Equestrian Life September 2017 Issue

eventing
TINA CANTON
Staying
AWAY
You’ve qualified for a
championship, going to a three
day or have just decided you
want a holiday with your horse. The
task of organising and packing to stay
away can seem daunting, especially if
you aren’t lucky enough to have an all
singing all dancing lorry! With a bit of
forethought and a few good tips it can
be simplified. I’ll split this into two
sections - horses & humans!
HORSES
• Feed - depending on how long
you’re away dictates what you do. If
you are only away one or two days
make feeds up into carrier bags with
all supplements / electrolytes in and
label with times and horses names.
If staying away longer it is worth
bringing feed sacks. The other option
is to save supplement tubs or get some
plastic containers for feed. Don’t
forget to pack a travelling manger.
• Hay / haylage - for a brief stay,
make up the nets that you will need
to take. Ikea bags or ballast bags are
useful for keeping everywhere tidy.
For a longer stay we take either small
haylage bales or a portion of the big
bale.
• Rugs - pack for any eventuality! Be
sure to pack a decent waterproof for
grazing, we pack a lightweight New
Zealand.
• Stables - we use a plastic storage
box (for garden furniture cushions)
for stable storage and leave all rugs,
grooming kit, plaiting kit, first aid kit,
saddle pads etc in it. Be sure to lock it
somehow. Take lots of rope and bailer
twine to create rug rack, tie up points
etc. Stall guards are great if you have
doors that don’t allow the horses to
look out, but beware of leaving escape
artists unsupervised!
• Water - we take two big water
buckets per horse. Plastic skips are
good and lightweight. Some people
also take water from home for really
fussy horses.
Don’t forget mucking out tools, a
wheelbarrow is a godsend for lugging
stuff about if you have room. A set of
mounting steps is also useful both for
getting on at the stables, but also for
plaiting.
When stabling in temporary stables,
they are sometimes not very weather
proof. Stable drapes help this and also
give the horse some privacy. In the
past in very bad weather we have used
drawing pins to put up shavings bags
to keep the rain out!
Don’t forget to take a lunge line for
grazing as you will spend hours doing
this!
Horse passports are also a legal
requirement while travelling so don’t
forget them!
HUMANS
A push bike is a must, this can also
double up as a saddle rack to getting
tack from the lorry to the stables!
Pack lots of coats and changes of
clothes as it’s really hard to get
anything dry once wet. Taking extra
coat hangers or a drying rack is
useful. Lots of easy snack food is a
must to keep energy levels up.
We take a gazebo with us to create
an outdoor room, this also, acts as a
good storage area. Foldable chairs and
a table create a dining room! Some
people clear out the back of the lorry
to do this. We tend to use the back for
feed, hay, drying area.
A BBQ is the easiest way to cook.
We have a great little gas one, so no
waiting for coals to heat up
If you’re not lucky enough to have
on site showers, wet wipes are great
for feeling human again. If you have
onsite showers, be sure to use them
early before the rush!
Finally, remember to pack your sense
of humour, remember that you do this
for fun and try to enjoy your equine
camping experience!
34 September 2017 Equestrian Life