Going to our first overnight show!!

benson21

benson21

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...in 3 weeks time!! What do I need to take with us? We will be sleeping either in a tent (!) or the trailer, I know we can fence abit off round the side of the trailer, I guess it would have to be charged? And obviously it wont be a huge area, so I am thinking about taking some haynets with us as well? We are staying I think for 2 nights, so need to be organised!! But I am very excited!!
 
benson21 said:
...in 3 weeks time!! What do I need to take with us? We will be sleeping either in a tent (!) or the trailer, I know we can fence abit off round the side of the trailer, I guess it would have to be charged? And obviously it wont be a huge area, so I am thinking about taking some haynets with us as well? We are staying I think for 2 nights, so need to be organised!! But I am very excited!!
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I think I'd want to know a little more about the show & the facilities. I wouldn't be able to "fence abit off round the side of the trailer" & keep my horses in that tiny area for two days & nights. When you stay away you really need a stable so at least the horses are kept safe, I think you'll be asking for problems keeping your horses in the manner you mention. You don't seem to know much about the show? you need to do some more homework on it.
 
I wouldn't be able to "fence abit off round the side of the trailer" & keep my horses in that tiny area for two days & nights. When you stay away you really need a stable so at least the horses are kept safe, I think you'll be asking for problems keeping your horses in the manner you mention.

There is not necessarily a need to have a stable to keep ponies it at shows. I ride in demonstrations at some of the biggest county shows and country fairs around the country and we very rarely get stables. All the ponies are used to being kept in small corrals at the side of horseboxes/trailers. The fences are made from electric fence posts and tape and the ponies will spend friday to sunday in these pens only being taken out to exercise. The ponies know that they are to stay in these pens and not escape. if there is limited grass I supplement with haylage as do the rest of the people in our association.

It was actually quite amusing at Lincoln county recently when our ponies in their pens were the only ones not to bat an eyelid at the red arrows as they flew over whilst many of the horses in the stables and the arenas went berserk!

Benson21 - if you want I can PM you with the things that I take away as I have been staying at shows like you describe for many years so think I have a fairly comprehensive list.
 
Oooh, good luck! Ben and I (you may have seen:rolleyes:) went to Royal Cornwall overnight this year... it was a blast, and the camaradarie between everyone was great, we had g n t, barbecues... jolly good time was had by all.

I personally went out and bought a small bale of haylage, and took some empty nets, just for ease. Water bucket bag of chaff and feed bucket, then all the general show related gumph that you take with you. Oh and dont forget soap and towels for yourself!

If you can, I found that having a stable made things much easier, I certainly wouldnt like to not have a stable if its as hot as it currently is. I could pop him in, he could relax, get away from the hustle and bustle and have a snooze. with our stables (if you do decide to get one) we had a bale of straw provided, but you may want to check if its the same where you are going.

If you do decide to rig up an enclosure, make sure you take some kind of canvas or even a gazebo you can rig up for shade for him, and make sure you have some form of shade too if it gets hot... and if it is scorching, for christ sake take some heavy duty sun cream... one of the girls in the next box to us got serious sunburn on her legs... could hardly walk... but she had to pop her jods on and ride in her class... ouch!

Have a fab time and post with updates in the run up and of the event, good luck :D
 
Toby_Zaphod said:
I think I'd want to know a little more about the show & the facilities. I wouldn't be able to "fence abit off round the side of the trailer" & keep my horses in that tiny area for two days & nights. When you stay away you really need a stable so at least the horses are kept safe, I think you'll be asking for problems keeping your horses in the manner you mention. You don't seem to know much about the show? you need to do some more homework on it.
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Its extremely common for driving horses to be kept in electric pens at club level HDT .
At HDT you have to provide your own on site stabling electric pens is a good way to get going without the expense of a portable stable attached to your lorry or trailer while you test the water .
Some have stalls some keep horses in their lorry I have a portable stable attached to my carriage treka my horse goes in the Lorry where we have living the carriage goes in the trailer the stable is attached to the carriage and folds out.
But it's expensive and you need an inexpensive way to see if it's for you pens trailers and tents is a good way to start.
Benson21 ,Pony will be fine , take a range of rugs and lots of fly spray and build a pen at home and use it a few times so he understands what's what.
You will need some forage to supplement the grass as the space allowed often means the pens are quite small .
I hope you have a great weekend and oh get everything together in good time it takes a while at first ,it seems a huge task at first but it gets quicker the more you do it.
 
