O.K How do you guys handle family, horses, work

[sparkle]

I can soooooo relate to this topic! lol

I have two minis, a 3 yr old and a yearling filly.

I have 3 kids...2 busy boys ages 8 and 6 and a 16 month old daughter who with all her might will be able to do everything her big brothers do!

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I run a daycare for school aged kids and I work part time at a tack shop.

I am usually running around with my head cut off! :new_shocked:

My routine is:

Wake up, dog goes out when I go out to feed.

Kids get up, daycare kids arrive, get them off to school.

Get ready for work.

Come home from work, get ready for kids off the bus.

Daycare closes at 5, dinner, baseball, feed horses, clean up a what I can.

I squeeze in their "workouts" in between and my so called cleaning (lol) in between that and my daughter's naps.

I've had horses since I was 7 and minis since last fall. My husband is not the animal lover like I always have been. My boys don't have a huge interest in them, but my daughter is already my lil' horse girl...if only she were a little older to help out! lol

I have never shown, but somehow got "suckered" into going to my first show EVER this weekend (you know who you are! :hypocrite: lol ). I decided that it would be a good learning experience for me. I have to say, with all of the other daily juggling I do, this show prepping is HARD and I'm only getting one ready! I was very focused (focused means pretty much dropping all other things) on grooming and conditioning her when all of a sudden I got hit with a head cold, so I have been "picking at it" every day. That's the only way I could do it.

My feeding routine is pretty easy and quick. I do work with them when I can, usually taking them for walks. If I can't actually work with them, I still go out to groom and spoil them. Dreamland said it just right...it's my ME time! My "mommy is out playing with her ponies, let me just indulge" time.

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I wish I had some advice, but I think that if you're feeling like it's more of a chore for you, you'll have to tweak something somewhere. You're already cutting back on one horse which will be a help, I believe. I understand wanting to focus on them and work them, but like anything else you have to take time and step back and just take it all in. Kiss their fuzzy noses, breathe in the horsie smells, brush them because you love to see them all dolled up, braid their manes and put bows in their tails (lol). Just try to take some time where you can go back to when you're a little girl and all you did was just love ON them.

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I'm not trying to imply that you don't love them (you obviously do), but I think you just need to fall back IN love.

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And yes, Triggy...what IS housework?? lol

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[sedeh]

I saw this topic and before I even opened it I was laughing! Definately Horsework before Housework for me. With a dozen minis and 4 I'm trying to show plus breeding/foaling season it gets hectic. I get frustrated sometimes looking at the mess in my house! Winter is my downtime with the horses and my project time with the house. I do cheat......I have a housekeeper that cleans every other week. I still have to pick up the place first. Oh yeah.........then there's work......and the weekly phone calls wanting me to pick up more hours.......I just laugh at them this time of year!

 

[Bluerocket]

Housework? You people clean your houses???

We clean ours 1x a month whether it needs it or not! - no I am not kidding. -- sad but true.

We also will spot clean/tidy up for expected visitors.

My husband works 3rd shift -- so he comes home from work at 7:30am and goes to work at 10:00pm

I leave for work at 7:45 and get home around 6:30 --

Mares go out during the day and stallions/geldings go out over night - that way they can't bother each other while turned out -- no teasing and possible breeding. So------

I get up at 5:00am - watch the weather, feed cats, dogs and clean kitty litter boxes. Out to the barn by 6:00 - bring in the boys - turn out the girls, clean the girls' stalls - feed boys & dwarves and tidy up the barn. This takes me about 30 - 45 minutes.

I then have breakfast and get ready for work - by then my husband is home - we speak for a minute or two and I leave for work.

I get home about 6:30 (stop to pick up the mail, may pickup some dinner etc..) -- husband is still sleeping so I go out to barn - bring in girls - turn out boys - clean boy stalls - feed girls & dwarves and tidy up again - may spread manure if spreader is full - may mow a paddock or part of the yard - weather permitting.

Will play with horses a little (work boys some times in the round pen) -- and dogs -- by 8:00 or 9:00 I am in the house again and husband is awake - we visit and have dinner. He goes to work, I go to sleep.

