time for work and horse, just not enough!!

[lovelylace]

went for a job interview yesterday which is just a fab opportunity, lots of money, travelling and equity in the business...however even with the job i have now I am struggling to fit everything in...up at the crack of dawn and doing horse before stressing into London and having a manic work day, just to stress back and ride in the evening...everyday I feel like I am not doing anything as thoroughly as I would like to (like for example not cleaning tack after every use, not grooming horse every day..etc)
My current horse is an absolute darling and she is great fun, however I backed her at the ripe old age of 15 and we are never going to compete at the levels that I have previously competed, and I have been toying with the idea of buying something a bit younger with more potential..but think i'll never fit that in...
Does anyone have any good ideas of fitting it all in? Can you have 2 horses and a demanding career...I like having them on diy as I love the daily contact and like to do the chores on my own so they get done the way like them....but maybe part livery is something to look into??
just going a bit barmy at the moment

[fin]

I gave up on the demanding career to home school my son, but I'm considering getting a horse and I don't know how I'm going to fit in brat, horse, work and the rest of it either. Part-livery sounds tempting--I suppose you could miss the morning stint, go to work earlier and then spend more time with the neds after work or something like that?

[blumke99]

You can do it for a while, but I think you do run the risk of burning out. Especially in the winter! I remember days in the office when Red Bull was all that kept me going (having been up since 4am). I think its best if you have the prospect of slowing down in the future, as I think it might drain any pleasure otherwise.

[lovelylace]

as it is I just dont find enough time to feel that I am doing anything quite as well as I want to....the new job is just to good an opportunity to miss, but as i am travelling quite a lot even now with work it would be hard to do even more, and it is annoying to have breaks for four five days without riding as always when she starts going well i have to go away....
part livery is that basically that they muck the horses out and take them out and in of the fields??
what if they skimp on bedding etc, can you decide how you want it done or will they just do it their way?
Finn- home schooling interesting how do you do that and does your son have to do test to see wether he has followed the national curriculum or??

Kevin- hmm yeah the red bull rings a bell, I am in fashion as well and it can be a lot of business being done over late drinks after work and it just kills me the next morning, cant hack it no more, on the other hand the horse is the little bit of me time that I have, where the phone is switched off and I can just get a bit of time to unwind and I would hate to let that go..

[Val (Toons&co)]

Truly, I often wonder how people who have a demanding career and/or family manage to keep horses on diy. I'm single - only have my cats to take care of at home - have a part-time job (but 'waste' 3 hours/day on the roads) and still manage to struggle sometimes in winter with 3 horses.

If your demanding career allows you to pay for 2 on part livery, I think it is the best way to do both. I personnally would prefer being DIY (and would like to do even more myself as I just don't trust others with my neds) concentrating on the horses, with the job as money-maker only, rather than having a career, but that's me and I REALLY have problems concentrating on more than one thing!

[natalia]

if you can, do part livery, why not see if you can find a yard that could do part livery weekdays and then DIY at weekends? there are lots of arrangements out there like this, and yard owners seem to like it as it means they get some time off! that means too you can go up in the evenings and and spend more quality time, grooming and riding, not mucking out, doing haynets, filling buckets, the list is endless....

[Jen]

I used to work at a yard that had the Part Livery option, where it would do the mucking out and turning out etc in the mornings Monday to Friday, and then be DIY at the weekends. The owners would specify how many bales of shavings etc were to be used each week, and we had a diary that owners would put any 'extras' in, say if they wanted the extra bale in the bed or and extra haynet etc.

Personally I treated the section of the yard that I worked with as my own and got very attached to the horses, but I can say there were the odd occasions when a few of the younger staff would come in hung over and be quite slack!!!

If you do go Part Livery, get to know the staff and their abilities and comittment, so you can be ready to check up on things if necessary.

[gem]

I have a fairly demamnding job and two horses and a foal on the way, its hard. Im up the yard for 5 to groom skip out and feed and turn out, im at work for 7 though which is the difference, I managed to swing my hours to 8/4 which makes such a difference I work till 5 anyway as you have to put in the time here, straight to the yard and ride one, feed do rugs and groom the other.

I do leave alot undone, I only Skip out during the week groom one horse per day and only really have time to exercise one a day, weekends they are both worked.

