Surely all equestrians look forward to summer, right? No more heavy, soggy, filthy turnout rugs, no need for wellies as the ground dries up, no more chilblains and blissful after-work hacks to look forward to. But all seasons come with problems for us equestrian folk, any of these sound familiar…
- Sweaty hat hair – Gross, but true. Gone are the days of having a quick ride before work and managing to go straight to the office from the stables. Sorry, but you’re going to have to take a shower before you join that video call. As for your hat itself, opt for a hat cleaner to keep it fresh, because if anyone catches a glimpse inside, it’s likely to cause you some embarrassment.
- Tan lines – For those of us lucky to catch a tan of course, for the rest of us, look forward to white ankles from our boots and socks, and pink pins from when we were brave enough to replace our johds for shorts. Despite not looking after our own skin properly, there’s absolutely no doubt that our four legged friend will have had his sun cream applied to his nose.
- Flies – ‘*@!£ off!’ is what we spend most of the day saying, desperately swiping at that one fly that just won’t leave you alone. Eau de Fly Spray is an acceptable scent to wear, right? Of course, your daily ritual is protecting your horse from bugs so they don’t have to endure the same. If you’re fed up of the flies yourself, maybe you could try a NAF Citronella wrist band or tag.
- Hot feet – It’s got to be better than the frost bite you’re almost certain you suffered from in winter though? Sadly, flips flops are a no go but at least you can finally ditch the wellies now the ground has dried up. Guess we’ll just have to put up with our feet feeling like they’re cooking in the farriers oven.
- Yard Chores – ever started the big tidy and wish you’d never started? The summer months seem to spur us on to start those mammoth tasks that we just wouldn’t even dream of doing in the cold. Re-sectioning fields with your electric fencing, cleaning underneath the rubber matting, the tack room spring clean, just to name a few. It’ll be worth it though… right? (5 hours later).
What are your biggest problems in summer, leave us a comment!