Have not figured out how to drive my horse during the week as I don't think it is safe to do that alone -- in case something were to happen.

Weekends are spent doing errands, mowing, weed eating, doing other needful chores around the place - doing laundry and playing with people and animals - a break time where possible.

We have bakers dozen of horses (13 including the dwarves and the wry nose colt - soon to be gelded) 10 indoor cats, and 2indoor/outdoor dogs - and are about to get 2 goats to help with the weed eating.

Not near enough time to get done what needs to be done. House is low priority - no, I don't let it get HORRIBLE - but my mother would think it needed cleaning everyother day. I don't have time for that - my husband helps out on cleaning weekend when we basically do a complete overhaul of the place - vacuum, dust, sweep, clean bathrooms thoroughly etc..

We both wish we could win the lottery -- and retire -- we are in our early 50's and will have to work until they force us to retire -- at that point we will probably have to part with the horses (if not sooner). If either one of us could retire from our real jobs - we could work full time taking care of the 5 acre farm and home - so much needs to be done that you just can't get around to all of it. I would really love to be able to spend more time with horses and schooling and showing etc.. but it is not meant to be at this time.

We love the place and our critters - and have just decided that some things are just not important to us. We live the best way we can and enjoy what we have.

Anyway - that's our life.

JJay

PS you probably did not need or want to know all this - but there you go.

 

[Joyce]

It definitely is hard to get everything done in a day with animals. I still have 13 miniatures but am not breeding anymore so that cuts down on work and I get more sleep, also not showing after many years of doing that also. But I do work part time in my husband's British car business and raise chickens, and ducks besides the horses. So I do keep busy all day and into the evenings. My husband does feed the minis in the morning, goes to the grain store for me, and empties my maure wagon. The rest of the horse work is all mine so I muck stalls first thing in the morning. I guess when you love animals, you just have to work longer days and plan your work accordingly. Getting older doesn't make it any easier either. This will be an interesting thread.

 

[chandab]

What's housework? :bgrin

That's what I was thinking. :lol:

 

[Lisa Strass]

i think you have to live eat and breath horses

it has to be a passion or it just turns into a chore.

Oh, How I can identify with this post! I think kaykay summed it up best in her quote above. Basically, you just have to love it, and do the best you can.

The only way I am able to manage is that I have the most wonderful husband who is willing to make the sacrifices required when owning horses and having full time jobs. We both work in Houston, which needless to say doesn't have a lot of pasture space! So we live in the Tomball/Magnolia area which means we each have at least a 1 hour commute each direction. We dream of winning the lottery and moving everyday! And I always find it ironic that I have to work so I can afford horses, but then don't have enough time with them. On the flip side, I can think of ways that I would have more time, but then wouldn't have any money. So, I'm going to stick with working

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I also get a lot of help from my 12-yr-old son. He most definitely doesn't eat and breathe horses, but he does like animals in general and is a huge help to me with evening chores.

As far as showing, I try to put one or two with a professional trainer each year. I then try to keep a couple up in my barn that get most of their weekly excercise from turnout time and weekend excercise in the round pen. If you have horses that like to play, this actually works pretty well.

And housework? What's that? :lol:

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]I think that my mother and Bluerockets mother are sisters or something... she DEFINITELY is not happy with the way my house can look... She is one that would sit at my table, look at the light switch...take her butter knife and go scrape around it if she thinks there is dirt there..... She asks me all the time when I am going to grow up and just be a wife and grandmother..... I answer her that if it hasnt happened in almost 53 years its not likely to at this point. My house isnt a mess , Virginia and 4mymirage can vouch for me they have been here.... but I have the best excuse for dust now and not so shiny linoleum.... I cant see the dirt and my theory is .... if I cant see it.... it aint there!

: [/SIZE]

Lyn

 

[Dorrie & Frank]

One trick for coniditoning is to arrange paddocks so that the horses can naturally work themselves - stallions and mares running fence lines to see each other can go a long way in providing good conditioning. If you have hills a nice slope is even better. We like the alluminum portable panels because we can change the configuration as we need it to let them condition themselves.

