My 5 Summer Essentials!

With the weather finally warming up here in England, I decided to write about my 5 summer essentials, for both myself and the horse. 

#1: Water
It is well known that water is important in water, and when partaking in any exercise and therefore it is important to make sure you take water with you when you ride. I am often down at the yard for around 3 hours or more sorting Pea out and riding and can get hot as well as thirsty - a sign that you're dehydrated. I now make sure that I take a bottle of water with me every time I go down to the yard, even if I'm not necessarily riding as Peas field is a bit of a trek anyway! It is also important to make sure your horse doesn't go without water for too long either! Pea won't drink from a bucket when he comes in, but I always stop at the stream on our way in and out from the field to see if he wants a drink, and when I've finished riding I take him for a paddle through the stream and offer him a drink. 

#2: Fly Rug
This one probably isn't as important to everyone, but if Pea gets bitten he gets a rather large lump form and therefore I prefer him to have a fly rug on to try and minimise this, and prevent any from getting in the way of tack which would result in him not being able to be ridden. I'm considering investing in a waterproof one as with this ever changing weather it means he can't have his fly rug on as much as I like as it gets wet and all the dirt transfers onto Pea - not helpful when you own a grey! So if anyone has any good recommendations, I'd love to hear them! 

The NAF fly tag

#3: Fly Repellent
Along with a fly rug, I invest in a good fly repellent in the summer. The past few years I have been loving the NAF fly tags which I attach to his bridle and they seem to keep flies at bay when we're riding as he doesn't seem to get bothered. You get two in a pack and they're really cheap and last 4-6 weeks each so definitely worth trying. I'm also contemplating trying the wristbands they do as well. 

#4: Dry Shampoo
This one tends to be slightly more all-year but is so important for me in the summer. My hair gets all sweaty and yucky after I have finished riding, so I keep a bottle of dry shampoo in my hat bag to apply to my hair after I have finished riding before I pop it back up again as it is quite refreshing on my hair and makes it look a little less yucky! 

#5: Treats and pulling power!
This one might be just me but in the summer Pea turns into such a sleepyhead and there are often times when I go to grab him in from the field to find him flat out snoring! The first few times, he's often okay at getting up, but from then on it all goes downhill. He'll sit up and look at me, wait for me to give him some cuddles and then try to get him up before flopping down with a sigh and refuse to get up for a long while. Normally tempting with treats can eventually work, as well as having inquisitive field mates who will either come over for treats or help me try to get him up by pulling on his lead rope! 

What are your summer essentials? 

Thanks for reading, 
Laura xx