Before it was fine as my OH worked in the pub trade so 3 weeknights i could be at the yard till late and ride both and groom both, sadly he changed his job and finishes at 5 now. Sometimes he comes to the yard and will groom one while I groom and ride the other, he doesnt like to so much in the winter though.

Theres a yard im on teh waiting list for which has rug change 1 T/O / bring in Mon -Fri included in the livery so it means that I have more time to myself, my oh and the dog. Two evenings a week could be about working late and looking good to the boss.

[blumke99]

I know where you are coming from lovelylace, it is important to get that break away from city life. However, in the end I stopped riding because I simply ran out of time to do it properly.

[Hebs]

I know how u feel used to get up last winter before work to muck out. Was dead by the time i got to work.

Glad im not the only one who struggles to fit it all in, bf, horse, competing. Wouldnt give it up though - maybe bf!

Cant u find a grass livery, mine loves it, going to winter him out this winter, with blanket clip and full neck rug. He will be competed - jumping as well.

[Liz]

I have an assisted DIY livery in the winter when the short days and working hours clash! I went out in the morning, mucked out and left feeds/haylage for the evening and following morning as the horse is turned out before I get there. It's worth the little extra cost to alleviate the pressure.

[jes]

I work full time and have to travel to work (1 1/4 hours each way), my horse is on a sort of part/full livery where in winter he gets turned out every day, given water & hay every day and skipped out if they have time. If I want him skipped out properly every day I have to do this myself.

In summer he's out 24/7 and gets checked a couple of times a day. Even with this, I am constantly tired. The yard is 20 minutes drive away, so even just a quick trip to the field to check him over and a quick groom takes over an hour.

I ride 4 or 5 times a week at the moment, but in winter it's just weekends. I would love to get another horse (got my mind set on a Fell or a Dales at the moment), but know that I just would not have the time to do them justice. If I worked part time to give me time for 2 horses, I couldn't afford two horses!!
It's a Catch 22 situation.

[miller]

I have 2 on DIY both come in at night all year (my choice) so full muck out daily x 2, turn out, tidy in mornings, straight to work, back to bring in, soak haynets, beds down, ride both, feed and then home by 9pm every day

I'm lucky in that my shifts change slightly and when I'm on 'lates' (09:30-18:00) I have time to ride one before work but even so it's hard work. My older horse can be left without work a couple of days a week but I don't like to do anymore than that as he's competing Ele/Med BD so needs to be reasonably fit.

The one bonus is my new OH is horsey and can ride the older horse (younger horse is a loan and agreement states only me) so I get the odd easier day now.

Even so it's hard work and I'm knackered and I'm only 15 mins travel from home to yard and from yard to work.

Been on full livery (which was more like part) and wouldn't go back again now for the reasons OP mentioned - my horse is far more relaxed in his new home too

[lovelylace]

thank god i dont seem to be alone!!!
the problem is that even though i love my girl to bits she is not quite fulfilling what i want to get out of my riding, I will never sell her as she is a rescue and i am amazed how far she has come, but to justify the money and time spent i am thinking that i really should have a horse that I can do what i really want with..so that means 2, now money is not really an object , but I am quite picky with how i like things done and i love the times spent down at the yard, even chores...but it not fair to take of more than you can handle and i think the feelings of stress and not being able to ride/train them properly , would eventually just burn me out...
I love the yard i am at as well and there are no part livery yards close around so that plays a part as well...ho hum...at least i am not alone

[moose]

I have 2 horses which I keep at my parents place and a fairly demanding job.

Every morning I drive over to my horses to look after them, rush to work (sometimes 45mins, sometimes 1 1/2 hours), go back to look after horses, drive home about 8pm. I seem to spend all my life rushing from place to place. I also have to have loads of different clothes in my car - smart stuff for work and horsey cleaning out jeans.
I have to do everything to the neds and they are stabled every night so its a lot of work.

I wont compromise on the way they are looked after though so I don't get to ride much at all.
I retired one of my horses this year but its still a struggle finding time to ride one!
In winter its [glow=red,2,300]dark when I go to work, dark when I get back from work[/glow] - just leaves weekends.
But, my boyfriend and his son want to spend time with me at the weekends.
How to make more time??

Its just love of horses that keeps me going.......... ;D