How much time do you spend with your horse?

nat17

nat17

Minnie, Sam and Dolly
May 30, 2002
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Cotswolds
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So, on a day to day basis how much time do you spend with your horse at the moment?

Do you have quick check days and then longer days depending on if you ride or not?

I seem to spend 15 mins each with my ponies most days, feet picked if needed, hay out, quick cuddle and checked over.
If riding its an hour extra, above check and then ride Sam
If doing something with Dolly its about 10 more minutes as she get bored easy!

If agility its an hour more...

Just a general grooming session of all three its 40 mins more...at most.

Summer is much easier for me...

They are at home so I see them all day mooching, grazing sleeping, playing etc and I check on them 4 times a day without them seeing me.....
 
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Too much time according to my OH. Ours are on full livery but I feel a need to look after them myself so I go across to the yard every evening after work. In winter all I can do is skip out, refill waters if needed, pick out feet, possibly a groom and/or detangle Raf's mane and tail and just have some quiet time with them while they're contentedly munching on their nets. In summer I'll ride 3 or 4 evenings a week so could be 2 or 3 hours with them. At weekends we go over in the morning, do our own stables, fill nets and ride, back home early afternoon. If OH doesn't ride I might ride his horse in the afternoon. I go back at tea-time and help YO with the other horses as well as our own - honestly I'm reliving my childhood when I used to hang around the riding stables begging to help fetch in or groom or tack up. I love it and possibly may be ever so slightly obsessed.
 
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I spend 2 to 3 hours with Ben everyday. I ride for an hour, groom for at least half an hour and then always have other stuff to do like mucking out when necessary (he is on part livery so i dont have to) or cleaning tack etc. Plus it takes time to bring in and/or turnout. I would spend all day every day with him if i could.
 
Well usually if I am not riding just a total of an hour or so a day, giving her jollop to her, generally checking her and the donks over etc., and hay if they are on restricted grazing. If I am riding probably about three to four hours in total.

But they are at home so walking the dogs and generally being out and about usually combines seeing them at least for another check over, or weather permitting just some general fussing and petting if they come up and ask for some attention.
 
Just spent an hour and a half poo picking does that count?

I spend around an hour and a half at the yard most days as he can't be ridden at the moment. I would say one day a week I just have a quick visit day which is prob about 20 mins and at least one day I spend 3/4 hours there.
 
Not enough :( around 15 mins in the morning, turning out and giving morning haynets then 2-3 hours in the evening.
Would love to have them at home:(
 
I see Ziggy all the time I am home because I can see him from my window, but I go over every day at least once for about 30 minutes to do the morning or evening chores (usually morning, but it depends on my turn) and I often pop over just to say hello and maybe groom him for 10 minutes and give him a handful of something nice.

All our horses live out so are low maintenance and I outsource the poo picking so am not there for that time (which definitely counts, Ale!) but I also ride as much as I can, four or five days a week/20+ miles at the moment, and when I get the chance (which is rarely) I just go and hang out in the paddock. It has the loveliest, most chilled vibe, all the horses there are happy and you can feel it.
 
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There is usually 1-2 days I am not at yard, cos of college/work, though this will change in summer to just his day off (he is on full livery so is well taken care of when I cannot get up luckily). Weekdays when I am there I am usually hanging around Cyrus for maybe 2 1/2 -3 hours depending on what I am doing and would ride for 45mins to an hr. Weekends could easily be there for 5 hrs or so. Mix of riding, grooming, turning out etc. hanging out with friends, chatting to Cyrus telling him what a lovely pony he is :D
 
Currently less than an hour. Hoping that moving and riding and exercising juney means ill be up there 1.5 - 2 hours a night and massively up my exercise
 
Like Bodshi according to my OH too much bl**dy time:mad:!!! I ride between 4-5 times a week, minimum ride will be 1 1/2hr then there is poo picking, grooming and general fiddling about, and of course the chatting to the other livery who is a good friend. Like today daughter and I rode for 5hrs, super long hack but husband joined us for a picnic on route. It helps that my horses are literally 2 doors down from where I live so I tend to pop in and out over the course of a day.
 
