Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sherry Cassetori on February 23, 2011 at 8:13am

Frances don't give up there is always a horse crazy girl out there that would love to help.  I live in Northeast PA at our barn we always get young girls asking to help.

Permalink Reply by Mari on February 23, 2011 at 10:19am

Your story begs the question, doesn't it, of how a relatively new horsekeeper, on her own for the most part, winds up with so many horses.  You are in over your head.  You need to find help now, not in the spring.  Then when spring finally arrives, you and your helper need to work on selling or finding good homes for 2/3 of your herd so that you will have the time to enjoy the two that you have left.  Best of luck to you.

Permalink Reply by Elaine Flintoff on February 23, 2011 at 10:27am

Sorry as it sounds, I agree with Mari....sell 2/3 of the herd so you will be able to follow your passion.  My passion is horses, but not killing myself trying to keep their stalls cleaned and them exercised.  I bet if you think about it for a long while, you will realize that your passion for the animal is eroding because of the work you have to do to have them, which probably isn't what you expected when you bought your first one  Good l uck, and get help now !!!    Cheers!. 

Permalink Reply by Linda Hokanson on February 23, 2011 at 11:03am

I also agree with Mari and Elaine, you need to cut the work load down to a more manageble size. This winter has been challenging to even the most experienced horsekeepers in Sask and Alberta with the bitter cold temps and extra snow. Like you, my husband is gone 75% of the time so the farm work is pretty much up to me. We have a breeding farm so have a large number of horses and without the help of some of my "visitors" this winter it would have been much more exhausting than it has. I was fortunate to have had several former students come to visit for several weeks which has been a life saver this year. The decision has been made to drastically cut down the breeding herd, we are getting to the age where retirement is an option and the bodies are wearing out somewhat! It will much more fun with a lot less work if you cut back the numbers......

Permalink Reply by Jackie Cochran on February 23, 2011 at 11:10am

My experience--one horse was quite doable (before my MS became active, I can't do it any more.)  A second horse is anywhere from 3 to 10 times the work, the third likewise, and the 4th, 5th and 6th can end up being over 100X the work of one horse.

Check on your insurance before you hire anyone (I hate being practical.)  Realize that at first having an employee can be a lot more work for you until he or she learns your ways of horsemanship.

The other ladies are right about you overfacing yourself.  Horses can take an infinite amount of care and money.  This is a lesson we all have to learn.  Hopefully before we collapse from exhaustion. 

Permalink Reply by Cindy Jeffery on February 23, 2011 at 4:41pm

HI there Frances :-) Congratulations on your determination to live your dream :-)  I want to encourage you in your endeavour, if your health is good and you thrive on the outdoors, honest work and horses I encourage you to keep going.....just do it slower, there is no hurry and ulitimately those horses are yours and you decide how fast, how far, how long and if that is determined by your body condition and your health then so be it.  If you need to slow down do so, if you need help get it and your idea by the way of finding a young person to help you out is a good one.   I did that and I too am in a similar situation, I have 5 horses now, had 6 but one died in December, so now I'm down to 5, but I can relate, my hubby doesn't ride either and I'm 60+, I hand feed daily and carry water in buckets till the trough is full and then I add ice twice a day to top up the water (have a water heater in the trough).  I have been doing this for 10+ years mostly on my own modifying as I go, we don't have electricity in all areas of this operation so power cords are run to the barn from the house, etc.   I figure as long as I can keep them fed, watered, groomed occasionally throughout the long cold winter I'm doing good.  Sometimes I add in some ground work on the really nice days or just go out and talk to them and rub them down with my mitts on and all bundled up. This winter one of my students decided she wanted to work with her horse as much as possible so has been coming out 2 times a week, she is inspiring to say the least, when she comes I'm out there too and find I miss her when she can't come.  She is a blessing that's for sure.  I find for me at my age the exercise I get doing my chores and guiding this young person keeps me healthy, sure I have some aches and pains from age but I keep moving and have discovered ways to live drug free.  Don't know how long you have lived in Sask. but I can only imagine the intensity of the winters there, I have travelled through in the fall and found it terribly windy but awesome and beautiful at the same time.  Maybe hubby could arrange to have a heated indoor built so you could work year round or like me just press on and be thankful you can still be with the horses. Sometimes just having a place to get out of the wind to practices ground control exercises and maybe sit on your horse just to get a riding fix.  I plan to carry on till my last day with the horses whether it's the ones I have now or others, there's gotta be a horse in my life till the end. :-)

Permalink Reply by Donna Douglas on February 23, 2011 at 7:08pm

Hi Francis ~ I'm ABSOLUTELY with Cindy on this!  I'm in exactly the same boat as you and work full time teaching (currently just recovering from report card hell!)  but . . . I can't bear to think of boarding mine out (even though it might be somewhere with an indoor arena) after having raised them & lived with them these past 6 years. 

They are my life's dream fulfilled, not until after putting marriage, child rearing, divorce, empty nesting behind me.  They are the most tolerant bunch of scruffions I know, to walk into my barn, even at 30 below in January, is my release from the world and the BEST quality time I spend anywhere. 

It is almost March, it will soon be spring, the livin' will be easier.

Just putter along, there's no rush . . . & look into ways to economize on movement/labour . . .  Heated watertanks, run in sheds.  Maybe local high school or (equine) college could provide co-op students ('cause they're covered under their insurance).  If you're in proximity of Regina . . . aspiring vet students are required to have LOTS of volunteer/industry experience on their resumes by the time they arrive at 1st year Vet College!

