Mini rant - trying to care for horses with a full time job

[alteredcarbon]

TLDR: why is it so common for everything horsey to be only open during “regular” work hours? I understand people need work/life balance and a regular schedule but it makes it really hard to care for horses this way. I’m frustrated!

Basically, I’m in a position where I NEED a new farrier and it has become clear that this may be impossible. I found one option that will come out here but have been told that 6 weeks is the shortest cycle and they won’t be able to come out for tacking a shoe back on if needed. This farrier also has a schedule where I’ll need to take a whole day of PTO every time they’re out. Another farrier option is haul-in only, 4 weekday options from 8am-2pm. Basically, another full day of PTO every 4 weeks. I only GET 8 hours of PTO a month, so I’d be spending ALL my PTO just for the farrier (we don’t get sick leave, just PTO).

The vet is much the same. I have to take PTO every time they’re out because they are only making appointments from 9-3 on weekdays. Hay delivery or feed store pickup, dog vet, human doctor/dentist/PT are the same, often only open 4 days a week in the middle of the day. I just don’t understand how I am supposed to get everything done when I also work! Not everyone works from home or has unlimited flexibility.

Anyway, the farrier issue is the current one that’s giving me the most grief. I’m at the point where I either need to learn to do this myself or I need to get rid of the horses that can’t tolerate sub-par work. That would leave me with two retirees and just the one riding horse boarded who I’d have to sell if I couldn’t afford training board anymore.

It’s becoming increasingly hard to keep horses in anything but full, hands-off, training board where the owner pays to have someone else do everything and they just show up to ride. I don’t enjoy that as much, and couldn’t afford my retirees if I had to board everything. I also have never found a boarding barn that cares for my horses to my standards - there are always compromises which I understand but don’t love! That’s why I only board the green horse who needs better facilities than I have at home.

Anyway. I don’t know where I was really going with this other than needing to get it off my chest.

[luvmyhackney]

I 100% feel this post in my bones.

I keep my horses at home, I do wfh but I have constant meetings with very little break.

It’s hard and super stressful, I have found paying extra and tipping plus making it a super pleasant experience to do with business with me helps get those later time slots. Otherwise I have to build trust, my current farrier doesn’t need me if horses are in… mine are all done on cross ties or lead rope over the back. Everything else is PTO or I hire retired neighbor for 25.00.

I’ll add that with 2 horses only, most service folks don’t want to waste their time and prefer a full barn, 5+ horses at one location due to gas/travel time.

[alteredcarbon]

I wish I had a neighbor I could trust. Right now, no one I would allow on my property is home during the day, and the kids are too young to hire. I have 4 horses at home, so enough to be a pain to haul and shuffle everyone around (plus I have one that really shouldn’t be hauled), but also not enough to really tempt service providers.

I had luck in the past with being the last appointment of the day, but when COVID happened everyone was working from home and available so businesses went to a less accommodating schedule. The providers haven’t shifted back to old hours now that people are back in the office, or the providers have retired entirely. It makes it really hard.

[exvet]

I have been in your shoes and it’s stressful. For a while I was able to find creative solutions such as helping a friend with foal watch in exchange for her helping me with being available for farrier or vet. I was willing to go without sleep (sleeping in the barn with her one mare was not restful) in order to have someone I trust available in order for my farrier and our vet to come to my place when needed/scheduled. There was also a period of time where my parents could come over and help when it was ‘just tack back on a shoe’ or meet a commercial hauler to receive or send off a horse. Fortunately once I established my career I’ve been able to choose employment that allowed me some time during the week to dedicate to seeing to such needs. I worked hard towards that goal, foregoing better paying options and promotions. In the long run my choices worked out well for me but I have never forgotten how it felt to try to figure out how to get it all done and remain gainfully employed.

[trubandloki]

Scheduling these life things can be so frustrating.

I used to have this problem too. I do use most of my time off for horse related things (farrier & vet).

Thoughts on ways to help your situation.
Offer to pay extra to the farrier to do an earlier or later appointment.
Ask for the first appointment of the day so you do not have miss a whole day, just come in a little late.
Does your job offer you the ability to work more hours at off hours to make up for coming in a little late?
Keep looking for a farrier that does offer off hours?
The large animal vet I use offers Saturday appointments during the really busy season(s) (spring shots time). Reach out and ask your vet if they would consider offering that.

Is there no feed store in your area that offers more consumer friendly hours?

[Montanas_Girl]

I work a full-time job with a 90 minute commute each way, so first/last appointment of the day doesn’t help me at all. I leave my house by 6 am and don’t get home until 5:30-6:00 pm. I feel your pain. I’m also single and live alone, adding an extra layer of stress to everyday life logistics.

Luckily, my job does offer me the flexibility to work from home as needed, so I don’t need to take PTO for most vet or farrier appointments. I also work for a feed company, so I can bring feed home with me from the mill instead of having to figure out how to get to the store during their open hours (7:00-4:00 M-F, 7:00-12:00 Sa).

