Morning Routine With Horses

[Anita Damelio]

Mymorning routine is all about being quick, as I have to get to work. I usually go out at 4:30, in pitch black, guided by a flash light and the impatient noises of Vintage. If they are turned out, she grinds her teeth on the fence. If they are stalled, she grinds her teeth on the window.

The one thing it definitely did was wake me, mostly because it activated my fight or flight instincts, and darting across the cold tile and into the embrace of a dry towel seemed to be the singular survival mechanism in mind. The jolt of adrenaline eliminated my usual grogginess, but at what cost?

So after surviving the three minute lifetime I was not allowed relief by either turning the dial to the molten lava degree or shotgunning the coffee pot. But step one, I was awake, a feat by any means.

My days as a groom, running to grab a pitchfork to muck stalls in the heavy Floridian humidity first thing in the morning, prepared me well for this one. The difference is one was a responsibility, the other is a choice, and choices require considerably more self-discipline. Why go for a run when you could curl up on the porch with a cup of coffee, draping a fuzzy blanket over your head like a cloak?

When you are an equestrian, your morning routine can look a bit different than the average joe. Depending on your horse keeping situation, you may need to take care of your horses in the morning or prepare yourself for a trip to the barn later in the day.

While your day probably looks a bit different than mine, I wanted to share what my morning routine looks like. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I do work from home almost every day so things have changed recently for my morning routine. I used to wake up at 5am and rush out of the house to be to work no later than 7am.

Some days I am not so great at drinking water (adult problems, ya know?) So I try to start the day by drinking a full glass of water before I eat breakfast. This way, I start the day by drinking water. Being dehydrated can lead to a lot of problems, so drink up people!

I love being able to feed the horses several times throughout the day, so I go feed the horses again before lunch time. I fully believe that feeding horses more often is better for them (if you can give them 24/7 hay that is great too). So I split up hay into 4 ish feedings a day.

Thank you for visiting The Economical Equestrian! My name is Catherine, and I am here to help all equestrians live better with their horses as well as learn to be financially savvy. Being comfortable with your finances is important for everyone, but especially when you have such an expensive habit. Stay a while and then get out there and ride! ?

From about May through October the horses live outside 24/7. I clean the manure in the turnouts daily. I fill water buckets daily and scrub out about weekly. Manure is disposed of year-round in a dumpster that is emptied weekly.

The horses are fed lunch around 1:00pm year-round. In winter they are brought inside with the sunset and fed their supplement buckets and a hay snack. They are fed dinner around 10:00pm. In summer they are fed supplement buckets and dinner just before dark.

The maintenance man comes by and picks us up on his way back to the lodge after his morning routine, and we all ride in the back of the truck to go have a hot breakfast, and more importantly, a cup of coffee. Nothing is better than feeling so accomplished going in for breakfast.

Pretty dramatic - I KNOW....but......if you do a quick google search for something super cheesy like "How to be a millionaire" or "How to be successful" You will quickly stumble on a redundant mix of meditate, sleep, hydrate, plan, and exercise!

I compare it to my champion horses. I have their routines down to a science. At 54 degrees they get a slinky to keep them cozy - at 48 degrees they get a winter blanket. Their lights are on in the barn to mimic the spring months all year round in order for their hormones to remain balanced and don't even get me started on their amazing nutrition schedule.

Now think about us! I wake up to a super annoying alarm, race out the door without ever taking a second glimpse at our personal health, slamming an energy drink to maintain consciousness throughout the day and then - if we get to - we will attempt to sleep for just enough hours to get going again!

So heres my routine...it isn't the best or the greatest or the gospel on morning routines but I can tell you that I am experiencing more happiness, joy, and freedom in my life by structuring my day this way!

6:30AM walk the dogs for 35 minutes and visualize my most important priorities and think about my goals coming true while I walk. Enjoy time with Alex and spend time together first thing in the morning discussing his goals.

