as personally this is when I used to fret that my horse would be jostling by the gate getting kicked or running up and down trying to break a leg. Getting a good career and doing well is going to earn you more money than you will save by being on DIY.
 
I work at an agency that doesn't have the most flexible attitude, but they usually say that as long as we're making up the hours, the odd few here and there are ok. They won't, for example, give you time in lieu for working overtime (which happens everyday), but unofficially it means I can be slightly late/leave early/take a long lunch for vet/farrier etc.

I manage fine on DIY! Love going up first thing in the morning, and going after work gets me through the day. Soon it'll be summer and therefore 100000 times easier, so that thought helps.

I'd say take the new job. Getting comfortable when you're young is bad (I almost fell into that trap), but for such little money, you may struggle trying to move out, pay bills, eat, and pay for horse.
 
I'm a special needs teacher so work 8.30 til 4 every day. My horses are on diy livery at a farm so I have no one to do chores for me. This means my boys tend to live out ( I prefer this anyway) and only come in at night if really necessary. If they come in I have to bung kids in car at 7am and shoot up to quickly feed and chuck them out in field. I go up to do my chores and ride every day straight from work. I would love a bit more flexibility hours wise but when you have to stick to set hours you just kind of get on with it. I took a big loss financially to teach having previously been a fraud investigator for a bank and whilst I really do miss having the money, I don't miss the stress and bitchiness of office life at all. Its all about finding balance, maybe do yourself a pros and cons list and a finance list to see if, once you take into consideration extra fuel costs/ livery costs , you really will be better off??
 
Take the job. If you are determined to keep your horse, you will find a way. But as others have pointed out, as your life moves on, you will need the money and the career progression to get a house etc. If/when you choose to start a family you will find you will have reach a point in your career where you can have more life work balance because you will have more to negotiate with then you did in your 20s when you were starting out (it worked that way for me, anyway!) So go for it and embrace the change!
 
Oh gosh I think some may have misunderstood due to my terrible wording- I'm definitely not about to get rid of my horse, its more a case of stick with rubbish paid job and enjoy it or go to higher paid job that I wont enjoy, horse going somewhere is out of the question! I think i will accept the job offer, and then hand in my resignation and hope they offer me a payrise instead of me leaving (fat chance of that though!)

thanks all for your comments, I know I've got it easy at the moment compared to most which is why i'm so reluctant to change it- I will give the new job a go, learn new skills and hopefully move onwards and upwards, I can always go back to surveying in the future.
 
I have no flexibility at work. Once I'm there, I'm there, no leaving early etc. However I do work shifts so just book appointments round that. I've always kept the horses on full livery, but I have 4 now so rent my own little place. I pay someone to do an hour a day with them, feeding, poo picking etc.

On my days off, I do a 4 day week, I catch up on all the jobs ☺️
 
Another one who says take the job. You need to make that step up in earnings to be independent. This will help you afford a horse long term.

If you have a non horsey OH, it gets tougher in a relationship if you have a low income but spend a large percentage of your income on a horse and cannot afford to contribute a sufficient share towards bills. If you earn more, you can avoid your OH feeling that he is paying for the horse.

I have been low paid and high paid and having money gives you choices, so if the work does not make you unhappy, you have no better vocation in life and you will not be over working, I would go for what pays more. Not having to depend on someone else financially makes life better too.

I always found a way to fit horses in and have made career choices that mean I earn less so I have time for them. The hours you mention still seem to give you a good work life balance.
 
I couldn't have my boy on DIY - I work either 37 or 65 miles from home and an average commute will be 1hr45. He is on full livery (and was before I took this job to be fair) at a yard near home that suits us perfectly. I go and see him on my way home from work during the week and now on mornings at weekends.

I don't mind the distance - spending the time in stop-start traffic can be frustrating - but I earn significantly more than my previous role and I hated my previous employment. To put it into perspective, paying out £700 per month towards a horse and car (the car being the cheaper bit!) knocks £80k off the mortgage we can get.

In terms of appointments there is some flexibility but generally the yard will take care of it or if I really want to be there I will book time off.
 
You don't know you won't enjoy the new job and nearly 6k payrise not to be sniffed at when we are talking that sort of level
 
Sounds like you've been a bit spoilt at your current job :p apart from the pay really! Did I read correctly, that the new job is an extra 5 minutes further? So roughly, with traffic, you are 10 minutes away? That still sounds utterly fantastic! My horse is 25 minutes away from my house, let alone where I work! There are always ways around things, like finding a flexible farrier who will grab the horse from his box/field, and organizing planned vet visits on weekends or taking a day off.

If you go into the new job with a negative attitude, you'll doom it from the start. Look at the positives, plenty of structure (lol) plus you'll have the money spare to spend on your awesome hobby! I work so I can afford to thoroughly enjoy my horse on the weekend! I'm a teacher, and work from 8-4.30 minimum.
 
It is not clear how near your work is from home/yard. If it is only 10 minutes then you should be able to to fit everything in unless you need to get the horse in before you get back from work which means then you need services. Does the farrier do early morning appointments? There was a farrier at my old yard that would do a 7am appointment which was early enough for people who worked locally to get to work on time after the appointment.

I used to be on DIY grass livery and go every evening and my work was 1 hour and 15 minutes away from the yard as I work in London. For farrier and vet I had to take half days, for emergencies work where fine but then they were also fine about people having to rush home for sick children or other domestic emergencies.

I am now on part livery and love it and I doubt I would ever go back to DIY again out of choice as it just offers so much flexibility around work and life balance and ensures horse is well cared for whilst I am at work.
 
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