Can your job offer you any flexibility at all? I know that depends tremendously on what you do. I left academia for the feed industry in 2020, and the lack of flexibility when teaching is something I do not miss one little bit.

[ParadoxFarm]

It is a challenge, for sure. I work full time, have four horses at home, and I’m in graduate school, so I feel your pain. I’m lucky in that I work from home most days, so I can take a break when farriers/vets/chiro come out. And I have a VERY understanding boss. That helps.

I get my feed on Saturdays, which is nice. My feed store has a list of barn/pet sitters that they recommend. I wonder if your feed store has this type of list. Can you hire someone to come out when the farrier gets there? Can the farriers at least give you an “I’m on my way” text? I know my chiro does this. Otherwise, I have at least an appointment time. It would be cheaper to hire someone to be there for the hour or two maybe?

[2DogsFarm]

OP, does your employer offer any sort of flextime?

I’m retired now for 10+yrs, but had one job where work times rotated so I had a later starting time for a whole month.
I used the extra hours to ride, as luckily my job was not too far from where I had my horse boarded. But I’d also schedule vet or farrier for an early morning visit when possible.
I’d take work clothes with, get in a ride on trails, then shower (barn had a small full bath onsite - not at all luxe, but it got me decent for work ).

I also went to a 4DW, taking a 33% pay cut, at the time I had a SO (later DH) so that helped.
BUT: I stayed with that shorter week & decreased pay after I was widowed & was able to board 2 until I moved them home to my farm.
My salary was never more than mid-5s, so not a highpaying position.
Bonus was my job was literally 10min from home.
I was also fortunate to have a great boss (& dog owner) who understood my need to sometimes use my lunch hour for vet or farrier if I couldn’t schedule them for my day off.

I hope you can work out a solution that gets you through your working years w/horses

[alteredcarbon]

Unfortunately, my job is pretty inflexible. I have to take PTO for any deviation from 7-5. My commute, at least, is only 30 minutes.

I ended up in this career quite by accident, but it works for me and my SO. My prospects elsewhere aren’t great (irrelevant degree), and I’m not looking to go back to school. If it weren’t for the horses, this job is actually great.

[beau159]

@alteredcarbon

TLDR: why is it so common for everything horsey to be only open during “regular” work hours? I understand people need work/life balance and a regular schedule but it makes it really hard to care for horses this way. I’m frustrated!

Basically, I’m in a position where I NEED a new farrier and it has become clear that this may be impossible. I found one option that will come out here but have been told that 6 weeks is the shortest cycle and they won’t be able to come out for tacking a shoe back on if needed. This farrier also has a schedule where I’ll need to take a whole day of PTO every time they’re out. Another farrier option is haul-in only, 4 weekday options from 8am-2pm. Basically, another full day of PTO every 4 weeks. I only GET 8 hours of PTO a month, so I’d be spending ALL my PTO just for the farrier (we don’t get sick leave, just PTO).

The vet is much the same. I have to take PTO every time they’re out because they are only making appointments from 9-3 on weekdays. Hay delivery or feed store pickup, dog vet, human doctor/dentist/PT are the same, often only open 4 days a week in the middle of the day. I just don’t understand how I am supposed to get everything done when I also work! Not everyone works from home or has unlimited flexibility.

Anyway, the farrier issue is the current one that’s giving me the most grief. I’m at the point where I either need to learn to do this myself or I need to get rid of the horses that can’t tolerate sub-par work. That would leave me with two retirees and just the one riding horse boarded who I’d have to sell if I couldn’t afford training board anymore.

It’s becoming increasingly hard to keep horses in anything but full, hands-off, training board where the owner pays to have someone else do everything and they just show up to ride. I don’t enjoy that as much, and couldn’t afford my retirees if I had to board everything. I also have never found a boarding barn that cares for my horses to my standards - there are always compromises which I understand but don’t love! That’s why I only board the green horse who needs better facilities than I have at home.

Anyway. I don’t know where I was really going with this other than needing to get it off my chest.

Personally, if I were a vet or a farrier, I would work a regular 9-5 schedule too. I don’t want to work evenings and weekends, so I do not expect them to want to work evenings and weekends too. Emergencies are one thing; regular scheduled care is another.

I get the struggle. I do. But if the rest of the world only wants to work during normal working hours, I don’t see why they can’t have the same desire too.

I suppose you could find a job where you work evenings and weekends? And that would free up your daytime for horse things? That’s not intended to be snarky in anyway but that would be a solution! And I know you are venting.

For the record, my vet and farrier only work daytime hours too, so I plan ahead for days off. I have 4 horses and I usually make a trip with 2 at a time, since I can only fit 3 in my trailer at a time and I have to haul to them (they do not come to me). Unless it’s an urgent/emergency type thing.

[MorganMaresVT]

@trubandloki

Ask for the first appointment of the day so you do not have miss a whole day, just come in a little late.
Does your job offer you the ability to work more hours at off hours to make up for coming in a little late?

