As an amateur rider, how do you combine your busy life with keeping a horse, apart from a good cup of coffee, a good alarm clock and army-style organisation? The following tips will make things run just a little more smoothly.
1. Make sure your horse is stabled on the way to work. That way, if necessary, you can feed it in the morning without having to make a detour, and you can get a quick workout in the afternoon before dinner.
2. A clock in the stable and in the arena allows you to keep an eye on the time. That way you always know whether you are on schedule or not.
3. Get your clothes ready the night before you ride. You don’t want to be running around in the dark at 6am looking for a pair of jodhpurs.
4. Set out wheelbarrows of hay in the evening and have the rest of your food ready for the next morning, it will save you time if you have to rush again.
5. Long, warm coats are useful to wear over pyjamas when feeding at dawn or over work clothes that shouldn’t get dirty.
6. Be obsessed with the weather forecast. If you can only drive before and after work, it’s smart to know when it’s raining.
7. Get used to going to bed earlier so you can get out earlier. Several alarm clocks may also be helpful.
8. Talk to your boss about flexible working hours. An afternoon off to study can be very nice.
9. Write your horse and work appointments in the same diary. So your blacksmith appointment doesn’t suddenly coincide with an important work deadline.
10. Buy skinny jeans. If they fit the dress code at work they are ideal for jumping on your horse on the way home.
11. Plan your competitions at times when you know you won’t be under too much pressure.
12. If your job involves sitting at a desk all day, it’s good to have a fitness plan. Not only does your horse need to be in top condition, you also need to have a bit of breathing space.
13 polska-ed.com. Find a horse that suits you. If you have an irregular schedule, it is nice to have a horse that can cope with that and not one that goes mad at the slightest change.
Source: Horse & Hound