What do you pre-prepare the night before an early show?

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swampdonkey

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Hi all, I', not a competition rider in any way but I have just bought myself a trailer and I am taking my mare out to do a dressage test tomorrow at the local riding club.
This is my very first show away from home and I want to prepare as much tonight as I can as its an early start and I probably will be beyond nervous.
Plaiting - Do you plait the night before, they will probably take me ages so this would seem a good plan but I worry about her being tense in the neck and a little achey if tight plaits are in the night before. (thinking about a pony tail in overnight, sore head!)
Trailer - What do I put in the car boot or trailer, do you put haynets up and grooming kit all ready?
Water, should I take water?
O lord, so many questions.

If you have time could you tell me your pre competition routine.
I'm bound to forget something but thought hearing your routines might help.

Very excited and nervous show virgin :)
 
I totally pack (always include water just in case) and plait if its a morning start :) plait the first turn loose them tight and accept you'll have to touch up in the morning!
 
I would definitely plait the night before you can always touch up in the morning.

I pack as much as I can, although leave tack locked in the tack room and load that in the morning!

Definitely bring water - just in case!!

Good luck and have fun!
 
Plait the night before, with them eating off the floor so they aren't pulling at their skin overnight. If you do it with a wet mane and gel, they should stay in and hardly need touching up.

That's pretty much all we do... We also load everything up the night before, make sure the horse is clean (we bath him when we arrive as he sweats on the lorry) and then the next morning it's just travel gear on and go :)
 
Sorry to hijack - for those of you who plait the night before, do you cover the plaits with anything? I know an old YM of mine used old tights and wondered if it makes a difference (I've no idea how she secured them though!).
 
I only plait the night before if it's an early start and I need to leave before about 6.30am. Otherwise I plait in the morning - I'm and early bird and it takes me about 10 min per horse anyway.

Night before I wash (+/- plait) horse, do stud holes and put travel stud in if on grass, load trailer, clean tack and load car.

In the morning I feed, muck out, plait if I haven't done already, rug, boot and load.

In my trailer I keep a haynet, two big water carriers (but I event so need a lot of water for washing off), 4 or 5 buckets, sponge and sweatscraper, coolboots, muck bucket and small shovel (I clean up any muck in the trailer as and when it happens), mounting step, lunge line and grooming kit. It sounds like a lot but most things are packed inside each other and it only takes up a small space. All of this can be prepared up to a couple of days in advance.
 
I do basically everything the night before if got an early start to the point that arrive at yard move lorry put ramp down put travel boots on then load and leave!

The tights over plaits work well, just put along mane then put a plaiting band over top and bottom plaits then work along. You need to do top and bottom first as otherwise you will run out of tights! ;)
 
Jiffy - at the moment they're in full-neck rugs so that keeps them tidy. In the summer I usually use a hood, but actually my horses are pretty good and don't rub them. I rarely have to do any repairs. I generally don't do the forelock if I'm leaving them in overnight as I find it gets full of bits of hay!

The tights thing - plait mane, lay a pair of tights along the line of plaits (just one leg, or if both legs then one inside the other). Secure over each plait with a plaiting band.
 
I pack all tack/boots/grooming kit
My clothes, boots etc
Water, haynet tied up ready
Boots/travel rug/tail bandage all outisde stable
Horse washed, tail plaited to keep clean and less knotty.
I rarely plait the night before as I am pretty quick at it so just do it in the am as having to touch them up annoys me more!
Make sure water is on board


My routine the day before a show is
Turn out
Clean all tack/boots etc. Put everything in the lorry inc hay, water, boots, tack, clothes, extra rugs, grooming kit
Bring in
Ride
Wash - plait up tail and lay mane flat
Either put on the walker to dry or just in the stable
Clean stud holes if needed
Put travel boots, tail bandage and rug out ready
Feed, hay and go and relax knowing everything is ready for the morning!
 
I never plait the night before, I actually find the plaiting process calms me down! Lorry is packed night before tho!
 
Night before the horse is washed/cleaned. In winter it might just be a tail wash. I never plait the night before.

Tack is cleaned and put in jeep, saddle, girth, bridle, saddlecloth, boots. I also put in any of my own gear that I need but won't be wearing in the morning so hat, jacket, gloves, boots etc. Maybe a change of clothes depending on weather. Water bottle and snacks for me

Trailer is packed with a haynet, water bucket, sponge, scraper and water drum. Grooming brush, hand towel and comb for a tidy up if necessary when we arrive at show.

I leave out a travel rug, tail guard, headcollar, leadrope and grooming kit with brushes and plaiting bands.

If I'm going to be using studs I put in sleepers the night before, usually they're just plugged with cotton wool.
 
If really early so 4 or 4.30 start tend to get everything done including plaiting and then sleep in lorry at yard. Horse lives out at night in summer so if plaited wears a Lycra cover and rug.

Otherwise tend just to have everything ready at home to put in car then into lorry and would generally plait in the morning. Have grey horse so generally a lot of re washing in the morning!
 
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