Conference noted::equitation

    I guess I am lucky that I can work in a group that is pretty flexible
    about the hours I am at work.  I work 7-4, and since I am only about
    15 minutes from the barn, I still have plenty of daylight to get
    my horse worked.  I also work two jobs, so on wednesdays I go straight
    from Digital to my other job, and on those days I am at the track
    by 5 am, jog my horse, get to work by 6:45 and shower in the locker
    room.  During the summer you would be suprised how early it gets
    light, and I usually plan to be on the track and jogging by 5:30
    and its plenty light by that time.  I have also taken my riding
    horses out at that time, and to me thats the nicest time of day.

    
    I work 6:30 - 3:00, I find the morning flys by and I have a
    good amount of time to ride and just play with the horses in
    the afternoon.
    
    Marianne
    

    
    I also have flextime, which I choose 6:00-2:00 in the summer, home
    and on the trails by 3:15 or so daily. Now with the limited light, it's
    tough to get even an hour in on any weekday, and I'm now back to 
    7:00-3:00.
    
    Dave'
    

    
    Another DECie and I tend to get in early leave to ride  10-1:00 then
    work late.  We have a 30 minute drive to the barn but can take
    advantage of the warm part of the day. We can also car pool.
    
    We both have groups where we can use the flex hours.   In the summer
    we do somewhat less carpooling and ride in the early morning or after
    work.
    
    I realing enjoy breaking up my day.
    
    Dani
    

    It's really hard to balance an 8:00 to 5:00 job with daily riding,
    but it's possible.  
    
    I used to board my horse at a stable in Stow and I had to do his
    stall every night. So, even if the weather wasn't good enough to
    ride, I had to go to the barn anyway to muck out.  I would always
    ride first. There was a light in his stall so I could clean it after
    dark.
    
    Now that I keep Craig at home it's a little easier to save time.
    I leave work promptly at 5:00, get home by 5:15 (great commute!),
    change and get out to the barn by 5:30. I still ride first--we put
    floodlights on the barn so the backyard is just light enough to
    ride after dark.  I only ride for about 45 minutes on weekdays.
    (It's pretty tiring after an 8-hour day.)  After riding I do the
    stalls (two of them) and feed the boys.  My husband gets home later
    than I, but he still rides too.  He cooks dinner while I do
    both stalls, feed, and water.  We end up eating between 7:30 and
    8:00.  I expect it will be later in the Summer because we'll want
    to ride longer (and we'll get a lot dirtier.) 
    
    There are little things you can do to give you more riding time.
    If you know your horse isn't going to roll, you can get him clean
    the night before, then give him a just a quick brushing before saddling
    up. If he wears a blanket or sheet it makes cleaning a lot easier.
    Keeping your tack, helmet, chaps etc. in an easily-accessible place
    saves a few minutes.  On weekends I put enough bedding in his stall
    to last all week.  On weekdays I only have to pick out the dirty
    parts.  Sometimes I can get two stalls worth in one wheelbarrow--this
    saves a little time. I save things like scrubbing buckets and applying
    hoof dressing for weeekends (unless it's needed more often.)  I
    fill the next day's hay nets in the evening so when my husband goes
    out in the morning to feed all he has to do is untie the empty ones
    and hang the full ones. (Putting hay on the ground would be a lot
    quicker, but we have to use nets.)
    
    Short distances between home, work, and the stables is probably
    the biggest factor.  If you can keep everything close it makes the
    logistics a lot easier.  Sometimes this simply isn't possible though.
    
    Andrea
 
    
    

    
    I tried riding at 6:00 - just couldn't seem to get myself out of
    bed. So, I ride after work. My horse is between Nashua and Littleton,
    where I kept my horse. I leave work at 5 or later, stop at home,
    change and go on to the barn. I managed to back home at 8:00 on
    good days, 9:00 on bad ones. Until I gave up my horse, I hadn't
    eaten dinner before 8:00 on a week night in 4 years! Now, I'm getting
    fat because I have to much time to eat. Can hardly wait till I'm
    a horse owner again.
    

    Some of you are so lucky! I'm up at 4:45 am feeding the horses then
    off to a 45 minute comute to work. I'm home by 4:30 pm and have
    just enough time to clean the corral before it's pitch black outside.
    
    My riding ring is lighted but I don't dare ride before the guys
    have eaten (after going 12 hours on empty bellies) because they're
    real jerks! By the time I clean stalls, feed them, eat, it's 7:00pm
    and about 20 degrees outside (west concord N.H.). Do any of you
    ride before feeding your horses and if so, are they controllable?
    
    So, I can only ride on weekends which makes it hard for me to keep
    my horses conditioned.
                                                                     
    Tina.

    I used to have the same problem, add a kid to that schedule and
    you haven't got a chance.  The solution of course is an Indoor riding
    ring, (just kidding).  However, I did find that if the horses had
    a big enough area for turnout that they kept themselves fit enough
    for an hour or two ride on the weekends.  I used to get home from
    work, change clothes of course, then ride, before feeding.  While
    I was cleaning stalls and having supper it gave the horse a chance
    to cool down completely before feeding.  Once they know the routine
    there is no problem at all.  I also found that lunging them during
    the week, which takes alot less time than riding, helps keep them
    in shape.
    
    sharon

    re: .7
    
    I ride after work, before feeding, and he behaves okay. I let him
    munch on some hay or alfalfa cubes while I brush him--this takes
    the edge off.  They sure can be jerks when they're hungry!

