The days are getting longer and we are getting more light both in the mornings and evenings.
This allows us to get more done outside and we can start to think about what we can achieve in the future. With the uncertainties t the moment with the pandemic, we can still think about what we can do to make things a little easier as we get going.
Spring cleaning is a great time to look through all our bits and pieces and see what we have been hording in case! Start to look through your tack room or storage rooms and see what rugs we really need? Is it time for a clear out? If you are anything like me you have lots of clothes you don’t use and you can root through them to see what you really need.
You can then send some to a charity shop or if they are hardly used sell them as we all know it costs to keep our four-legged friends in the lifestyle they are used to!
We all manage to accumulate different saddle cloths and rugs. I have far too many and need to get organised and find homes for some. I have also got a lot of coats that could either find new homes or have new zips in and I could use them.
Also, have a think about what you would like to achieve this year. Hopefully, we will be getting back on track with the covid injections now on there way out to people and we can start to get on tract to what we would like to achieve.
Tiny, Tick able, Attainable, Targets! Think about what you would like to achieve and then work backwards in small chunks to think about what you need to get in place to achieve what it is that you would like to do.
Think about the fitness of your horses and ponies and how much you would need to do. Also, what do you need to do? How fit are you? Do you need to start to look at some more exercise that will help you achieve your goal? Can you add some cycling into your daily routine, running or walking, depending on what you are looking to do.
Another check we can do at this time of year are when do we need to get our horses or ponies Flue and Tet injections? It is a good time to look at your horse MoT ready for the coming season.
Whether we are going to get back to competition or not we can look at all the different thing that need sorting out.
Horse’s MoT
- When did your horse last have his wormer? What is your worming routine? It is a good time to check out which wormers you might need and when the need administering.
- Get saddles and bridles checked over. It is a great time to go through the different tack you have and see what needs any attending. Look at the stitching and stirrup leathers might need stitching, is the leather up to scratch?
- Where are you on your horse’s fitness scale, what have you been able to do over winter and what would you like to do. It might be worth looking at our fitness blog post with fitness plan on it
- Check out your horse and give him or her a spruce up. Now we have move time to check them over in the daylight it is a good time to give them a tidy up. All our horses are different and some will have more natural manes and tails and some will have pulled manes. Now is a great time to do this.
- When are your horse or ponies flue and tetanus vaccinations are due? Check out your horse’s passport and see when you need to be thinking about factoring this in.
- Depending on your exercise programme, it might be time to get there physio out or back person. All yourself time to get them back into work and work with your physio and start to get them feeling better.
- When did they last have their teeth done? Most horse’s are about 9 months in-between visits. Check with your dentist and look at when this needs to be added to your programme.
- You might have just done your last clip, so it will be time to get your clippers serviced and the blades sharpened. If you still need to do another clip we are on the edge of when it will effect your horses summer coats, so get it done and then the coat can come through.
- It might be an idea to see if there are any on-line competitions or shows, this can give you something to work towards.
Your Mot
- Have you got any clothes that you can give to a charity or sell on to help with finances?
- Do you need to add some other form of exercise to improve your fitness when riding i.e. cycling, running or swimming when we can. Yoga and stretching are also brilliant and you can do this with on-line courses.
- Get a diary or start one on your phone or computer, so you can track your progress.
- How is your diet? Do you need to have a rethink about what you are eating and how it is impacting on your health.
- Change up your routine to help motivate yourself. Just making a small difference can help.
- Make sure you make time for yourself, so you can enjoy your horses.
Remember
Tiny, Tickable, Attainable Targets. Do things one bit at a time and it will help you feel like you achieving things even if it isn’t going out to competitions or rides. Just getting little jobs done can help us move foreword and feel better.
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