AKA how's the time commitment of two horses going?
After several swaps of horses, first in March and then again in late July, Ben is living with the GY's and Goggles is living at JT's. They both have settled into pretty good routines. Ben goes with the herd during the day and then by himself or with his trusty old friend at night. It seems like he gets bit in the mornings at morning turn-in, so by eliminating that possibility, he's at the rate of one bite or less per month, which is very tolerable for his increased happiness at being with the herd. Meanwhile Goggles has found the enforcer he needed in his life and is on night turn out (~16 hours) in a big field at JT's.
This means he is in during the day, the better to eat his three LARGE meals and pick at his alfalfa like only a picky, young, growing TB can. Things will change again in January when Goggles will move up to be closer to me, but until then, this is working for everyone.
So how is it going time-wise? I have been prioritizing Ben as we plan our move back up to training level. He gets 5-6 rides a week. Usually one is a lesson down at JT's and I also lesson on Goggles that day. I have started taking short cuts on some days - ie tack doesn't get cleaned every day, the bit gets rinsed and billets get wiped down and then we call it good. Fall is making that a better choice too since there's not a thick layer of sweat on every leather good. I've also started calling a lunge a reasonable light day for Ben. He lunges REALLY well. He wants to be a bit lazy, but responds to the positioning of the lunge whip quite well and is easy to motivate without making him anxious. I've been using it to work him near the spooky areas of the ring on days I don't have time for a ride.
Ben's week:
- Conditioning ride - 20 min trot set + 2x3 min canter sets
- 2 dressage rides, one with 20 min stretchy trot tacked on the end
- 1 jump lesson
- 1-2 hacks or 1 hack and 1 lunge
Goggles? Well, he's getting 1-2 training rides or lunge sessions a week with JT. I usually do one lesson, then one other ride on my own and I try to do one hack a week. Then, filling in the gaps, my good friend down there who will ride him most weekends. Weekends are when I have the least amount of time typically since my work shifts are longer those days and my husband is off and it is sometimes nice to spend time together rather than spending every moment living and breathing horses.
Goggle's Week:
- Lesson - flat or jump
- 1-2 training rides or long-line sessions, although we're moving more and more to rides with just an occasional long-line to reset his brain when needed
- Hack - on-property solo or off-property with a friend
- Flat school
- 0-2 rides with my friend, usually if she rides him he'll get 1 less training ride or I won't flat him that week
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| The cuddliest kiddo |
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| His ears look ridiculous and I love it |
Honestly? Even with toning down tack cleaning for Ben and having soo much help with Goggles, two horses in work and a job is a lot. I don't have any secret hacks to save time. I haven't suddenly found more hours in the day either.
In January, Goggles will be moving to a farm right down the road from my house, equally as close as Ben. Which means a decrease in drive time and also means they can keep each other company on the trailer ride down to JT's for once or twice weekly lessons. I do think if they were at the same barn it would be mildly more efficient, so depending on how things pan out at the farm Goggles will be moving to, I would consider moving Ben there. Unfortunately though moving Goggles means losing training rides and my friend's rides on Goggles. In addition to the wonderful time she's been putting in on Goggles, we go for once a week hacks and it has been super fun to have someone to go out and explore with on the baby horse.
Truly though, Goggles doesn't need to be working more than four days a week to be a good BN horse. We're just doing intensive boot camp right now to get the most benefit from his time at JT's. And don't worry, he's still gotten an entire week off here and there to rest and digest what he's been learning. And sure as I post this, one of them will decide to be unsound, and I'll be back to having no problem sorting out time for the both of them LOL!
So, those of you with 2+ horses in work... any secret time-saving tips? How do you prioritize your week?
this is me, reading this post, with my fingers stuck in my ears singing, 'la la la, i can't hear you!' haha.... for real, tho, esp with the impending time change, even riding one and grooming the other feels like a squeeze and mine live just a few stalls away from each other. hopefully once goggles moves it'll feel a little more doable!
ReplyDeleteHaha! Maybe you'll come up with some brilliant way to manage it. If mine lived at the same place at least one hack would be a ponied one since Ben is great at being the ponied horse and I think Goggles would actually do fine as the pony horse.
DeleteI laughed at the title of this post because OMG it's true. Mine are both boarded at the same place that is extremely close to my house and I still feel like I run out of time (ask me how I fit our hunting dog into the mix). Both of mine are in full training, both get ridden five days a week. Like Emma, I am not looking forward to the time change since the outdoor arena is unlit :(
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, I can't imagine adding an active dog to two horses. The cat already feels neglected. Fortunately with my work schedule, light is not the biggest problem, that is not a fun thing to add into the mix.
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