If you’re watching the pennies, then how about giving these fabulously useful products you’ve probably got lying around at home a new job at the stables?
1. Brush-and-dustpan
Grab one at the local pound shop – far cheaper and more effective than the posh equivalent from the equestrian shop.
2. Sponges
Again, get all the sponges you need for eye-cleaning, bum-wiping, tack-cleaning and so on from your local supermarket or pound shop.
3. Microfibre cloths
Great at adding shine to a show pony’s coat – you’ll find these in any supermarket.
Every mum’s medicine cabinet staple for nappy rash, equally good at soothing insect bites, sunburn and minor abrasions on horses.
5. Baby wipes
A million uses for these, from wiping off grass stains on your horse’s coat to giving your tack a quick once-over.
6. Plastic potties
Buy a few and use them as a cheap alternative to pole pods – they’re stackable too.
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7. Disposable nappies
Ideal for bandaging leg or foot wounds and keeping the area sterile.
8. Bathroom organiser
Grab one of these from a hardware store and hang it in your tackroom to store your scissors, brushes, bridle parts, treats and other bits and pieces.
9. Head torch
If your yard doesn’t have electricity, or you regularly need to trek down to the field at night to bring in your horse, a head torch (available from camping stores) will lighten up your life.
10. Baking soda
Safe for horses to ingest, this is very useful for cleaning water buckets, and can also be applied to white socks (horses’ socks, not humans) to brighten them up, too.
11. Rubber gloves
‘Nuff said.
12. Baby powder
Dust some onto your horse’s socks for showing, for extra whiteness.
13. Skin So Soft
A rinse with a solution of half Avon’s Skin So Soft and half water will clean your horse’s coat, adding shine and also repel bugs and flies. And you can use it on own skin, too!
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Amanda Vlietstra is a freelance writer and editor who’s worked for a number of national magazines and websites. Having thrown herself back rural living with gusto since moving from London to Buckinghamshire in 2012, she juggles her horsey life with work and two small children. She claims to do dressage, but really just potters about having fun on her 14.2hh Belgian Warmblood mare, Roxy. She also enjoys a good gossip over a coffee in the tackroom!
