H.A.Y Equestrian

PLEASE FIND MY UPDATED BLOG AT http://www.hayequestrian.co.uk I am so sorry if I have missed any comments on posts, we have since moved over to our own domain, wahoo!!! If you have any comments or questions please feel free to email me at Hayley@hayequestrian.co.uk or DM me on Instagram @hayeventing Much love from Hayley and Gigi

Likit Sponsored Rider 2018  This year I decided to enter Likit's sponsorship competition. The competition is held yearly and requires candidates to make a YouTube video featuring self promotion and why the candidate should be chosen for a year long sponsorship from Likit horse treats. The competition has 2 phases, firstly you make and submit a short video about yourself, your horses and why you would be a great Likit brand ambassador. Secondly Likit chose a couple from the entries then a further 10 are put forward in a short list where they are required to gain public votes.  Forget Fear With no real previous experience in front of a camera I stepped out of my comfort zone to film my entry. To say I wasn't nervous is a complete lie, I was so uncomfortable and worried about making a fool of myself for the world to see. To make it easier I set about making a pre-production plan. I summarized everything that I wanted to be included then I grouped each element into vita...

The Title Says It All! Guess Who If you guessed it's of Gigi then you would be correct! I can't thank my artist Amy Valentine enough. I Got my tattoo done at a shop called Fat Fugu, it's close to where I live in Northampton, UK. You should check them out, there are so many talented artists. I gave Amy a few photos of Gigi and told her the style I wanted, this is the outcome. A mandala of Gi, including her markings, It looks just like my beautiful girl.  The reference I sent to Amy 

It Gets Worse... This year has not been the easiest, its probably been one of the most frustrating years yet. Earlier this year Gigi suffered from an unfortunate kick in the field. This happened twice a couple months apart, the first kick was obvious... Little lameness, stiff and sore of course, this healed relatively quickly. The second kick however...this one was much worse. Gigi was lame for over a month and the injured area was much harder to find. The second kick got Gigi on the inside of her back leg, she was unable to put weight on the affected leg. The vets prescribed her antibiotics, pain medication and rest, over a month of rest. This worked, Gigi got better but the timing was so bad. We were booked to go to a horse trials in a couple of weeks (this was booked before the injury), I had no idea what to do, pull her out of the competition or go for it. The grass was rich and Gigi was fed whilst she was off (not a lot but enough to disguise her drugs), she was getting...

Apologies!  I'm sorry, recently I have been neglecting this poor blog. I've been swamped with work, juggling 2 jobs just to pay the bills, trying to fit in riding my pony and going to the gym. However that's about to change. My job in polo has come to an end, last match of the season is in a week so I am no longer needed to exercise the horses. I have taken up more hours at the cinema although I fear it won't be enough! Seeing as I now have spare time again, I have decided to revive this blog!  Up To You So I have some things noted that I will write about, but the big question is: What Would You Like To See? Comment below and follow this space!

The Equine Digestive System I drew this diagram whilst I was at college, as you can see it's of Gigi! I thought I would upload it to my blog to help anyone who needs it! Click To Enlarge

Check out parts #1 and #2  Confidence on the Cross Country Jumping cross country can be pretty daunting, the solid jumps and pace take a little to get used to, but there is no reason why you can't go out and have fun on the XC course. I only started XC with Gigi last year, we didn't have the opportunity to go out and give it a go before then , the closest we had been was jumping the occasional small log. So when we got the opportunity to go out to a cross country course we wanted to make the most of it.  The Venue Pick a nice venue, well kept, good quality jumps. This really helps to settle some nerves. Just knowing the ground and jumps are of good quality helps. A good quality venue will also have similar jumps of varying sizes, this is helpful for getting used to what the jump looks like, then going up a bit.  Company Take a friend, a confident friend will help, or one with more experience. Use them as a lead from the start, jump a few fen...

Here are 5 tips to making life at the stables during winter that little bit easier. With short days, bad weather and dark nights, working horses around work can be a difficult job. I love having my horse but some days I just need to make my life easier, here are 5 of my life hacks. 1. An alternative to tying haynets These little babies make life so much easier when tying nets up, just attach one to the string of the net and clip to the underside to secure the net to a ring.  I have done this to all of my haynets, they work so well, especially with a horse who normally untied the nets and throws them in poo during the night.  2. Steaming Haynets  Okay you might think "not everyone can afford that luxury" well think again. Everyone can afford a hay steamer, they are super easy and cheap to make. Simply get an old wheelie bin, barrel, container with a lid and a cheap wallpaper steamer from a local hardware store.  Remove the ste...