If im calling in to do breakfast at 6am between 20mins and 40mins depending on if its my turn to poo pick otherwise i groom her while shes eating and i am gone... On an evening (which is the normal time i visit, but if ive done her first thing i dont go back) a minimum of an hour if just feeding, grooming and poo picking and normally a couple if taking her out for a short hack or doing some field jobs and about 3 hrs on a weekend..

I do sometimes feel a bit mean when ive visited at speed on a morning but i am sure she doesnt worry, more eating time for her...
 
Mine are currently semi feral as everything has been so mad and busy over the last six months.

They get a once a day visit for 10mins as standard. Sometimes twice a day. They get a quick check over and then a sandwich for madam to have her Skratch supplement.

You couldn't poo pick the field as it's too steep and rough - thankfully there is more then enough space for my two.

They get a groom and madams rugs changed at weekends :)
 
I used to do everything but am now experiencing part (well practically full) grass livery. It's an odd sensation and I miss doing everything myself. But since I moved to the biggest city in NZ with all its traffic issues, and working in the opposite direction, it's impossible. I'm going to look for work closer to the horses next year.
 
Ours are at home and as we work from home I pretty much keep an eye on them all day from wherever I'm sat. But actual time together would be something like: breakfast at 7.30 for them. Kissed noses. Turned out for 8am - so probs only about ten mins actual time together.
Lunch time they are brought in. Half an hour riding for me. After that, half an hour snuggling / grooming / checking Chloe's feet and legs.
They then have two hours inside off the grass - they generally sleep.
Both turned back out about 4pm. Back in for their feed at 6pm. Probably about ten mins of fussing them and emptying feed bowls etc. Then they wander the arena and yard whilst OH and I do waters, skip out, sweep up etc and poo pick the adjacent field. Inspector Chloe pretty much never leaves my side and this goes on until about 8pm. Then we hang nets, kiss noses etc and lights off about 8.45pm.
 
Just read my post back - I do let them be horses honest! I don't really spend ALL day spying on them! lol
They do like following us about and spending time loose about the place - trouble is - they can be a terrible distraction for OH if he's got Chloe's big head inspecting his personage and a customer on the end of the phone... hehee if only they knew!!!!!
 
30mins to an hour morning amd an hour evening at the moment but in a week or 2 tops ill not have smartie to do anymkre which will free up over an hour a day and ill be there 2 hours + in the evening doing more long reining and walks out, ground work etc. At the minute my 2 days off from work am is the same then i have 2+ hours later afternoon after my other jobs i do am. I am on holiday for nearly 2 weeks soon and will spend alot of time there just mooching about doing bits and bobs and i love a flask and sandwich sitting in her stable with her and will do some picnic walks which will hopfully include mum and dad once or twice too and of course harry will be with us.
 
20 mins in the morning to poo pick, catch the naughty Chanter to put his killer fly mask on and fly spray.

3 hours in the evening to groom, ride and poo pick. would spend longer but I like my OH
 
I'm finding it hard to get the time a want with mine at the moment, 5 mins in the am to check and throw a feed at my friends boy, whilst walking the dog before work. After working 10 hours, Monday is normally just poo pick and feed 1hour, Tuesday I try to ride jess as well as poo pick and feed so 3 hours, weds my friend poo picks in the morning so just feed and hopefully ride so 2.5 hrs, Thursday I just poo pick and feed 1hour and Friday night I normally do yard jobs like mowing and fixing fences etc and if a I have any energy left ride again as long as it's not a weekend we have lots of miles planned. The weekdays are hard, my dog hates being home alone and having already been left all day I hate leaving him again to ride, so often I take my car to the yard so he can sit in and watch me ride, it's so hard to balance. The weekends I'm normally in an out of the yard (bring dog down then take him home while I ride then pick him up again after) for 12 hours including up to 5 hours in the saddle. The little boys really aren't having much done with them at the moment, a quick fuss and check each night and a groom once a week.
 
Since I have had a few days off work I have been spending all day at the stables! However when I am doing my normal night shifts. I am normally down by 7:15. Give both horses breakie if they aren't already out. Muck out while there having breakie and do tea and the following day breakie. Then turn them out so around and hour. In the evening I can be there up to 3 hours
 
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