After-Work Barn Routine

Karen at Patently Bay asked what is your after work barn routine.

Like most bloggers I have a day job to fund my equestrian passion. Previously I worked at home and worked EST while living in CST. This worked in my benefit as I was able to head to the barn a little after 4pm most days. Today is actually my first day at my new job so that timing will be changing.

Now that I have 2 horses pretty much everyday is a barn day. Annie or Houston get ridden all but 1 or 2 days of the week. Annie is usually top in the pecking order given that she is actively showing and green.

Upon arriving at the barn Houston usually starts nickering and Annie will usually glance from her hay. I normally try to arrange the tack and boots that I plan to use for a specific days ride prior to doing anything with the horses.

My barn doesn’t currently have crossties/grooming bays so I typically just get the horses ready in their respective stalls. This works out well as they are not surprised by the routine when we are at horse shows. I try to be thorough for my pre and post ride routines. Pre ride the horses get doused in fly spray and post ride I like to use Annie’s Equine Elixirs as well as doctor any knicks and scrapes.

The variety of our work depends on the week and my mood but I normally flat 3-5 days a week and jump 1-2 times a week with 1-2 lessons in the mix. I like to have atleast one ride a week that is laid back and fun with a majority of outside hacking.

Each horse gets at least 1 day off a week but usually more like 2 for Annie and Houston it really just depends. As we aren’t working toward anything I don’t have a set schedule and he kind of gets to hang out.

What does your after work routine look like?

 

8 comments

  1. K says:

    Mine looks *hilarious*. I come home whenever I’m free (5pm-7pm usually), cook dinner for Phil, then head to the barn (so 6pm to 8pm is when I leave). I groom & ride Lexie, groom Candy, and fix any of their boo-boos, then head back home, usually around 9-10 pm. I do this usually 3-4 days a week. If I work in the evenings, I do this routine in the morning before work (so around 4 am).

  2. Karen M says:

    Balancing a full time job and two horses is pretty much amazing to me! I kind of wonder if I could manage it, but I doubt it with the current commute… good luck at the new job 🙂

  3. KateRose says:

    Thanks for sharing! I’ve been working on my schedule lately… so it’s nice to hear what other people do. Essentially for my life to work I need to learn how to be a morning person… eek.

  4. Stacie Seidman says:

    Mine is pretty similar! I get home after work about 5:35, give everyone hay, and get changed. Then I ride Jamp who flats 4-5 a week and jumps 1-2 times. Next is Romey who only flats currently. And last I either tack walk or hand walk Rio. Then it’s clean up time and feeding grain. Most nights they don’t get grain until really late, but with just three in the barn it doesn’t really make sense to feed them one at a time as they finish working. I’m usually done around 9:45-10 and then I go inside to let the dogs out, feed them, and make dinner. The days are long!

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