 

[Marty]

I have 10 horses and I run two business: I have my own on-line business that I run from home and we have a store in town.

I multitask by order of priority.

I have no help and do not want any help and don't rely on anyone.

I have a schedule that works for me and I manage to keep it.

Things like feeding the horses and cleaning stalls are a priority. Cleaning the house is not. So I take care of the animals first and get them all set up for their day and then pick up the house later. I don't like living in filth so I just do the minimum that I can get away with during the week like a quick pick up and I do the floors daily, keep the dishes washed and the toilet cleaned up. I just do a quick pick up and leave the heavy cleaning for the weekends.

I plan dinner the night before and I have everything ready to just shove in the oven. I do a lot of crock pot stuff too. I make a lot of casseroles too.

I sort out my laundry the night before and have my loads ready and just shove a load in the washer.

I do a quick daily grooming on everyone and save the big groomings for weekends. I limit my training/conditioning sessions to only 15 or 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. There are three that I am conditioning and I'm also spending about 15 minutes a day with the foal on his little manners and training.

 

[BallynoeBaby]

HOW does everyone handle everything from horses to family and house work.

I have three horses right now one with a "wonderful trainer", one is a yearling and other one I did sell but she is with us for the summer to show.

But being that my guy is with the trainer I am not sure if I will have the time to keep him in condition.

HOW does everone else keep up with working their horses with such a busy schedule?? I have often at times thought of getting out of the horses??

Please help need advice!!!

I can see where u are coming from im a student and i only have one miniature but i still find it tough. I take my hat off to everyone who can juggle it all. Well done. I can see that when i get into a plan for the day i find it easier.

 

[joylee123]

Don't do the house work :bgrin

 

[capall beag]

My advice don't sweat the small stuff!!

3 kids, 8 horses, 5 dogs.......I set my priorities!

Anything breathing needs to be fed and exercised and loved regularly!

Housework can always wait and so can sleep!

I get up early, go to bed late and pray for nice weather

However, I need to simplify some!

It is hard but everything worthwhile is

 

[Petvet]

This is a great topic! My house is never as clean as it ought to be, but my stalls are!

The whole idea behind miniature horses (or any horses, in my opinion) is that owning them ought to be FUN!

Yep, they are a lot of work, but anytime the work isn't enjoyable anymore, or it causes stress instead of relieves stress, there is something wrong somewhere. The best times in my life are the times spent in the barn, listening to the horses chewing their hay. Makes the rest of the days worries just melt away!

Like everyone else, I work outside the home, have two kids, three dogs, and currently 7 horses. If I tried to keep them all in spotless condition I would go crazy. I choose maybe two to show a year (and we don't haul a circuit, just hit the shows we find convenient and fun) and only worry about actively conditioning those two. That involves three times a week working them at whatever they are doing (driving, jumping, halter) and the rest of the time they are on limited turnout due to our good pasture, maybe 2 to 3 hrs a day, then back in the stall. The remainder of our little horses have a run-in arrangement where they can come and go and they manage to keep themselves in decent shape, a little chubby perhaps, but happy!

If the work involved with three horses is becoming stressful, find a way to back off and find the fun again. It may be that you really enjoy the tasks involved with keeping a horse in show conditiion all the time. If so, it might be time to cut back your numbers to just one in the barn. If the show conditioning is driving you crazy, maybe it is time to cut out the showing for a time and just enjoy the horses for themselves.

Sure hope you are able to continue with your miniatures and find the fun again!

 

[Charlotte]

Housework????What's that??????? :lol:

Charlotte

p.s. really good subject here. Now that our ISP seems to have fixed our connection problems I'll go back and read all the posts. :bgrin

 

[Leeana]

Currently i juggle School, Conditioning, Training, Mucking, Feeding, Water, Picking up feed/bedding, fixing there food and i have to admit ...i personally love every minute of it!

I am in school untill June 7th, and after that i have all day with the horses. But this is my current schedule for a normal typical somewhat hectic school day w/ the horses.

