Top tips for stay away show?!

[Season’s Bleatings]

Good people of HHO, I am MAYBE going to my first ever stay away show this weekend. We will have a better idea today/tomorrow once farrier has been out and instructor has given his opinion. Just for background, horse wasn’t quite 100% but have seen vet who thinks we stand a fairly good chance of being good to go, we have her on standby to review too if need be! Seems to be a strain to the fetlock, so we have been cold hosing / ice booting religiously over past few days. Horse has turned into a fire breathing dragon, who has learned to walk on his hind legs.

Anyway!

All being well, we will be off to the DI national winter champs this weekend. We have a stable booked and fortunately have a room for ourselves booked at a nearby hotel (literally next door to the venue).

We will make a list of the standard stuff we will need - tack, boots, stuff to muck out with, water buckets, bedding, hay etc etc. I think I will probably just bring pre-filled nets but will also buy a small bale of haylage just in case… so for those who have stayed away before, what are your top tips / must haves?!

 

[CatInTheSaddle]

Fingers crossed and good luck! Comfy shoes and/or a bicycle are a must. 20k steps in riding boots is not fun!

 

[j1ffy]

A trolley or wheelbarrow is essential - both for mucking out but also for lugging stuff around site. I've got a collapsible wheelbarrow but having seen a few collapsible trolleys on here, I wish I had one of those instead. I also have a tack trolley but it's a bit heavy and clunky tbh.

I always take more hay than I think I'll need but it sounds like you have that covered. I've got a big builders bag to put hay in rather than pre-filled nets - I used to do the latter but it's a bit of a faff!

ETA - I forgot the most important bit, which is to enjoy and have fun! Wine helps...

 

[milliepops]

Yeah i have a folding cart and it's brilliant, i also take a big trug and skip out into that, i can wheel that around in my cart if the muck heap is a long way away. it's nicer to load up the cart with tack or bedding etc than a wheelbarrow as you can pull it along with one hand.

Temp or permanent stables? what's the weather forecast like? Id always take some bits of string and duct tape just in case of surprises in your stables. one memorably wet year in temp stables I tied a turnout rug across the front to stop the rain driving in

I prefer ready made nets mainly to keep irritation to a minimum as i hate filling nets

Wine is a good call, one of the best things about a stay away is socialising

 

[Alibear]

Spares of anything that could get wet as it's difficult to dry stuff out whilst away.

 

[LEC]

Scissors, gaffer tape, knife and baler twine.

 

[tda]

Was gonna say extra air beds but I see you have a room booked ?

 

[Squeak]

I'm not sure if it's a problem in Ireland but recently there has been a spate of tack thefts from shows particularly stay aways. It turns out that most of the lockers and lorry doors often have the same key so it might be worth double checking your tack is secure.

A sign of some sort for the stable with your contact details on I always thought was a good idea too.

 

[SibeliusMB]

If we had fussy drinkers, we'd start adding some apple sauce/juice or gatorade to the water at home a week or two before traveling to get the horses used to that, and continue that throughout the stay at the horse show to encourage them to drink plenty of water. They'd get a certain dose of Ulcergard (or Gastroguard) if they were prone to ulcers.

 

[countryal]

When we've stopped in a hotel away from the show, we've taken the tack into the hotel room with us, a bit of a faff but at least we knew it was with us.

Agree a sign on the door is a good idea.

Lots of coats and warm clothes! It's hard to get warm if you get cold and are stood outside.

Have your passport, passes and stable deposit handy in the cab / car so you can get to them easily on arrival.

 

[humblepie]

Depending on facilities a torch or head torch. Have been stabled pretty much in the dark at some venues. Turnout rug for hand walking or potential leaking stable. Lots of baby wipes hand sanitizer etc. Human snacks vital including road trip snacks. Hope you had a great time and good luck.

 

[EventingMum]

A hammer and a lightweight turnout rug if your horse is in temporary stables - often the older style ones have screws/nails sticking out in them and sometimes the canvas/fabric roof can leak so a lightweight turnout over a stable rug can be useful. A disinfectant spray to spray round the stable is also a good idea for biosecurity.

 

[Orangehorse]

Allow yourself lots of time between lorry and stable, its not like being at home with everything to hand.

 

[humblepie]

Just another thought. If your horse is safe to be left with things in his stable then have a tack box with a lid to leave stuff in. I quite often leave some grooming kit etc rather than keep taking back and forth.

 

[Season’s Bleatings]

Thank you all so so much!! This is all incredibly helpful and I will def be updating my list tonight!