A day in the life...

See what Flora gets up to during a day at the yard

Flora has always loved animals. After finishing school she went to college to learn about animal care. She had to do twelve weeks work experience, which she did with the horses at The Blue Cross. Flora enjoyed looking after the horses and ponies at The Blue Cross so much that after her course had finished, she got a full time job here with us!

 

Being a Blue Cross horse carer and riding groom
Flora's job involves caring for the horses and ponies at the Burford centre. Flora is a very experienced groom, so she works with a lot of the horses and ponies that are very nervous and haven't had a lot of handling. She also gets to ride some of the horses and ponies that are ready to be rehomed to keep them fit. Flora was lucky enough to ride at Badminton horse trials. Her and some other grooms did a musical ride on horses and ponies that were ready to go to a new home. Here is Flora riding a nice pony called Maizie.

 

The day starts from 8.00am to 9.00am
Flora starts the day with feeding. All the horses and ponies need checking first thing in the morning to make sure they have been alright over night. This includes checking fencing, looking for any cuts, checking water and cleaning out the shelters and fields. Some of the horses and ponies also need to be given special food in a bucket or hay if there is not enough grass.

 

10.00am
Once Flora has fed and checked the horses and ponies it is time for her breakfast and a quick break before she has to go out and work again.

 

10.30am to 11.30am
A few of the horses and ponies at the yard may sometimes have to see the vet, so Flora helps out. Some of them have their yearly vaccination, so they need to be held for the vet. This vaccination helps to stop the horses and ponies from getting poorly. One day, one of the ponies called Apple Dapple had a painful foot, so she had to see the vet too. She has a foot infection, so Flora has to put a special bandage on to make her better.  Flora then makes a deep bed for her in the stable with some nice hay and a rug to keep her warm. 

 

 

11.30am
It's time now to catch some ponies. Flora spends a lot of time trying to gain nervous horses and ponies' confidence. This can be very hard if a horse or pony has not been handled a lot in their old home. Sometimes Flora uses treats like carrots or apples to reward the horse or pony when they have come over to her. She has to be careful that they don't steal the treat and run off, she makes sure they let her touch her first and rewards them at the right time.

 

 

12.30pm
A quick skip out of the stables, and then Flora gives lunch to the horses and ponies that are in from the fields. It's time for Flora to have her lunch now. You build up a big appetite when you are working outdoors and being very active!  

 

1.30pm
The farrier has arrived to see some of the horses and ponies feet. This is a big job so the farrier comes once a week. The horses and ponies at the centre get their feet seen to every 4 to 6 weeks to make sure that their feet do not get to long. Flora is in charge of bringing in the horses and ponies that need to be seen and she holds them so they stand nice and still. Once the farrier is finished, Flora makes sure the horses and ponies get turned back out into the right fields and also that the yard is left nice and clean. 

 

 

3.00pm

Flora has the chance to give one of the ponies a quick groom (in this photo, the pony is Grommitt). It's important all the horses and ponies get groomed. Not only does it keep them clean it also gives the grooms a chance to feel for any lumps and bumps and build a bond with them.  Grommitt's feet are also picked out into a bucket. Flora does this to make sure there are no stones, which may hurt Grommitt, she also checks that his shoes are ok and that none of them are loose.

 

 

3.30pm
It's now feed time again. All the horses and ponies need to be checked twice a day, first thing in the morning and last thing before the grooms leave. It has been a very wet day today so along with feeding, haying and checking, Flora will need to think about which horses and ponies may need rugs on. All the horses and ponies have shelters in their fields but some of the finer-bred ones will need rugs on. This will keep them warm and dry overnight. 

 

 

4.30pm
A walk around the yard to check all the horses and ponies that are in the stables for the night are all ok and then it's home time. The day doesn't stop there for Flora. She now has to go and do her own Blue Cross pony she has on loan called Nancy.