Each night i soak beet pulp before i go to bed. I fill up the bucket outside with the pellets and bring it in the house and add water. Next morning around 7:30am right before i leave for school i give them all there hay and mix there grain in w/ the beet pulp and give them there serving of there BeetPulp mix. Royal gets more Beet Pulp and less hay currently though because his show is coming up SOON!

Then at 10am (since im at school) my father puts them all out for me to the dry lot to play, roll ..get dirty.

I get home from school around 3pm and here is where it gets hectic! First thing i do is get the PM beet pulp in a bucket and soaked. Then the next thing i do is clean stalls. Then put down new layer of bedding. Fill up water buckets or dump them. Then i go mix up there Grain/BeetPulp mix. Put there grain in all there feed dishes. Then i bring them all in which takes forever since none have halters on normally, i just get a lead rope and lead them with that to there stall which normally is the longest thing i do. Then while they eat i come in and get on the computer and get some supper (this is normally around 4:30/5:00pm). Then around 6pm i take Royal out to Lunge/train with him (depending on the day). But everyday around 6pm i get everyone out and take them for a walk or exersize them. Normally i take Joe over some jumps because i think he looks forward to it. Then finially i fill all the stalls up with hay at night and yet agian, bring them back in for the last time. Lock all the stalls and open the big door so they get a nice breeze since its now in the 80's here. Normally its around 8:00 at this point.

Then i make my last trip to the barn at around 9:00pm to shut the light off and give them all there much needed nightly love along with small grooming (big grooming sessions are always Saturdays, or for Royal i take a rubber curry over him nightly to get him shiny for showing)

Then there is Homework and Internet untill 11pm.

Okay ...Personally for me, i dont think that my schedule is that hectic. I cannot tell you how much i love what i do. Cleaning stalls, cleaning horses, feeding them is just what i love to do and it is (as you can see) top of my list. No i dont have any house chores to do and i work only weekends and Wensdays, and normally thats from 5-9 on Wesdays and Mornings on weekends. Doesnt interfere with my horse related things either way. I have a very deep passion for my horses and i love to show them off, i like knowing that my horse looks and feels its best because i put my work, time, effort and money into it. I will be doing this untill the day i die, when im to old to do so i will still find ways to.

Of course this summer after June 7th when i get out of school i will have twice as long to do all my barn related things. I dont even like to call them 'barn chores' because i dont look at that as chores, i look at them as something i do for my horses and that i like to do. You will never hear my complain about mucking a stall or lunging a horse.

You just need to remember what horses are all about. Yes there is showing and all that ....but you still need to just love up on them a little bit. If you noticed, at 9:00pm that is when i go back outside to just play with them and 'chat' with them. Thats our fun time.

Leeana H.

 

[willowoodstables]

OMG Nicole!!!! You should SEE the inside of my house!!!!!!! There are two dogs in there, and the dust BUFFALO are stampeding around when you walk, let alone open a door for a breeze! if you notice my 2 big pink flower pots at the end of the laneway?? That's my garden

!! I just fill a bunch of flower pots and let em rip (I may water them if I remember)

There are are NO houseplants at all! I "pay" my son to vacuum( I don't know how to use it). I have some one else mow my lawn (yes I pay, but I sure don't have time to sit on the lawnmower)

I am fortunate to have the summer off, but still I am busier than when I was working. When I had a job, my mornings were early...especially in the heat of the summer, it payed to get up at 5:00 and work them all before they had breakfast, jump in the shower and head off to work, and still have time to go boating in the evenings.

Don't worry about conditioning. Moonie is toned and ready, all you have to do is practice a little bit and you'll both be fine. Let them out 24/7 and there are no stalls to worry about. Get your daughter to do small things (as she is so horse crazy) as to practice with Magic and then she doesn't have to be worked.

As someone stated, don't sweat the small stuff. Martha Stewart we are not

But first and foremost...HAVE FUN with your horses and enjoy yourself!

Kim

PS I should be in bed 'cause tomorrow is another early morning :bgrin :bgrin :bgrin :bgrin :bgrin

 

[backwoodsnanny]

I dont manage it all when the barn is done which is most of the time to my satisfaction the house is not and vice versa and my lawns are a wreck and the flowers are still waiting to but put in.