Well while we are in lockdown I thought I would do a little write up of what the girls and I do on the yard to keep productive while we are in lockdown! Also good jobs to do when it snows and you can’t ride!

Grooming

Have a crack at those manes and tails. Tidy up the feathers and bridle paths. Makes you feel better and keeps the horses looking smart even when we don’t currently have anywhere to go at least you will be ready and looking sharp for when you do!

Tack

Clean, condition and oil all tack. Bridles, breastplates, saddles, girth’s, headcollars, riding boots. Go into your storage and pull out any of the tack that might be getting a bit furry and give it a scrub and see if you 1. Actually need it and can use it or 2. Could move it on. Then you also declutter at the same time!

Grooming box

Take all your brushes for at home and shows. Hoof picks, hoof oil brushes, anything in that most likely dirty grooming box and give it all a wash. Even better use antibacterial shampoo or soap to kill any potential bacteria that may have found home in them. If you have a box that you can spray down and disinfect do that or if it’s a bag and able to get chucked in a washing machine then that also works. Then afterwards you have a fresh clean grooming box/kit and can start the season knowing it’s all ready.

Watertroughs

This isn’t always a fun job, especially in winter but it is a necessary one! Go and give those watertroughs a good scrub with a hard brush and a new clean sponge and empty them out. This job is one that should be done pretty frequently. My horses that dunk hay/ are a bit messy with their drinkers get done daily. The others that are quite a bit cleaner get done every couple days or weekly depending how bad they are. You wouldn’t want to drink water out of something that had things sitting in it and neither do your horses. I always find it really satisfying seeing them all squeaky clean.

Rugs and Rug laundry

Another job that is very satisfying but also can be a bit daunting depending on how many horses you have and how many rugs… (everyone who knows me knows I definitely have a rug obsession…) The best thing to do is pull out all your rugs and go through them all and make a list of what you have. I section mine out by show fleeces/rugs, sheets, home fleeces/coolers, medium weights and heavy weights. I then make a note of the rugs I have and their sizes and I also make a note of any that need reproofing or repairing so they can be sent off. As I go if anything looks like it should be chucked in the wash then I do that as well so that everything goes away clean and ready to be used. There’s nothing worse then pulling out a rug to use and it’s filthy with 6 months ago mud or dirt! It is a lot of a time a fairly big job, but so satisfying when it is done!