Leave your horse in capable hands this holiday season

If you’re planning on getting away this year, make sure you leave home knowing your horse is in the best of care. Here’s what to consider when it comes to arranging cover for your four-legged family members.

Plan in advance

Maybe your yard offers assisted DIY, when a groom or yard manager will provide cover on days when you can’t get to the yard, or for holidays. Or perhaps you and a fellow livery help each other out in times of need. Either way, make sure you give the relevant person plenty of notice of the dates you’ll be away, so you avoid a last-minute panic.

If you don’t have anyone who can help you at your yard, you’ll need to book a freelance groom well in advance. You may already be aware of someone reliable in your area but if not, it helps to ask for recommendations online – remember to check out their reviews and meet up with them beforehand to give you extra peace of mind.

Make a list

It’s essential you give your horse’s carer clear guidelines of everything your horse needs while you’re away, and providing the following information will help to ensure nothing gets missed…

• Details of what your horse eats, including bucket feeds, supplements and hay/haylage. Or, if you have time, why not make your carer’s job easier by making feeds up in advance? That way they’ll only need to add water to hard feed, or soak haynets before feeding, if necessary.
• Okay, so we can’t always predict what the weather will do, but giving the person looking after your horse an idea of what rugs your horse might need and when will help them make the right choices. After all, you know your horse better than anyone, so if he feels the cold, is badly affected by flies or hates being too warm, let the carer know.
• Show them where everything is beforehand. However, it’s also wise to write this information down in case they forget something. Your horse’s carer will not only need to know where rugs and feed are, but also where your horse’s first aid and grooming kits are kept, where bedding is stored, which field your horse goes out in, where the muck heap is located and where to find boots and any other accessories your horse needs to wear.
• Provide contact details of your horse’s support team. As well as listing the telephone number for your vet, include contacts for your horse’s insurance company, bodyworker, farrier, equine dental technician, just in case. And don’t forget to ensure they have means of contacting you, too.
• Your horse’s routine. While it’s not always practical to expect your carer to stick to the exact routine you’d follow, the more they can keep things as normal as usual, the less stressful it will be for your horse. Don’t forget your horse may already be a bit confused by your absence, so try not to add to his concerns.
• Any medical details your carer needs to know about. For example, is be prone to mud fever or sweet itch, or does he require medication of any kind?
• Any quirks your horse might have. If your horse is lively to turn out or bring in, has any vices or tries to dash out of the stable the moment you open the door, provide your carer with this information in advance. This helps to avoid unwanted accidents or injury to either party, so do your best to keep everyone safe.
• The yard rules. If you’re using an outside person to look after your horse, make sure they know the rules of the yard. This might include picking out feet before leaving the stable, daily poo picking or locking the yard gate when they leave. But don’t forget, before you hand out any security codes to outsiders, first check with your yard manager that it’s okay to do so.

A final thought

Some people like to forget about home life while they’re away, whereas others need daily reassurance their horse is happy and healthy. Let your carer know whether you want regular updates and photos or whether you only want them to contact you if they need help or something’s gone wrong. In fact, it’s often better to switch off from your usual daily routine while you’re away, so if you can cope with the ‘no news is good news’ policy then do.

Top tip

Make sure you and your carer are fully insured for any mishaps that could occur while you’re away. If using a freelance groom, check they have adequate insurance of their own in place, too.