Yes it was almost certainly need to be charged and you'll need hay though you can move the pen a little usually :)
There will be water but not much else in the way of facilities I should think.
Of course it's fine to keep them out of a stable at the event- it's what everyone does and I seriously doubt there'll be the option on stables :)
 
Queenbee has put about a gazebo, is that a realistic idea? To put the gazebo against the trailer so he will have some shelter?
 
We are off to our first overnight stay next weekend (wales) and will be taking electric tape, charger and posts. The MGA and pony club competitions are run like that with no stables available.
We will take a bale of hay aswell (she is only a 2hh welsh ) so dont need much . i plan on sleeping in the back of the lorry, daughter in the luton and my son in a tent. We will take limited water but we are going to a large showground with good facilities so we should be fine. Good luck with your trip we are excited about our first mga event.
 
Endurance riders regularly coral over for events. Posts, tape, battery and energiser. Just make sure your horse respects the tape and practice before you go. Also check you are allowed to camp. some venues do not allow and you have to stay in your box,van, trailer.

I am coralling for a ride in August and am "slumming" as OH puts it, by sleeping on an air bed in my van.
 
Over here it's really common to take horses away for a few days/weeks on camping trips/meets/shows. Most people who do it frequently buy metal corral panels (think panels from round pens) although a lot of people I know just use picket lines whereby they attach a line to two trees and tie their horses to that. Most trailers over here are huge and they have sunshades canopies which roll out from the top of the trailer so the whole area around it is shaded. I suspect an electric fenced pen would work as well. We can buy sail type things that attach to trailers on one side and a tentpole type thing at the other side so the sail flaps about in the wind and gives shade. Have fun!
 
Gosh we pen out at all horseball events :D Even the international in France last week!

I can now get my weekend kit down to one kit bag for the horse, plus fencing, one kit bag for me, tent etc plus saddle!
Its normally the drink that is the heaviest thing I end up taking :)
 
Ok, so will certainly be doing that! I just cant wait now to get there!! Its a2 day event driving and our first really big one!! Not too sure aboput the camping bit, its either in a tent or in the trailer, but definately not in my comfy bed!!
 
You will have a great time .
Take something to trolley your water on sometimes it's miles from the water to your camp.
Hay blocks from halleys are great for weekends away .
Get him used to the gazebo at home if you get one , buy a carriage cover so you can dust off the carriage on Friday night and save your self a job on Saturday .
Led torches last ages and consider getting a battery system for lighting.
If the weather lets you down take a bottle of wine and indroduce yourself to the nearest people With a comfy lorry in fact do that any way .
I expect a long report after.
My horse is laid up after having his middle lower incisor removed last week .
 
We are going to Normanhurst 2 day driving event. YOu know when you get those little fluttery butterflies....well I have got them now!!! Its not til August 3rd, so I still have a bit of a wait!!!
 
I don't know that one. I used to backstep and groom for a pony pair who did national HDTs all over the UK. I most miss the camping and the marathons. I've followed your threads and I love your updates. I'm looking forwards to the event reports! :)

ETA Don't be nervous, its really good fun
 
Have only ever stayed away using stabling as the shows we go to you have but I would say invaluable items to have are black rubbish bags, baler twine and duct tape, a hammer and a multi purpose knife. Most things can be fixed that way!!!
 
Take a good torch. If anything's going to go slightly wrong and need sorting, it will wait until after it goes flipping dark, IME (and a torch is also helpful for finding the loos at night).
 
benson21 said:
Queenbee has put about a gazebo, is that a realistic idea? To put the gazebo against the trailer so he will have some shelter?
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I have seen them used to good effect, but it really needs to be the right kind of weather, certainly they can provide some much needed shade.
 
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