Back to School!

As we enter into another week of the summer holidays, there are no end of excited little people enjoying their pony camps and own a pony days!  Okay, so the weather isn’t that great at the moment but it really doesn’t matter when there are so many ponies to play with! But sadly the holidays can’t all be fun, fun, fun and you need to get organised to ensure that all supplies are ready for the return to school next term.  So why not brighten up school essentials with some horse and pony stationery and a funky horse bag that your little one can’t wait to show off to her friends.  Here are some of our top selections but be sure to check out our Back To School collection to see the range in full. 

Our most popular horse bag of the moment is the Milly Green Horses Pink Backpack.  A strong, good sized rucksack with a funky horse print.  Perfect for carrying books and stationery supplies.

For swimming / gym clothes then the Twinkle Gym Sack is the ideal solution.  This bag is also great to use at weekends when attending Pony Club.  A very popular print loved by all.

For all us stationery geeks out there we have a cute and colourful range of pens, pencils and accessories – all with a pony theme. Below are just a few of our favourites.  It’s a lovely idea to fill a pencil cases full of new pony pens as a little gift for the start of term.

And don’t forget lunchtime can be made a little more fun with our horsey lunch boxes including this popular Tyrrell Katz Lunch bag and the coordinating snack boxes for yummy treats – very popular with our little pony lovers.

Happy holidays everyone xxx

Gifts for the Horse Loving Teacher

Most parts of the country are in to the last couple of weeks of term, if not already enjoying the school holidays! At the end of term it’s always nice to treat your child’s teacher, tutor or classroom assistant to a little something to show your appreciation for their help and hard work during the past year. We’re sure you’ve got to know them quite well so if the person in question is a keen horse rider or owner then here are a few teacher gift ideas for a thoughtful thank you that wont break the bank!

A thank you card with a thoughtful message and a cute Handcrafted Wooden Horseshoe Keyring or Horse Key Ring is a lovely gift for a special teacher. A bit different from the norm, more thoughtful and useful too. Perfect key rings for those with horse boxes/ lorries or yard keys!

The lovely Notecard Gift Pack for Horse Lovers mean your teacher will have some handy little note cards ready to write their own messages.  Great for the horse lover with a sense of humour – these note cards have three comical images that will tickle a keen horse lover.

Perhaps at school you have noticed your teacher loves their stationery! If that’s the case the fun Colourful Stripe Milly Green Horse Pen will be a great addition to their collection. Perfect to use for marking, writing reports etc, these pens feature a bright horse pattern and are one of our best selling pieces of stationery.

For other stationery ideas both the Catseye Horse Gallery Document Sleeve and the Padblocks Sticky Notes – Horses are handy additions to a teachers supply!

Lastly if your teacher loves a nice cup of tea, perhaps treat them to the Horse and Jack Russell Teabag Holder with some of their favourite teabags. That way they can enjoy their cuppa and be reminded of you!

Of course these are just a few gift ideas under a £5 and a lot more can be viewed here. We hope you find the perfect gift for your teacher and have a happy end of term before the adventures of the summer holidays begin!

The Big Clean! The Cheats Guide To Preparing Your Horse for Shows

Well last night the great clean began for the weekend's competition and I have to say I was grateful of the warmer weather (as was Skippy!).  I think I will be even more grateful tonight when I am plaiting up without frozen fingers. And while I am certainly not here to advocate cheating at all, anything I can do to make the preparation process a little quicker and easier is fine by me. After all there are only so many hours in the day!! So here's how we got on...

Now at this point I realise I should have taken a "before" shot but sadly I quite simply forgot. But you can trust me when I say that these legs of my piebald hadn't seen true white for quite some months. I was dubious about how many rounds of shampooing I would need to endure but actually I was pleasantly surprised!  So armed with my bottle of Supreme Products Blue Horse Shampoo, the hose and a large sponge I took on the challenge of turning the grey/ brown/ stable stained legs into pure striking white.  The bottle read leave on for 3 - 5 minutes for tough stains.  I definitely had some seriously tough stains so maxed out with the 5 minutes wait after a good lather.  There followed a thorough drenching (that was just me) and scrub to get all the shampoo out and I was thrilled with the results.  Only one shampoo needed! Although extremely good to bath Skippy isn't keen on the water dripping off his legs and likes to show his annoying by swishing his tale in my face so I have to say I came out of this experience feeling like i'd been slapped around the face several times- charming!       

