Conference noted::equitation

    I think it all depends on what you are planning to do with the horse,
    a Long distance rider competing for awards spends hours each day
    conditioning their horses, 2-4 hours in the saddle and 1-2 hours
    of cooling and grooming, a pleasure rider who rides 1-2 hours here
    and there might spend an hour a day on the days they are not riding
    and maybe 2-3 on days they are.  Show and Dressage riders spend
    many an hour in training and grooming.  Are you just talking about
    the time it takes to feed, water, clean stalls, or about the time
    it takes as a whole?  I have two horses and not counting riding
    and and grooming I would say about an hour a day in total to take
    care of the rest.  Hope this helps.

DITTO with .1:

	I also think it depends on *where* you keep you horse(s): home or
    boarded!  I have to plan an hour-plus round trip to see my guy.  Then
    add in 30 minutes if I decide to do his stall (one big stall with a 
    horse who like to trash it).  Have to consider if he's in a close paddock
    or far one (can add 5-10 minutes).  

	And he's a grey -- sometimes trying to look like a pinto or perma-yellow
    (I'd like him to look like a grey when I'm with him) -- so clean up can
    occasionally take longer.  Then it's finally time to ride!!

	Are we lunging today?  Trail riding?  Schooling over fences??  
    Unfortunately, the most I can plan is either a light or heavy work day as
    I usually have to wait until I see or feel him move under saddle before 
    deciding what to do.  (If he's rowdy, it will just take longer to make my 
    point... if he's willing and obediant, schooling time is shortened and we 
    go out on the trails).  And there's after work horse and tack cleaning...

	I usually visit him 6 days a week, riding him 5 of the visits (either
    schooling or fun), doing the stalls occasionally...  I plan on a minimum
    of 3 hours during the week, 4-5 on weekends.  As much as I'll miss the
    company/companionship of the barn I board at, I am really looking forward
    to having the critter at home (my family would like to see me)!!

	When at home, would you want to consider the time it takes to get
    bedding, feed, get & store hay, dispose of manure, build jumps, rings, 
    repair fences/stalls, etc...  


				-Caroline

I was looking for info on the time it takes to do everything but the riding,
grooming, cooling out etc.  So the things like stalls, manure disposal, etc.

Your info so far is good!

Thanks

    
    	Well... I have two horses at home, and I do all the 'chores'
    myself.  The normal schedule (not including grooming, training,
    etc) is:
    
    	5:30 am		grain, fill outside water buckets (in summer
    			this is done at night to save time) feed the
    			dog, bring each horse out and cross tie long
    			enough to inspect and spray w/bug dope. turn
    			out - clean stalls - empty buckets - drop down
    			hay for evening.
    
    			total time - 40 minutes (max)
    
    	5:30 pm		fill buckets (inside and out=4) grain, bring
    			them in, feed the dog, sweep the barn floor
    
    			total time (can be 10) - normal 15-20.  I admit
    			to lingering in the evening as I enjoy hanging
    			out in the barn listening to them eat, and giving
    			an extra scratch or apple before I head to the
    			house for dinner duty.
    
    	** So, one might presume 30 minutes per day per horse **
    
    

    Time....It depends on the horse! Old pony, prefers to go outside
    to do his business stall needs cleaned only on rainy days and all
    in 1 corner. 15 minutes a day.
    
    Big QH mare always comes in to do her business works it all into
    the bedding, rolls in the mud at every oppertunity. 1 1/2 hours
    per day.
    
    Walker mare hates to get dirty, comes in to do business but piles
    it neatly along 1 wall. 20 minutes a day.
    
    Shetland pony stays clean but stall needs stripped daily, very small
    stall. 15 minutes per day.
    
    Feeding and watering takes 10 minutes in the morning the rest of
    it kills the evening pretty good. Add a 15 min commute to the barn
    and its a wonder my husband puts up with it!! The house goes up
    this summer YEA!!!
    
    Sandy
    

    I have three horses, and do all the chores myself.  It takes me
    30 minutes in the morning.  I give them grain inside, clean the
    stalls while they are munching, they get their hay outside in the
    paddock. I fill the water tub twice a week in the evening so I don't
    have to worry about that every day.  In the evening the stalls are
    already celaned so I just give them their grain and hay, and fill
    their water buckets, lead them inside, takes about 10 - 15 minutes.
    
    I do make another trip to the barn around 8:30 p.m. to put the dogs
    away, so I may drop them another flake of hay and clean the stalls
    if necessary, another 10 minutes.  So really no more than 1 hour
    a day for just the cleaning of stalls and feeding.  Of course it
    depends on the # of horses....  Hope this info helps.
    
    

Thanks for the information.   Sounds like a big fact is how much of a pig
your horse is in the stall :-)....

Does anyone know of a good book on stable management?  I went through
my catalogue and couldn't find any (I probably just missed them).

Sherry

One other quick question....how difficult is it to get rid of the manure?
I always see signs and notes advertising free manure, but does anyone
actually take you up on them?

    REPLY TO #7
    
    There is a book I think it is called something like The Back Yard
    Horse, it gives you all the basics for care and grooming of horses,
    most Tack Shops will have this book.  
    
    Not too many people need that much manure, so you might have to
    get it trucked away every couple of years if you don't have enough
    land to dump it on....
    
    

    The trick to finding a home for manure is to treat it as compost.
    We only use the same pile for 6 months at a time, stir it with a
    front loader every couple weeks until it doesn't look like manure.
    We generally have 2 piles going at once, the new one we add to,
    and the old one the whole neighborhood takes from for their flowers
    and gardens. We have never gotten up to 3 piles, the stuff is so
    popular.
    
    Sandy