# Pasture and Barn chores.



## loveduffy (Dec 22, 2011)

In the winter I still try to pick the fields and the horses out for as much as passable and ride as weather will let me


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## Incitatus32 (Jan 5, 2013)

At the barn I work/board at: 

AM: feed horses up at front of property (about 10 or so) hay and grain and supplements if needed. Feed horses at back of property (about 20 or so) hay if needed and grain. Give everyone a once over and make sure they're all fine and dandy. Go back up to barn, grab a hammer start breaking ice in all 9 troughs and then fill by carting buckets of water to them. Turnout horses as needed.

PM: Repeat above and bring horses in as needed. 

Sometimes during the day I'll do stalls, fix fencing/electrical wiring or other jobs that need done to keep the place running. But that's all as needed.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

I have 13 horses right now. If it is significantly cold at night, they are in the barn.
In the summer, they are in during the day. Normal years, I can leave them out with round bales, but this year, I could find no round bales that I could afford, so they come in and eat square bales.

It takes me about 30 minutes to get them in, 2 at a time, and the pastures are about 100 Yds from the barn. Scoop a large bucket of pellets, feed. Drag out water hose, fill water buckets. Put hay bale in wheelbarrow, portion out. If they have been in, scoop poop, takes about an hour. In the dry times, I spread it with a manure spreader. In the winter, I pile it, and DH scoops it with the tractor bucket and puts it on the garden.

Decide who needs work, and if neighbor girls are riding. Groom. Groom. We can get 8 horses done in a day, if they are both here. By myself, 3 or4 is my max. 

Lunch is in there somewhere, constant picking up poop( 9 of the horses are in standing stalls....) 

4 o clock.... Time to start over, then feed the barn cats and dog also. In summer, this starts about 6.

My horses have a lot of hair, so we do a lot of mane and tail brushing.
I do my own feet, so that is thrown in there somewhere, too, but there is no schedule, it in all PRN.


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## Koolio (Apr 7, 2010)

I have 4 horses, with 2 at home and 2 at the stable in winter. I check water daily, but fill the trough twice a week. I also use a heater, so shouldn't have to chip ice. Here is my list of chores.

Winter mornings:
Check water, check blankets, do a quick body check, feed hay.

Winter evening:
Feed grain, check and fill water, check blankets, quick groom if time, body check, feed hay.

On the weekends I put out a weeks worth of bales from the main stack, pick out the run in pen and if necessary, rebed with straw. I also try to shovel the poop that isn't frozen to the ground out of the way. No chance of picking poop when it is frozen to the ground.

I also try to get out to the stwble at least 3-4 times a week to ride.

In spring, I pick poop from the winter, harrow the fields, reseed and fertilize where necessary. We also do most of our pasture maintenance in the spring.

Summer chores are easy as our horses are on pasture BUT I spend a lot of time blanketing and I blanketing.

Summer morning:
Check water, check horses, remove fly sheets (if I dare).

Summer evening:
Feed grain/supplement, re blanket and spray if needed, groom, check water

In summer, I either pick or harrow the pastures at least once or twice a week. I also spend a ton of time mowing and weed whipping the fence line.


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## turnandburn1 (Nov 21, 2014)

I have 11 horses(some of which are my sisters, but she is off to bigger and better things so they are now my responsibility)

Am before school:
- sometimes ride my 3 year old bareback to her stall (otherwise she will take the other horses feed)
- feed all of them
- Make sure water is full
- take blankets off if it is going to warm up (in winter)
Pm about 4:00
- ride my barrel horse at the boarding stable
- if riding him doesn't take all night, I ride 1 other rideable horse at our house, and in summer I try to ride all 4 rideable ones
- clean out the run in shed
- clan the water tub
- feed
- brush all while they are eating and pick out chuckle burrs 
-Put blankets on if needed
- give lots of love and goodnight kisses on the nose


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## Horseychick87 (Feb 5, 2014)

Well, my old routine (and hopefully at some point soon, my routine again.)

Morning:
Bring feed/ hay into the stalls, 
remove empty water bucket(s) for cleaning
Put fresh bucket(s) in and fill with water.
Bring horse(s) in and check them over as they eat
Give a quick brushing and let them be alone to eat.
After they are done eating open gate from night paddock to one of four pastures for daily turnout.

Evening/ Night:
Bring horse(s) back into night paddock and close the gate.
Brush horses, second check of the day.
If any will be ridden/ trained etc, it's done now
Full grooming for all ridden horses, and a good grooming for those not ridden (all get curried and brushed down, hooves picked, etc.)
Feed hay (if all hay is gone) and if they get a second meal (or third or even fourth meal) it's done now.

Daily chores:

Mucking out the stalls when horses are not in them.
Mucking out the night paddock.
Muck the pasture(s). This is actually done about every other day.
Water buckets get scrubbed and allowed to dry overnight (Two sets are used so there is always a clean set.)
Hay is fed in appropriate ratios and hay nets/ slow feeders are set up a week in advance so it's always ready to go.

Weekly chores:
Stuff hay nets/ slow feeders for the week to come.
Measure out all bagged feeds and grains and put them in a bucket with a lid for the week ahead.
Take care of any repairs that need to be made.

Monthly chores:

Measure out supplements into individual containers, such as baby food jars, mason jars, or food storage containers.
Schedule vet/ farrier/ dental appointments
Weight check ( Using the Texas A&M guide for bodyweight estimation) to ensure proper feeding levels.
About 4 dozen other things I can't think of right now, LOL.


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## Reiningcatsanddogs (Oct 9, 2014)

We live in an area with harsh summers and cool but not cold winters, so we tend to do things backwards where we do the hard labor chores like fencing, building, clearing brush this time of year and then take it easy on that stuff in the summer, it can be dangerous (high temps + high humidity). 

The best time to ride is from Oct-Jan and again Mid March-May. We can keep the horses on pasture pretty well 24/7/365, unless there is some cold (below freezing), wet, windy weather coming, in which case they get stalled until it blows over.

Once a day : Basic grooming and check for any injuries/abnormalities...ride at least one of them and do something productive such as hand walking or a bit of ground work with the rest of them. Check saddles and tack for any issues.

Twice a day : feeding, check water (three times in summer), spread out poop to dry, give meds. 

Once a week : check fencing, and barns for structural or safety issues, pick up any garbage that may have blown into the pasture from elsewhere. 

Once a month : buy hay, wormer, concentrate feed, supplements and re-order any meds. Farrier comes for a visit.

Four times a year : clean tack and oil if needed, replace any worn pieces.

Twice a year : schedule routine vet care and teeth

There is probably more, but this is what is coming to mind at the moment.


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