7:30AM I make a priority list of things that need to be done. Then I prioritize that list with a numbers system. See the brain makes list based on what you can remember in a certain order. It doesn't remember in order of importance so you see the list in a jumbled order. GRATITUDE & GOALS is the most important thing to write down everyday! You can get my GOAL JOURNAL here!

I make an appointment with my fiance. Thats right - an appointment. I want to know what time of the day we are going to spend with each other so that all of these other things, phones, duties, can go away and we can spend time working on our relationship.

No one has said that having a horse is all play and no work. The novice often has romantic notions about riding through meadows with the wind streaming through the horse's mane and the sun shining brightly as rider and horse pause for a drink from a rushing spring.

Yes, experiences like that may occur, but when it comes to actually owning and caring for a horse, the day-in and day-out facts of life apply. Horses need to be fed at least twice a day; they need a continual supply of fresh water to drink; and they need a minimum of 30 minutes exercise a day to maintain optimum health.

Think about your work and daily life schedule and allow time for these three important tasks each and every day. Feeding and checking on the water supply can be done first thing in the morning and again in the evening.

If you have a schedule that allows you to spend some time with your horse mid-day, that is a great time for providing exercise, working in a third feeding if you can do it consistently and checking that water supply.

Whatever works for you, will most likely work for your horse. Be as consistent as possible in the time for each task, and remember, if you have to miss a day or two for whatever reason, it is extremely important that you get someone to step in and take care of the horse's needs for those times when you cannot do it.

Horses usually wake up with an appetite as you will see when you approach them first thing in the morning. Feed is very important to horses since nature designed them to spend much of their day grazing, chewing, swallowing and digesting their feed.

Most horse nutritionists recommend splitting the horse's feed into at least two or more feedings each day, usually first thing in the morning and then again in the late afternoon or early evening depending on your schedule.

Use a feeder when feeding your horse. It doesn't have to be fancy, but should keep the horse from eating directly off the ground and ingesting sand or other indigestible matter that might cause colic or poor absorption of feed. As an alternative to using a feeder, you can also feed on stall mats to reduce the amount of sand ingested.

Horses should have a continual plentiful supply of fresh, clean water for drinking. The average horse drinks 8 to 10 gallons a day with minimum exercise. During hot weather or increased exercise, more will be necessary.

Automatic waterers are available for use in stalls, pastures, barns and wherever the horse might need a drink. Manually filled water troughs are popular especially when several horses are drinking from the same supply.

Your third daily task involves making sure that your horse gets at least thirty minutes of exercise. This can be riding, longeing, or walking, but should be of sufficient duration and intensity to give the horse a good work out.

Without sufficient exercise horses tend to store pent-up energy and become less manageable as time goes on. Some horses turn to stereotypies such as stall walking when they don't have sufficient exercise.

When choosing hay use the sight, smell and purity test: Do you see plenty of leaves as opposed to rough stems and is the hay a pale greenish brown? If the hay is mostly stems and is dark or black in color, don't buy or use it.

Does the hay consist of just hay or is it full of sticks, weeds, rope, foreign objects or other debris? If so, it's not worth the time or trouble and your horse's health would suffer in more ways than one.

EquiMed staff writers team up to provide articles that require periodic updates based on evolving methods of equine healthcare. Compendia articles, core healthcare topics and more are written and updated as a group effort. Our review process includes an important veterinarian review, helping to assure the content is consistent with the latest understanding from a medical professional.

Horses need secure environments, adequate exercise, social companionship and a balanced diet to thrive. They also have unique digestive systems susceptible to colic and other gastrointestinal health issues if not fed appropriate forage.

Horse owners rely on a team of equine health professionals to provide regular veterinary, dental, and hoof care. Trusted practitioners such as your veterinarian, farrier, nutritionist, and trainer are your best resource for learning more about horse care and management.

This article will review everything horse owners should know about basic horse care, discuss the role of your professional healthcare team and outline essential daily tasks that can help keep your horse healthy.

Ultimately, the best living situation for your horse will depend on many factors, including what is available where you live, the activities you engage in with your horse and any special considerations required for you or your horse. [1]

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