What is your daily barn routine?

I have my horse boarded and I usually do the evening feed but depending on the day, I'll often do it all.

Early morning...
Everyone goes to turnout
Hay, fresh water and grain to those who need it (only a couple)

Late evening...
Clean stalls
Wash/refill water buckets
Hay to everyone
Grain, supplements and soaked beet pulp to everyone

If everyone stays in for whatever reason, whomever does the morning feed picks the stalls after feeding.

Then at my place.....
Early morning, open the chicken and turkey coops
Throw corn to chickens
Check their food/water
Collect eggs

Check cow's auto-waterer and clean if needed
Feed orphan calf his grain
Throw hay if butt cold or snowy

Feed goats if butt cold or snowy

Right now the cows are gone (had to send away for Winter due to drought wreaking havoc with my pastures) so it's easier.

At night we count all the chickens and close them up in coops. Have to put errant hens back int he right coop half the time, they're always convinced the wrong coop looks nicer (until they get wailed upon by another chicken!).

I wonder why you want to do self-care? Just curious. If your barn will be full with full-care boarders, then it seems more beneficial for you to do full care. Barns around here are full with a waiting list even if they only offer full care.

As a full care boarder, my perspective of being in a barn with self-care boarders is that I would rather not. What I found was: the barn would smell and/or have flies in the day because the self-care boarders may clean their stalls at night instead of morning. Some owners would have "emergencies" or work late and not clean their stalls for more than a day. Some horses would not get turned out if the owners were responsible for this task.

Some horses would not get fed in a timely manner and would be frantic in their stalls listening to the other horses get fed (someone already suggested not including this in your self care option).

I know there are many responsible owners who take impeccable care of their horses and want to save money by doing self-care. Yet there are many very poor horse owners who do self-care because they don't want to spend money on their horses. At least if an owner is negligent, in full care boarding the horse is cared for.

I do selfcare because I would MUCH rather take care of my horse MYSELF than have the BO or other boarders touching/feeding/handling my horse!He's MY horse and MY responsibility. I don't have the facilities to keep him at home or I would. I want to see him EVERYDAY, more than once a day to make sure he is healthy and happy. I know too many people who own a horse and board them ina full care facility, just to only see it a few days a week when they feel like riding or having a lesson, they aren't involved in the horse's care. I PERSONALLY think that horse ownership is an involved task, and I want to be there. I work the vet and farrier appointments around my work schedule. I clean his stall everyday and pick his turnout everyday. Why would I let the barn owner or stable help take care of my horse for me? That seems lazy to me. I understand some people have to work and have weird hours, but if you can't care for your horse yourself I personally think you should stick to lessons or leasing, not owning. That way you still have your "horsie time"...

I was the one saying the BO should do the feeding. I had self care boarders, and if they were there at feeding and cleaning time they did their stalls and fed their horses etc. But half the time they weren't, started cleaning and bedding when everything else was done, were using either too much or not enough straw, would not clean well enough so the stalls were messy and smelly, and wouldn't sweep their part of the isle clean enough. So I tried to beat them to it to avoid having to do it twice. I gave them other things to do to make up for it.
I had a dust sensitive horse in the barn, and to keep her from coughing it was important to reduce dusty jobs to a minimum.
They cleaned their turnout, but couldn't make it every day, so I did it for them, otherwise their turnout would have been really messy, since one of their horses pooped ONLY around the hayfeeder.
So, it depends.....
"Mine" were quite happy with that arrangement, and enjoyed helping me take care of all the horses when they were there.

Well, I guess I meant more why the barn owner would want to have self care boarders if she could fill her barn with full care ones, meaning she may prevent some potential issues caused by self care boarders.

Obviously, many self care boarders are responsible and I've done it myself too. Yet would still choose to be surrounded by horses that are in full care since then the barn is a nicer environment, unless of course there are strict rules in place (have not seen that situation personally yet).

It's not necessarily lazy to need full care. Say you are a paramedic and work 48 hrs. Straight, then have 5 days off. You will have plenty of time to spend with your horse, but on those two days can't do the care yourself. That doesn't mean you should only lease or take lessons, or that you don't want to spend lots of time with your horse. Instead, your horse may be getting really good care because you have a good career that can pay for all the horse's needs.

Just another perspective.

Okay, we're a full care barn. I'm there everyday for chores and board my horse there, although I practically live there. (Dating the BO's son will do that to you - lol) I spend extra time with my boy every morning and night as well, it is nice to bond and just relax.

4AM -
- Horses are let in from the pasture into individual stalls, they all know their place which is nice. They recieve grain and hay.
-The babies and two year old from side pasture are led over into their stalls as well.
- Goats, pig, chickens, dog and barn cat are fed.
- Water heaters (all) and heat lamps for the chickens are checked.
-Baby paddock and big stall is cleaned for them, it's always a mess!
-Pasture is checked if time allows, the farm tends to "grow" weird things. It's an old cattle farm and some crazy stuff comes up.

5-6AM, depending on other chores
-Horses are let out and checked over
-Blankets or anything necessary is put on at this time to.
-Stalls are cleaned, picked and re-bedded if necessary (we have one horse who rips up the rubber stalls mats, and pees over everything. I mean every mat is moved and some are becoming ripped. These are heavy, rubber mats! She's a mare, anyone have any suggestions for this? It's EVERY day.)
-Wheelbarrows emptied, water tank refilled
-Grain and hay is set for PM feeding

Work, college, what ever makes up the middle of the day. (The part we all love..)

5PM
-Horses let in again and same procedure as morning follows
-Hoses are drained at night so they don't freeze
-Chickens closed in and goats/pig are bedded down for the night
-Arena is closed up
-Any work we needed to get done is done in the dark, it gets dark around 4:30PM here

I think that's everything!

Everywhere I have boarded, the stalls are picked once a day unless there is a horse being kept in for some reason - then it's done twice a day.

This is pretty much our schedule... 7am feed and hay 8am turn out in pasture ( hay every 2 hours in winter)... Stalls and barn work, riding and lessons during the day... At 7pm hay and grain... Horses put up for the night... Start all over in the morning. 3 owned horses 1 boarder.

Totally agree with you

Mine isn't anything fancy since it is just my animals and we are on the property but here goes. I usually get up and around between 7 and 9 am.

Feed the chickens
Feed the dogs, grab water bucket
Get feed for the horses, go back, get more feed for ponies/goats/pig and fill up a bucket of hay.
Give hay to the ponies/goats, start hauling buckets of water over fence for horses. Do the same for dogs.
Give ponies grain when I need a break, sit with them and make them eat near me.
Finish getting water, check on cows.
Top off dogs food bowls and give meat scraps.
Let momma dog and chow puppy outside to play.
Bring them in, clean momma dogs pen/check puppies.

I usually go out again in the afternoon to make sure the ponies still have hay and give them a little feed with some oil.

At around 5 I take my daughter out to run around the pasture and burn energy, and feed carrots to the critters.

And that's all there is to it. Morning takes me about an hour and a half/two hours depending on how many need water. Whew!
Posted via Mobile Device