Daily Routine
6:30 - 7:30 am - Whoever is on the morning shift will arrive and make a quick check on all the stables horses before taking around the feed cart to feed them. Once fed they'll gather the feed for horses who were turned out and in work on feeding the horses, haltering them and feeding them separately to avoid squabbles.
7:30 am - The stables horses are usually finished eating by now and day staff have begun to arrive. The stables are mucked out, horses are given a more thorough checking over and a change of rug if needed. As stables are finish hay nets are brought around for those not being turned out. Fields are poo-picked and horses in the fields are checked over, brought in and have rug changes as required 8:30am - 1pm- After a brief coffee break horses are prepared to be worked by being tacked up and warmed up by their rider.Horses are exercised either in one of the arenas, on a hack or travel to the local cross country facilities. This is continued throughout the day with horses being washed down, groomed and un-tacked after their work outs. 1 pm - Horses are given their lunch hay nets before riders and stable hands retreat to the staff room for their lunch and assign afternoon jobs between themselves. 2 pm - Staff return from their lunch break and get to work on their assigned task, which could be clipping, turning out, field management, mucking out, tack cleaning/washing, making haynets and/or evening feeds, repairing rugs or exercising horses that still need to be worked. 4: 30pm - Coffee break! 5pm - All horses have been ridden by this point and all arenas should be empty so they can be leveled and all equipment put away if not already done so. Those who aren't leveling arenas go poo picking and prepare the fields/stables for the evening (filling hay bags, checking the fences, removing equipment, adding extra bedding to the stables. 5 :30pm - Horses are rugged and turned out as needed, night haynets are put in the stables as the majority of the staff leave. Hay is put in the fields at the same time. 10pm - Late night check on the horses in the stable and field. Hay is topped up if needed. |
Weekly Routine
Monday & Friday : Cardio training, horses are hacked over the mountains and different terrains at varying speeds for varying times.
Thursday & Friday : The daily routine above is followed Wednesdays & Saturday: Horses are hacked out either in groups or alone, depending on the individual, to replace their workout schedule. Sunday: Full day off for all the horses. All are turned out in groups in the larger fields if they can (health permitting). Only youngsters are worked if at all necessary. |