Five things horse riders love about summer

Is that summer we can see on the horizon? As we inch ever closer to the mid-point on the calendar, we take a look at what the best things are about being a horse owner during the summer. What are you most looking forward to?

With the sunniest months of the year fast approaching, there’s definitely lots to celebrate! With longer daylight hours and temperatures that may just allow you to wear shorts or a sleeveless top, there’s lots to love about the summer season. Here are the top five things we equestrians are truly thankful for…

1. Overnight turnout

With night-time temperatures rivalling some of the warmest winter days, and recent rainy conditions encouraging the grass to come through at speeds we’ve been praying for since the start of spring, we no longer have to feel guilty for releasing our horses for extended time out in the great outdoors. The obvious plus point is far less mucking out for us (although we’d wager that poo-picking a 10-acre field probably takes just as much time, if not more), and more time roaming around and playing with friends for them. Spending as much time out of the stable as possible is ideal for our horses’ mental and physical wellbeing, and the freedom that summer allows is often a well-earned refresher after a long winter of shovelling manure.

2. Evening hacks

The twilight hack is one of the greatest joys in a horse owner’s week. No more are we confined to a poorly lit arena after work – we can instead look forward to cantering across fields with the sun on our cheeks. While others head home for tea, we’re admiring the dwindling sunbeams shining between the leaves as we meander down a woodland track with our equine best friend. What’s more, while we can’t control the weather conditions – and, more often than not, that black cloud that’s been hanging around all day will choose to burst just as you put your foot in the stirrup – you’ve still got plenty of daylight hours to hack for an hour or two without having to keep too close an eye on your watch.

3. Weekends away

Sleeping in your lorry, trailer or a tent is roughing it at the best of times but, when you can light up a barbeque and sit among friends with a G&T in hand, it certainly helps cushion the blow. Riding camps are a totally immersive experience and the rest of the world can be forgotten over the two or three days of your stay. Camping out with your horse on site will never grow old and waking up to his expectant face in the morning is a happiness like no other – it’s worth it, even if you have to use a portaloo. Let it be known that horsey camps aren’t just great fun for Pony Club kids, and we’ve got the lukewarm fizz to prove it.

4. Clean horses (…or, less muddy, at least)

Great news for owners of greys – one of the most fantastic things about summer is that your horse will no longer come in from the field resembling a hippo! Sure, he might come in with the odd emerald-coloured grass stain, but that’s a welcome break from the knee-high mud stockings he was sporting earlier on in the year! Summer provides a long-awaited reprieve from lugging mud-soaked heavyweights across the yard and prising dirt clumps from your horse’s mane – for a few months, at least. You only need to bath your horse if you want to – and, better still, the sunshine means you’re no longer entering a stressful race against the clock to get your horse wet, lathered, rinsed and dried before he’s shivering and penning his latest correspondence to the authorities.

5. Questionable tan lines

Riders nearly always get a tan, that’s for sure. The quality of that tan, however, is often questionable. With the notorious brown arms, T-shirt and glove lines – well, if you’re lucky enough not to transition between alabaster, lobster then straight back again – you’ll often leave your non-horsey friends questioning what you really do in your spare time. Lathering yourself in sun block has that nostalgic holiday feeling and, after a few hours up the yard, you’ll certainly end up more tanned than if you’d spent the day at the beach, albeit with a few unwanted dodgy tan lines.