Things you wish you'd known about years ago!!

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Cedars

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What are the horsey things you wish you'd known about years ago? Techniques, kit?

I have two to start us off!!

1. SHEDDING BLADES!! Why on EARTH did I not own one of these before?!?!?!?!

2. A can with stones in it to teach bolshy horses about personal space and backing up!

What are yours? x
 
I absolutely adore mine, THANK YOU to the person on here who told me! Its fab for getting the stupid amounts of hair off them with ease, but also makes it possible to turn out without rugs on as the mud just comes straight off with it afterwards!!
 
yup, the shedding blade is a fantastic thing.

There is a product here, called No Nots, its a spray on tail conditioner, and it is fantastic, I couldn't manage without it.
( no, I don't own the company ! )
Kx
 
I wish I had been less of a slave to stable rugs.....Until last year, I religiously swapped rugs at night and hung wet rugs up to dry, getting plastered in mud in the process.....Now, the horses wear the same rugs 24/7....Its great!!!
 
Had my shedding blade for a couple years now, my mum bought it me and it is fab!! Both my neds are like wooly mammoths and it gets the hair and dried mud off in no time :)

Another good one is the tarpaulin trick! Use it to drag hay, food, water even muck across the field, in the winter with wet ground and mud it is way way easier than trying to push a wheelbarrow.
 
I wish I knew about worming, my pony died when he was 22 and I'm sure he would have lasted longer had we known how often it should be done. RIP Dyn Eira
 
Maisy said:
I wish I had been less of a slave to stable rugs.....Until last year, I religiously swapped rugs at night and hung wet rugs up to dry, getting plastered in mud in the process.....Now, the horses wear the same rugs 24/7....Its great!!!
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ewe not so great for the horse ! mine has extra jammy's on at night because its colder :-)
 
Detol or vinegar baths, use hot water......makes their coats so shiney. Also Mr Sheen in the end of their tails. Makes them easier to comb through
 
How to have a flat bed. I use bliss, used to use shavings. Never managed to get the bed flat.

Other day was shown how to do it. So simple, can't believe I never worked it out for myself.

Couldn't live without my shedding blade.

Jane
 
That mane and tail conditioner actually works a lot better when the hair is wet so I only tend to use it now when I have washed my boy's mane and tail. I used to use it most days when grooming on a dry tail and found it got knotted again quite quickly, but when you use it when the mane and tail is wet, it keeps the tail free of knots for well over a week!
 
NOISYGIRL said:
ewe not so great for the horse ! mine has extra jammy's on at night because its colder :-)
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It's funny you should mention that as my mare always had ice on her H/W turnout rug when left out at night over winter yet when I brought her in at night and left her in her nice cosy stable with a big warm bed in the same rug there was no ice ...... ponders !

Fairy liquid for grey tails !
a chifney - after recent debate on hear I wish I had been taught to use one when I had all my issues with loading and rearing and not just stood on the ramp waiting for my should to be pulled out of joint for 4 hours on a show ground
to take my tack home every night - I miss my saddle lots !


oh and not forgetting a shedding blade
and leaving T/O rugs on when stabled
 
Also ...

Leaving wet turnout rugs on the horse to dry out - so much quicker than hanging them up with all the other damp rugs, and (as someone else said) good flatwork improves EVERYTHING.
 
Same with me with the rugs on overnight, as long as they are dry on the inside. Mind you it's warmer where I am now so my boy is out without rugs, and perfectly happy!

Not over rugging is another one. Too many horses out there in thick heavy rugs sweating away underneath.

Cowboy Magic or Avon Skin So Soft for tangly manes and tales.

12ft lead ropes.

Avoiding Hibiscrub! Doesn't solve everything and in fact, made my horse so much worse!

Hose pipe over bailing twine to make a smooth tie up ring.

Instead of getting fustrated, get creative, always have a plan B, C and d in case A doesn't work!

Simple things like nappy cream rather than paying ridiculous amounts for other anti-bacterial barrier creams! Savlon, etc.
 
Rubber matting - and a small amount of shavings - all the years I spent mucking out huge straw beds!

No more shoes - only hack out in forest as roads too awful. one has not had shoes for three years and the other had his removed when we got him in November. Brilliant feet the pair of them! Farrier trims, fine and no expensive and fancy 'barefoot trimmer' (no offence to anyone who uses one)

They CAN live out all year round - with the right rugs etc. Spent far too long doing competetive mucking out and rugging on livery yard!

Wished I hadnt worked so 'physically hard' doing all above since a child - many joints worn now!

take the hose to the bucket, not the bucket to the tap!

keep a spare of everything in the lorry - or have a box of 'stuff' in the car or trailer (having through the years needed probably a spare of everything!)

wipe clean girths are brilliant - better than using the washable ones where the buckle covers ALWAYS come off in the washing machine.

no need to clean tack to absolute perfection - before competing I would do a job worthy of the household cavalry - still compete, but take half the time - and no one seems to notice! - as long as its clean and tidy, no one will notice that you didnt polish the back of the buckles!

oh well, hindsight is just the best thing!
 
You don't have to listen to EVERYONE and follow their advice to the letter. Everyone can't be right ALL the time.

Cheap rugs are cheap for a reason. As are cheap riding boots, cheap tack etc etc...

An Equiboot is a handy thing to have for emergencies.

Cleaning every speck of mud off horse daily is a waste of time and doesn't keep a grey any cleaner!
 
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