I was going to say the same. I always schedule the first appt of the day (for my animals and myself with dr, dentist, etc) as you are more often than not going to have the service provider show up on time and be motivated to move things along to stay on time. Especially with the vet, sometimes things still get off track due to an emergency and end up delayed- a couple of weeks ago I hauled my mare in for a 9am dental appt, and right as we were pulling in the vet was loading up her van to head to an emergency call, so poor mare waited there for 4 hours to be seen. But hey, I’ve been that first-thing-in-the-morning emergency call so I totally get it! And at least since we were the first scheduled appt, we were first in line when she was back to the office.

If you don’t have the kind of flexibility at work mentioned above, it does seem like hiring someone to be onsite to handle the horses is the next best thing. I know not easy to find, but if you start posting on local equine FB posts, asking around at vet offices to find vet techs who want some extra part-time work, etc., you might be surprised who you find.

Good luck! I’ve worked virtually since 2010 and never take the flexibility for granted.

[trubandloki]

Can your SO cover the occasional farrier visit for you?

[alteredcarbon]

I wish. Unfortunately, he has an even more demanding and inflexible job than I do!

To be clear: he is the main breadwinner, and does help out in emergencies. He does not haul for me, or do any of the horse stuff, but he is the one home for the plumber or roofer or other “home” issues. I think that’s fair.

[alteredcarbon]

I get it. It’s a vent, mostly, but it does make it harder for normal people to maintain their animals. My job deals with “the rest of the world”, so I have to adhere to dock hours and vendor schedules. I’d have to change careers entirely to change my schedule. In the past, I used practices and professionals that had later hours or weekend slots - but those went away in 2020ish and haven’t returned.

Horses aren’t my full time job, I work the full time job to support them. My small animal vet at least does a last appointment at 5 rather than 3, which means I can usually slip out a few minutes early.

[Xanthoria]

It’s really tough. From the farrier perspective it seems that they make more money in less time by doing multiple horses in one location at a time, and that means trainer barns where they show up and whiz through a dozen horses (with assistants ) in a few hours starting early.

In my area, all the better quality farriers operate like that, and once your business is established working M-F when trainers have quiet time to do such things, it’s tough to work weekends too to accommodate one or two privately owned horses at another location.

Nowadays I don’t even know when my mare is being shod - my farrier shows up and sends me a bill. Quite the disconcerting change from when I’d schedule the visit and be there every time, but he’s an excellent communicator who works great with my vet so it works.

I’m in a somewhat unusual position of not being in full training but am on his schedule with others who are, any by being easy going I can fit in and make it work.

OP if you’re near a bigger barn maybe find out who their farrier is and get on their schedule?

[alteredcarbon]

They definitely make more money that way!

I’d have to haul in to a bigger barn, which hits the same “full day of PTO” problem. It’s not out of the question, but I haven’t found the right solution.

I guess my biggest issue is how fast it changed. I was managing just fine, but the last 4ish years have seen massive upheaval and I’m struggling to keep up.

[sherian]

sympathies - here you pay extra for weekend vet calls, but most of the feed stores are open at least saturday morning, local tack stores are useless so I mostly order online. I am a farrier and I cater to the people with two or three horses at home demographic, I actually do a fair number of evening appointments to accomodate the working crowd. I do find it works quite well for me, I spend the morning at home doing my horses chores than work afternoon/early evening - people have to work to pay me and I’d rather work evenings than weekends. Cross my fingers for you for a farrier in your area decides to go to the same business plan.

[Amberley]

Me and two friends rotate meeting the farrier and holding horses, we all use the same one. So I take a day off every -quick math- 15 weeks to hold 6 horses at two properties 20 minutes apart and so do they.

I think it’s critical to make and keep horse friends to make this work.

[B_and_B]

My sympathies! I’m lucky that DH is flexible in his work and worst case scenario my father can help out with the vet. I would have to cancel the farrier though if DH wasn’t able to do it as dad cannot hold horses anymore, at least not draft horses that are pissy with the farrier
Things have changed. It used to be that the vet would schedule a window (be there between 2 and 4 pm say). Now, it is just: sometime during the day, will text when 15 minutes out. So, if I didn’t have that support network, I would have to take the entire day off.
Same with the farrier. I do take time off for him when I can afford to, which is usually every third time or so. But he also is ‘sometime during the day, will text’
Really, the only good answer I can think of is to build or find and pay a trusted person to be there for holding the horses for the farrier. You might try any local community colleges that have ag sciences courses.
Good luck!

[glitterless]

One of the few perks of shift work is that I can be home for these types of things. I don’t know how I’d ever get to the feed store and do vet and farrier appointments if I went back to working Monday to Friday. I definitely feel this. It seems that most of my week days off are booked up with some sort of appointment for me or an animal or child.

Is there anyone you could pay to hold your horse for appointments? Can you have deliveries to the house when you’re not home for feed and supplies?