    My guys wont behave if there hungry either. My solution was to give
    them some grain and save the rest of the meal till after the ride.
    This assumes of course that you are not riding too hard. I am too
    tired after work to ride hard anyway. For the most part they get
    the winter off. Too dark in the morning too dark in the evening
    I just trail ride on the weekends. Spring and fall are my heavy
    riding seasons.
    Sandy
    

    I tend to get up with the sun so in the winter I can forget about
    riding before work. I have a difficult enough time getting to work
    as it is!
    My stable has an indoor ring but with lessons and such, it isn't free
    until 7:30pm. Of course when you get home and it's 10 degrees or less, 
    you begin to wonder whether riding your horse is worth going outside!
    
    One of the things I tend to do is ride bareback more often. It takes an
    extra 5 minutes to put his saddle and bridle on versus a bareback pad
    and his halter. Plus it improves your balance especially with jumping.
    
    I've found that after having Jasper for 4 years, I look forward to
    winter for r/r. I usually work him mostly on the weekends (let's get
    those snowshoes ready!) and then just a couple of times a week.
    I tend to get very lazy in the winter.
    			Cindy
     

    
    I've found that getting up at 5 works well, it takes me an hour to get
    to the barn so I'm on by 6.  I can usually make it to work by 9 or so.
    
    But I've also noticed that I can't do it every day.  There's something 
    depressing about getting up in the dark all the time, and since I like
    to go out alot at night, I find I get too run down.
    
    So, I alternate.  MWF get up at 5 to ride, then work 9-6. T-TH work
    7:30 to 4:30 and ride afterwards.  Then I get a couple of days a week
    to sleep (nice and late) until 6:30 - 6:45.
    
    It's nice to hear that other people get up real early to ride - I
    thought I was the only crazy one!
    
    Does anyone else out there have to drive 1/2 hour ++ to ride? What a
    pain it is!
    
    Amy

    What about the old saying, "Never ride alone"?  Riding at 5 or even
    6am must make it tough to find a friend to go along.  Or could there
    be people just like me who JUST KNOW if they wait for comapny they
    WILL NOT EVER GO!  I take as many precautions as possible; letting
    someone know where, when, etc...  But just *finding* the time is
    difficult enough...never mind the buddy system.  
    
    Do any of you have to ride alone?  I'm only a pleasure rider ==
    and a novice to be sure!  But I'm always interested in pointers.
    
    Nice to see so many dedicated riders!  
    
    

    There are many times that I ride alone out on trail. I usually let the
    stables owners know approx. where I'm going and for how long. I won't
    go out longer than 4 hours by myself. 
    However, re .-1, I aggree with your statement, if I wait around for
    someone to go with me, I might wait forever. In most cases I do have
    someone to go riding with me. 
    
    I even go X-country skiing by myself usually on trails by my house
    which are not used very often (let's put it this way - I never see
    anyone when I go out). I guess I've been lucky that I've never been
    hurt when I'm alone. I just hope I don't and then forget about it.
    			Cindy
    

	I ride alone almost all the time; and I take a compass
	and a police whistle with me, just in case. I'm also the one
	who wears a bright orange vest and brass bells during hunting
	season...so - my outfit is rather unusual with all the junk
	hanging off me! 

	-julie

    The whistle and compass are super ideas!
    Especially the compass...I get lost at the corner of walk and don't
    walk!  Where did you get the orange vest?  That's another super
    idea.
    
    Cheryl
    

    I haven't bothered to go out trail riding. After seeing a few guys out
    there with their bow and arrows, I decided that it wasn't worth the
    worry/fear/anger.....
    
    I've never bought a compass along with me but I do bring the stable's
    phone # just in case. I figure in case I don't know where I am I can
    always backtrack. I've never gotten lost (lost = not knowing how to get
    back home) but there have been times that I don't know where I am!
    		Cindy
    

    I must be lucky, I've never gotten lost because I have always
    had a horse that could find his/her way home!

    To you folks who have flextime:  
    
    What do you do for jobs?  I am a temporary at the moment, 
    planning to receive my B.S. degree by next Fall....I'd 
    really like to know what types of jobs out there exist with Flextime 
    so I could ride my horse more.  
    
    Are they programming, tech writing, or other project-oriented positions?
    
    As it is, I have to work exactly 8:15 to 5:00, and I have an hour 
    drive home every night.  
                            
    Any insight anyone can offer would certainly influence my future
    job search!
    
    Thanks,
    
    Sue
    

    Try engineering, either software or hardware. We seem to have the most
    flexible hours compared to management.
    However, flextime is very dependent upon the company and managment of
    your group. My previous company, Data General, was great concerning
    flextime (it might have been the only thing!). In the winter, I would
    ride one/two times a week in the morning and then get to work around
    noon. 
    			Cindy