I swiftly followed with the Supreme Products Leg and Body Whitener which I applied damp and then the legs were sparkling! Of course Skip took that precise moment to decide he needed to rub his (black) face all over the damp whitened leg.  So out came the damp cloths to scrub the strange white marks off his face, which is a bit like trying to give a toddler a face wash when they are really not up for it!!  

By now I was getting a bit tired having had a 5am start, a very long day in the office, a lesson and minimal food so I cheekily ditched the shampooing of the tail and got out the Miracle Groom Bath in a Bottle (bit like dry shampoo for horses).  Finally finishing with the amazing Pig Oil Spray (which I cannot live without) I brushed this through his tail with the MagicBrush. I'll be topping him up with this at the weekend to add some further shine but avoiding the mane (as I am plaiting and need a bit of grease!) and saddle area so he's not too slippery.  

So here are the final results...

Okay so there's still the whole plaiting up, cleaning tack, learning dressage tests and getting myself looking semi-presentable to go but hey I think we're off to a good start.  Just wait till I get in the rubber warm up arena and his legs go black again from the dust...lol!

I'll be sure to post a picture of the finished turn out when its done.  Fingers crossed for a successful and most importantly happy weekend for all of us and our horses xx 

Keeping Horses Happy in the Heat!

After the long, dark Winter it’s always a great relief when Summer arrives. When visiting your horse before / after work you can finally see him in daylight without having to wrap up in umpteen fleeces and jackets! Long, lovely hacks are easy to fit in and the standard “horse rider tan” (glove lines!) soon develops.

However Summer can bring its own issues and it’s important to keep your horse happy during these hotter months.

Just like us, water is essential for your horse to ensure healthy bodily functions and should always be available so your horse can replace any water lost and prevent dehydration.  This is something to think about when at shows as your horse may be out in the hottest part of the day.  The Wacky Practicals Pack Away Bucket – 7 Litres is great to offer your horse water and easy to store when out and about with your horses.

Many horses (like mine!) enjoy dozing in the sunshine but it’s important your horse has access to some kind of shade, especially in the peak heat in the middle of the day. Lots of fields have natural shelter from bushes or trees or perhaps you are lucky enough to have a field shelter.  If your stable is cool it might even be an idea to bring your horse in during the daytime and turned out overnight.

For horses with pink noses its especially important to protect their muzzle to prevent sunburn.  Groom Away do a great sun protection cream. Your horse might not be very keen on having it applied but they’ll thank you in the long run as a red crispy nose is both unsightly and sore for your horse.

One of the biggest issues during the summer months are the flies!! They are such a pain!  Not only on a day to day basis but they easily cause further irritations and slow the healing of even small cuts and scraps so its important to treat these thoroughly and keep a very close eye on them.  For day to day care of your horse a good quality fly mask can make your horse’s life a lot more comfortable. Okay so they might make your horse look a little peculiar (the reactions from non horse friends is always quite hilarious!) but they help reduce irritation from flies around the face no end.

A top fly spray is an essential product for the summer.  You’ll have to find the best one that works for you and your horse – a lot have quite strong scents which I know horse owners can love or loathe!  We are big fans of Leovet Power Phaser Fly Repellent Spray 500ml which even seems to help combat flies when your horse sweats during exercise.

Having previously owned a lovely cob with full feather I know how difficult it can be to keep them in tip top condition throughout the year, especially with mites during the hot seasons.  One product I would recommend is Lincoln Pig Oil Spray – Horse Coat Gloss, Conditioner, Barrier. This can be used to make the coat look glossy, as a useful skin barrier to protect against water and the environment and as an effective skin conditioner, plus will create an unpleasant environment for lice and other external parasites.

Exercising your horse during summer also brings a new dimension.  Where possible, it’s best to avoid riding in the hottest parts of the day for both you and your horse – be careful to watch out for dehydration and the effects of the sun.  Horses often thoroughly enjoy a good bath after working to cool down their muscles and it’s important to take time to do this when your horse has sweated.  For this we love the Barrier Lavender Wash or the Absorbine Botanicals Body Rinse.  It’s quite refreshing for us owners too!!

Lastly, we always make sure our horses have an available salt lick in their field or stable that they can take as needed.  You may even find that you need to offer your horse some electrolytes to replace lost mineral salts, depending on his workload.

Remember know one knows your horse better than you so its important to keep a close eye on him and his condition and if you have any concerns speak to an expert.  Most importantly enjoy your summer together and make the most of the glorious weather whilst its with us!