Christmas might still feel a little way off, but if you are a freelance groom, horse carer, dog walker, pet sitter or house sitter, now is the time to start thinking seriously about your Christmas availability.

For many horse and hound owners, Christmas creates a very different routine. Some will be visiting family, some will be travelling away for a few days, and others may simply want one day where they do not have to rush to the yard at 6am or walk the dogs before Christmas lunch.

That is where freelancers can become invaluable.

But before you start accepting festive bookings, it is worth deciding exactly what you are prepared to offer and making sure Christmas works for you too.

Which Days Are You Actually Prepared to Work?

Start by looking at your own Christmas plans.

Are you happy to work:

• Christmas Eve?
• Christmas Day?
• Boxing Day?
• The days between Christmas and New Year?
• New Year's Eve or New Year's Day?

There is no right or wrong answer.

Some freelancers are perfectly happy to work on Christmas morning and then spend the rest of the day with family. Others may want Christmas Day completely off but are happy to cover Boxing Day.

The important thing is deciding now.

Do not advertise yourself as available across Christmas and then realise in December that you were supposed to be at your parents' house for Boxing Day lunch.

If you know exactly what you can commit to, you can take bookings with confidence.

What Christmas Services Will You Offer?

You also need to decide exactly what you are prepared to do.

For horses, this could include morning feeds, turnout, mucking out, rug changes, bringing in, evening feeds, or full yard cover.

For dogs and other pets, you might offer dog walking, feeding visits, medication visits, or longer pet-sitting sessions.

You might decide that Christmas Day will only be available for essential visits rather than several hours of general yard work.

Setting this out clearly will make it much easier when enquiries start arriving. It also means clients understand what they are booking rather than assuming you will automatically provide every service you normally offer.

Could You Offer House Sitting?

Christmas is one of the times of year when some people really do want to get away. They may be travelling abroad, staying with relatives or simply spending several nights somewhere else.

If house sitting is something you are comfortable offering, this could be worth adding to your Christmas availability.

For someone with horses, dogs, cats and other animals, having one trusted person staying at the property can make Christmas travel much easier. House sitting can also be particularly attractive for clients with dogs who would rather keep them at home than use kennels.

Think about exactly what your house-sitting service includes before advertising it. Will you care for horses as well as household pets? Will dog walking be included? Will you stay overnight or simply spend extended periods at the property?

Make everything clear from the beginning.

Remember Your Christmas Pricing

Christmas is not an ordinary working period.

If you are giving up part of Christmas Day, Boxing Day or another bank holiday to work, it is perfectly reasonable to have a different festive pricing structure.

Many freelancers charge a premium for Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and sometimes Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve.

Work out your prices before enquiries arrive.

You could have a standard festive surcharge, a separate Christmas Day rate or minimum booking periods during particularly busy dates.

Do not wait until someone is standing in front of you asking what you charge. Know your prices and be confident about them.

Your client is paying not only for the work itself, but also for the convenience and reassurance of having reliable help during a time when far fewer people may be available.

Do Not Overbook Yourself

Christmas bookings can look very tempting, particularly when premium rates are involved. But be realistic.

A 7am yard visit might look perfectly manageable when you accept it in October. Add another booking 20 minutes away, a dog walk, another horse to bring in and Christmas lunch with your family, and suddenly your day becomes impossible.

Think carefully about travel times as well as the length of each booking. It may be looking nice out of your window right now, but come December the weather could turn atrocious, and this could make journeys slower. Always allow yourself breathing room.

It is much better to turn down one booking than accept too many and then have to cancel somebody at the last minute.

Clients arranging animal care over Christmas need to know they can rely on you.

Check Your Vehicle Before Christmas

If your work involves travelling between yards, homes and kennels, your vehicle becomes one of your most important pieces of equipment.

Do not leave everything until Christmas Eve.

If you drive a petrol or diesel vehicle, make sure you have enough fuel.

If you drive an electric vehicle, think about where and when you will charge it.

Christmas opening hours can be different, and some services will be more limited.

You do not want to discover at 6am on Christmas morning that your fuel light is flashing and the petrol station you normally use is closed.

It is also worth checking tyres, oil, screenwash and other basic vehicle essentials before the busiest part of the Christmas period begins.

Make Sure You Have Food and Supplies

If you are going to spend Christmas Day travelling between several jobs, plan for yourself too.

You may not be able to pop into your usual café or shop between bookings.

Take food, drinks and anything else you are likely to need with you.

A flask, packed lunch and some snacks might not sound exciting, but they can make a long winter working day much easier.

Remember that Christmas Day on a yard can be cold, wet and muddy, exactly like any other winter day. Make sure you have suitable waterproofs, warm clothing, gloves and spare layers.

Sort Out Your Equipment Early

If you know you need new work boots, waterproof trousers, torches, headlamps, dog leads, grooming equipment or anything else for your work, do not wait until the last minute. Black Friday falls on Friday 27 November this year, so why not use that as your deadline to get everything sorted? You might even pick up a few bargains at the same time.

If you leave it until December, then deliveries can take longer, and shops may run out of certain products, and you just do not need that stress.

Always check your equipment beforehand and replace anything that is damaged or unreliable.

Christmas morning is not the time to discover that your head torch has stopped working.

Ask Clients to Prepare Too

Preparation should not only fall on the freelancer.

If you are caring for animals over Christmas, ask your clients to make sure everything you need is ready and clearly labelled.

There should be enough feed, hay, medication, bedding, dog food and other essentials to cover the booking period.

You should also have emergency contact numbers, veterinary details and clear instructions.

If you are visiting a property for the first time, arrange a handover beforehand.

Knowing where everything is before Christmas morning will make the booking far less stressful.

Start Talking About Christmas Now

The biggest advantage of planning early is that you can start building your Christmas diary gradually rather than dealing with a rush of enquiries in December.

Update your TallyHO Temps profile with your Christmas availability.

Let previous clients know which dates you are working.

Mention whether you are offering horse care, dog care, house sitting or a combination of services.

Most importantly, always be specific.

Instead of simply saying "available over Christmas", say exactly which dates and services you can offer.

Christmas can be an excellent period for freelancers, both financially and for building relationships with new clients.

Someone who books you for Christmas morning because their usual groom is away may become a regular client throughout the following year.

The key to successful freelancing over the Christmas holiday is preparation.

Decide when you are working, decide what you are offering, set your festive prices, organise your diary and make sure both you and your equipment are ready.

Then, when the Christmas bookings start arriving, you can say yes to the right jobs without turning your own Christmas into chaos.

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