 

Permalink Reply by Mari on February 23, 2011 at 9:13pm

Donna, you don't know that Frances is in your same boat.  She really didn't give much information except that she has too many horses for a newbie, and she hasn't been back on to reply to the comments.  I hate to blow away the unicorns and butterflies, but I'm concerned for those horses.  What I read was a cry for help, and I hope Frances comes back to give us more information about her situation.

Permalink Reply by Donna Douglas on February 24, 2011 at 8:56am

Hey Frances!  Must strongly DISAGREE with Mari on 2 points:

1)  I for one, am not concerned about the state of your horses - if that was an issue - you wouldn't be exhausted & your post deals with issues surrounding working too hard - exclusively. The kernel of my post (apart from Cdn. Sisterhood in the "Dead of February") is to economize on labour to any extent that is possible/affordable & tread carefully around the issue of 'help' as has been advised by many of your responders.  The 'fearless adolescent" (who may indeed still be swatting at butterflies & chasing unicorns) can overlook the reality that they are dealing with a 1000 lb prey animal & end up hurt - in the blink of an eye (even quicker than you or I ~ who are seasoned livestock management engineers) or worse still, inadvertantly hurt one of your horses.  KNOW your legal position!

 

2)  Don't know about MI, but North of the 49th Parallell & being "over 50 & still going strong" & being "Just Like You" Frances, in that:

"I bought my first horse at (45)  and now (10 years later) I'm up to  6...Its winter here ( Ontario) and bitterly cold so riding is out for awhile. but I'm finding by the time chores are done I'm exhausted..Not sure what I'm going to do come spring when all these young horses need to be ridden (at my place, the line forms to the right! - One at a time, please, One at a time!). I (absolutely know) I'm in over my head & I put up with a whole lifetime of looking after everyone else before me ~ for that privilege!). Hubby dosent ride and is away from home for weeksat a time. But I'm pretty isolated here ( middle of nowhere). anyway, good to talk to you all, and find these boards very interesting, as I can relate to the pain, time restrants , and lack of energy. , "

* there are NO unicorns or BUTTERFLIES (at this time of the year) involved in equine management.  Like many people have suggested, think about what you got into this for & base your farm management & time decisions on that. 

Donna  (:

Permalink Reply by Shirley on March 24, 2011 at 1:37pm

I love how you expressed this. I have one horse and I board just 3.5 miles away from my home. There is 15 boarded horses there. I love helping to do chores in the evening and helping out as much as I can. I'm there several hours most every day and the time flies.

Reading your feelings here choked me up a little. I love horses and how I feel when I'm around them. I got started at 53 years of age, 7 years ago, and still feel very passionate about it all.

Everyones circumstances is different and it's not really fair to tell someone else what they should do when their knowledge of the others situation is so limited.

Best wishes to everyone in the paths they choose according to their situation and abilities.

Enjoy All!

Shirley

Permalink Reply by ame on February 24, 2011 at 12:28am

nothing like trying to work out in the cold and wind to totally sap your energy - and then there is the dark. six horses sounds like an awful lot to be managing by yourself, particularly through the winter. i cannot imagine trying to keep 6 of them up to snuff all summer either. to me, it would start to take away the joy of riding. of course if some of them are just backyard pets who need a good home, that is different but if you need to ride them all - i agree with others, shrink down that herd.

Permalink Reply by vickie lawson on February 24, 2011 at 4:03am

hi frances! i used to live down the road in carstairs alberta, but now reside north-west of auckland new zealand, in kaupakapaka. i can totally relate to the tiredness, isolation and sheer work of it all!  i live on a small block of land, and currently only have 2 horses. the number has been up to 4 at times. i work full time as a teacher-long hours, about 45 min drive away.  i sometimes am overwhelmed by the work of it all- mostly when things aren't going my way. like lately...... my 5 yr olds' shoe came off 2 weeks ago today. my farrier has been too busy to give me a time, yesterday i phoned 4 more farriers, but to no avail. im trying to bring in hay, trailer load by trailer load. last load was by myself, after i turned truck and trailer around and dropped off husband who was complaining, and i'd had it (this was after middle child had a motorcycle accident monday and id spend 2 days at hospital with her).  my other horse, is the full brother of the 5 yr old, and only 3. i bred him for my youngest, who never got over my selling her last pony, who was clearly too small for her. she now has little to no interest, so im riding him too. and working, and trying to show both of them in various shows.  it just goes on and on..... so yes sometimes i have no energy.  but i was talking (complaining) to my mom this morning on the phone (she still lives in belleville), and she agreed. hay just has to get down, tired or not. you just do it. so i did, last night, all 37 bales in my trailer, all by myself. i love my horses. couldn't live without them. and they need the hay for the wet, wet winter coming up. as for the pain--- i have a very good chiropractor, and i swear by them. so much that i convinced my oldest to do the training. (he's not finished yet) that's another thing that i just ignor, and get on with it. 3 yrs ago, i came off my very large tb gelding. i had entered many upcoming shows so didn't bother to get my ankle xrayed. just taped it, took pain killers and rode. (it still bothers me- i do think it was at least cracked), but i did get some lovely results.  best of luck!!!! keep on trucking - or riding- its obviously part of your soul!

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