As me and Gigi enter 2016 the mud seems to increase. Winter is the worst time of year for staying clean and dry, Gigi is a very clean pony but even she can't escape the mud. I like to keep Gigi's tail long and full so I needed to find a product to help keep it from becoming a huge lump of mud. I took a trip down to the local tack store and found a product called a Tail-Braid. I had done previous research into tail bag and braid products but as I've no experience with them I don't know what's best. I have seen waterproof and Lycra material tail bags online, all of which fasten just below the dock with Velcro. As the braid was the only option in the shop I bought one and took it home to try out. The braid before use  The brand of tail braid I bought How Does The Tail-Braid Work The tail braid works by putting sections of the tail inside and plaiting them together then tying it off at the bottom. This then provides a protective layer over the tail, which will h...

Merry Christmas!!  So me and Gigi took a little break from the Blog! I started a new job, had a product trial, temporarily had a new horse to care for (Not mine!) and now along with festivities I have two more little devils to look after alongside G! (Their mummy is on holiday) But hopefully I can say I'm back now with more exciting posts for the new year!!  We have enjoyed some festive hacking as Gigi was injured in the field a couple weeks ago, she's still bruised and fragile but is fine!!  What did you get for Christmas?  I hope you all got everything on your wish list! Gigi was well and truly spoilt with bucket loads of treats and a new Le Mieux numnah! Finally we have added a purple pad to the ever growing collection! She has everything purple but a pad so this was a must!!  Sorry for the short post but there will be more to follow! Don't lose hope guys!!!  Love and Kisses from Gigi!! 

Overreach Boots  These are one of the most common pairs of boots used for equines, ultimately they protect against damage to the horse's heals, caused by the horse's hind hooves over stepping and catching on the front heels. There are many types of overreach boots on the market along with a huge variety of colours, patterns and designs! I'm a huge fan of matchy-matchy sets so it's vital I can find a matching pair of overeach boots! The Best Material? Neoprene The neoprene boots which are on the market seem to be a favourite among a lot of people, i'm not sure whether its the variation in colours, the fact most are branded which makes them fashionable or because they are soft and flexible. I do like this material and style of boot however there I find that they hold water, therefore they will become heavier and possibly uncomfortable in wet weather, or if the horse has to go through any water or wear for extended periods of time. I live in Great Brit...

What Is An Anky Pad? In short, a numnah. This pad is a bit like a polypad but better!!! I got mine for just under £50 from a local tack shop, I had been searching for a blue pad for a while but nothing was coming up, then I found this one and had to have it. I bought the pad very much on impulse and probably wouldn't have if I had longer to contemplate spending £50 on a product i'd never seen or used before. There was a brief moment where I put the pad down, but they only had one in blue so I quickly picked it back up. There was a matching pair of Bridleway bell boots so I got those too, but more about my bell boot choices another time! For Gigi I chose the Baltic Sea Dressage Pad, I did not see any other shape options in the shop and I use this pad with my GP saddle, I believe you can get ones made for jumping saddles and the writing on these reads "ATC" there are also matching boots and bandages available in the Anky range. Personally I like the look of the dre...

Micklem Vs. Stubben Gigi In Her Stubben Bridle Okay, it could be any bridle but in this case I will be comparing my new Micklem with my previous Stubben. Firstly I love my Stubben bridle, it fits Gigi perfectly, is a lovely shade of brown and is amazing quality all round. I love that I have a choice whether I want to use the flash or not and the fittings are all brass coloured. If a piece breaks I know I can easily find another to replace it. I have had this bridle for almost 3 years, it has matching plaited reins and the shade of brown matches my other tack amazingly. I recently got my Micklem bridle as I had heard about them and wanted to try one for myself. I got the multibridle as the fittings are all brass coloured, the competition bridle has stainless steel fittings. The multibridle also has a loop on the noseband, this means the bridle doubles up as a lunge cavesson. There is less bulk on Gigi's face when lunging. There are also a few other ways to use the multibri...