H.A.Y Equestrian

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...

Sywell Horse Show Sywell show is a local show to me, it is run once a year and takes me about 20 minutes to hack over. Me and Gigi have been to this show three years running and have tried a variety of classes. We mostly do show jumping however we have tried some showing classes in the past. I don't show Gigi very often due to her rubbed patch of hair. The show jumping at Sywell is often challenging and the course is designed by one of my favourite course designers. The show is also run on grass, I normally attend shows with arenas due to having a lot of amazing equestrian centers locally. This year Sywell show was a qualifier for the Sunshine Tour held at Hickstead.  80cm 80cm 80cm 90cm 90cm 90cm Jump Off 90cm Jump Off  The Sunshine Tour The sunshine tour is one of the biggest unaffiliated championships in the UK. It runs for 3 days and offers Dressage, Showing, Show Jumping and open classes. There is also the option to keep yo...

Don't Ignore Your Horse's Confidence You need to be positive when riding, especially if you are nervous about something. But step back for a minute and think about your horse. If you are worried he will sense it and this can make him worried. This will only make your situation harder as you will end up in a never ending loop; this happens when you are nervous, which makes your horse nervous, you will then pick up on your horse's nerves and the loop will repeat. Help your horse out and improve his confidence to help you with yours, the methods in today's post will not only help you with the battle of confidence but will help improve you and your horse's bond.  Reward Him When He Gets It Right Only ever use positive reinforcement, if you use negative reinforcement you may scare your horse further and make matters worse.  Rewarding your horse is a very important step for improving confidence. When I am lacking confidence in something I need Gigi to s...

Overview I'm back with another Carr & Day & Martin review, this has to be my favourite brand for equestrian care products. They make a huge range of products from things you can use on a day-to-day basis to more professional products designed for the show ring. The product featured in this review is their Cornucrescine Ointment. This product is designed to promote healthy hoof growth by being massaged into the coronet band with your fingers or a toothbrush. It is vital to rub the product in properly as the ointment contains keratin producing cells which need to be stimulated. On the tub it also says the product can be used for helping hair re-growth on rubbed patches or scars. I thought as there are already some reviews on its use for hooves I would put it through its paces for the growth of Gigi's mane. Application To apply this product I rubbed a small amount on my first three finger tips, I then pressed them onto my clean fingertips on the other...