All those with your own horse property, talk to me about your commute!

[allons-y]

My commute is 25 mins, including the obligatory McDonalds stop. I do work my A off at home, but I really enjoy it. As a RN, 3 days a week, 12 hr days is fulltime. I set up my current schedule to work 3 in a row, 2 off 3 more in a row. Then I’m off 6 in a row. I just feed and turn out am and pm when I work, DH picks one manure pile and refills water buckets.

I do love having my own place, also hate house work. Right now I’m nursing “hammer/saw/paint elbow”, too many days of projects in a row.:lol:
Soon it will be too hot and humid to do much work outside - except mow - you are all right about that! Fortunately I love to mow, tractor time is therapy time. I have kites the accompany me, grabbing grasshoppers I scare up. Farm dog reminds me when I’ve been out too long, time to come in to AC!

And no, I don’t ride as much as when I boarded, but I’m happy here.

[Shagyas_Rock]

I have 38 acres and my commute is 12 minutes. I have four horses - two in stalls and two in run-ins.
It takes me about an hour to do chores in the morning, before work. I get up at about 6 a.m.- manage to be in the barn by about 6:25 and am back in the house, ready for shower and breakfast, by about 7:35 and I have no trouble getting to work by 8:45. Evening chores take about half an hour.
We have fencing to fix every spring - deer, trees falling on it - heavy snow - but we have someone who helps us with that.
Our hay guy helps us stack hay when he delivers it.
Our farrier comes every 8 weeks. Our vet is 15 minutes away.
We spray the pasture for weeds in the spring and mow it about mid summer.
I have a nice 20 x 60 outdoor arena. I am a mile from a state park with lovely trails. I can hack there.
I would never go back to boarding. . .I board for three months in the winter, so I can have an indoor . . . and that place is only 10 minutes away. It drives me nuts - I am always so glad to bring my horse home in April. It’s a great place but I hate having to drive over to where he is.
The situation I have allows me to ride about 5-6 days a week.

[julesp313]

I commented a few days ago but came back to say - we are writing an offer today on a property that is 40 miles from where we work (husband and I work for the same company). I’ve been watching the commute times on Google maps daily, morning and evening, and this new place is consistently 20 minutes longer than our current commute, as the majority of traffic issues are in the section of the route that we will take from either place. To me, right now, an extra 40 minutes a day is worth it so I can see my horse daily, be within nine miles of one of my favorite parks to trail ride in, and be further out of civilization and away from people (I am a massive introvert so spending my work hours with people is about as much as I can handle!).

Edited to add: I am able to work from home typically one day a week, and the husband and I plan on car pooling at least one day a week, both of which I am sure will lower the stress levels.

I’ve been reading and taking to heart all the comments about how much work it is and how little time people spend riding when they have their own place, and it’s a risk I’m willing to take at this time in my life. And that’s more than enough being philosophical for this early on a weekend!

[SkipHiLad4me]

It’s really a trade off and a lot of it depends on the specifics of your location I think.

Boarding options are very few and far between in my area. I was fortunately (unfortunately?) raised at a barn that was not fancy but apparently had very high standards of horse keeping – so those standards are forever etched into me. There are very few barns in my area that can meet those standards. We’re talking things like – horses being reliably fed 2x with access to quality pasture/hay, good fencing, decent drainage around the barn, knowledgeable barn owners who will communicate with you about your horse’s health/well-being when you’re not at the barn, an arena or reasonable riding area at the farm, limited barn drama, etc. If I’m paying someone to board my horse, I shouldn’t have to feel like I need to be there 24/7 to make sure you’re taking care of my horse.

My commute to work is 25 mins. I board my horse at a barn that’s 30 mins away in the opposite direction of my work. So on any given day that I want to go to the barn, I have to drive 25 mins from work to my house to let my dogs out and then an hour round trip to the barn and back. I currently already keep my 2 minis at home and maintain about 8 acres of grass, so any additional work of keeping horses at home will mostly be with extra time feeding and mucking. I can do a lot of feeding and mucking in the 1 hour it takes me just to get to the barn and back now.

I currently pay $600/mo to board 2 horses so I’ll save some money but for me it’s mostly a matter of time and the ability to have my retired heart horse home with me. And also a preservation of sanity and vacation time at work by having all of my horses in one place – one vet visit, one farrier visit, one jug of fly spray, etc! Not to mention all the trips to the barn when someone is sick or injured. BUT, instead of having BO and other boarders to lean on for help or advice, I’ll be totally on my own. Like I said… a trade off.

[Holly_Jeanne]

Might depend on the type of commute. I commute an hour each way but my drive is all country roads. Not as stressful as a major highway. Yup, cuts into my time but I already had the farm when I took the job. My biggest problem is energy. I find when I’m really tired at the end of the day, I can more easily get myself to ride if I do basic walk/trot work in a grassy area near the house. If I have more energy, I go out to the ring. That basic work has actually helped our riding.

[saultgirl]

My drive is just under 8 miles and takes about 15-25minutes depending on traffic.

I wouldn’t be able to manage the farm without my husband’s help, though. I tip my hat to the ladies who do!

[Arelle]

My commute is 50 miles each way. I live out west of Denton (along 380) and drive into downtown Dallas for work.

Luckily, I work off hours (7-4) so unless there’s a wreck, it’s not completely awful. If 35 or 114 are shut down though, I’m at the mercy of “when I get there, I get there”. Most of my horse errands have to be done on Saturday - vet checkups, feed store purchases, etc.

However, I love having my horses in my backyard. I love that I can go outside in the middle of the night and say hello. I’ll be a lot happier once we start finishing some projects – IE, we’re going to be putting in arena lights soon and adding more sand to my riding area… at some point I’ll build a round pen.

Do be warned - they’re like potato chips. Where I was spending $2,400 per month before on two… I currently own six and have two others at my house (eight total). Still spending less total … but just like buying a house that has “so much space”… if you’re like me, horses will inevitably expand to fit stall space. :lol::lol::lol:

I love it. I miss the social aspect of the boarding barn at times, but I’m lucky enough to be able to haul in somewhere if I really want to go ride with friends.