The Horsey Parent Survival Guide: How to Survive Life at the Yard, at Shows and Everything In Between
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Being a horsey parent is a little bit like having a second full time job… except there’s usually mud involved, the working hours start ridiculously early and your “office” has four legs.
Whether you have one child who has just discovered horses, a teenager who lives for competition days, or a whole family of horsey people, you’ll know that life around horses can be busy,Very busy.
But with a few little tricks, you can make the chaos a whole lot easier and maybe even enjoy it along the way!
1. Accept That Your Car Is No Longer Your Own
There was probably a time when your car was clean that time is over.
Horse rugs, boots, jackets, grooming bags, hay, spare clothes and probably a random half eaten snack and soggy carrot now permanently live in the boot.
Our best advice would be to have a dedicated “horse box” or storage bag in the car with the essentials you always seem to need:
- Spare gloves
- Hair ties
- Snacks
- Water
- Plasters
- Baby wipes
- A phone charger
- Spare socks
- A waterproof jacket
Because somehow, the one thing you need will always be the one thing you forgot.
2. Get Organised Before Show Day
Show mornings are not the time to discover that your child has lost one of their gloves or that the boots need cleaning or that nobody knows where the horse's passport is!
Prepare as much as possible the night before.
Have your riding clothes ready, boots cleaned, tack organised and everything packed into one place and don't forget the saddle pad!
A fresh, smart saddle pad can be one of those little things that makes you feel instantly more organised and competition ready.
Whether you have one child who has just discovered horses, a teenager who lives for competition days, or a whole family of horsey people, you’ll know that life around horses can be busy,Very busy.
But with a few little tricks, you can make the chaos a whole lot easier and maybe even enjoy it along the way!
1. Accept That Your Car Is No Longer Your Own
There was probably a time when your car was clean that time is over.
Horse rugs, boots, jackets, grooming bags, hay, spare clothes and probably a random half eaten snack and soggy carrot now permanently live in the boot.
Our best advice would be to have a dedicated “horse box” or storage bag in the car with the essentials you always seem to need:
- Spare gloves
- Hair ties
- Snacks
- Water
- Plasters
- Baby wipes
- A phone charger
- Spare socks
- A waterproof jacket
Because somehow, the one thing you need will always be the one thing you forgot.
2. Get Organised Before Show Day
Show mornings are not the time to discover that your child has lost one of their gloves or that the boots need cleaning or that nobody knows where the horse's passport is!
Prepare as much as possible the night before.
Have your riding clothes ready, boots cleaned, tack organised and everything packed into one place and don't forget the saddle pad!
A fresh, smart saddle pad can be one of those little things that makes you feel instantly more organised and competition ready.
Our new saddlepad collection has just launched at The Canter Cub, designed to bring a little bit of style to those busy days at the yard and in the show ring, because if you're going to spend half you weekend at a show you may aswell look good doing it!
3. Keep a Competition Checklist
If you regularly attend shows, create a checklist on your phone. It sounds simple, but it can save you from that horrible feeling halfway down the road when you suddenly think “Did I pack the…?”
If you regularly attend shows, create a checklist on your phone. It sounds simple, but it can save you from that horrible feeling halfway down the road when you suddenly think “Did I pack the…?”
Copy and paste this to your notes and edit accordingly
Rider
- Hat
- Boots
- Gloves
- Show clothes
- Hair ties
- Number bib
Rider
- Hat
- Boots
- Gloves
- Show clothes
- Hair ties
- Number bib
- Body protector
Horse
- Passport
- Tack
- Saddle pad
- Grooming kit
- Boots
- Rugs
- Water
- Feed
Parent/Groom
- Coffee
- Snacks
- Charger
- More coffee
Priorities.
4. Remember That Your Child Doesn't Need a Perfect Show Day
This one is probably the hardest. As parents, we want everything to go well, we want the horse to jump every fence, the round to be perfect and our child to come out smiling.
But horses don't always read the plan, sometimes there will be a pole down, sometimes there will be a spook, sometimes the warm up won't go how you imagined.
And sometimes the best thing you can do is give your child a hug, tell them they're brilliant and remind them that one round doesn't define them.The goal isn't perfection It's creating memories they will want to look back on.
5. Find Your People
One of the best things about the horse world is the people you meet along the way. Find the parent who will hold the horse while you run for something you've forgotten,the friend who has a spare glove, the person who knows exactly which class you're meant to be in, the one who understands why you're completely calm about a horse jumping 1.10m but absolutely terrified when your child walks into the ring. Horsey friendships are special and sometimes you don't realise how important they are until you're standing beside the arena at 7am, freezing cold and drinking coffee together.
6. Don't Forget to Enjoy It
It's very easy for horse life to become a constant list of jobs, feed, groom, clean tack, travel, compete, clean everything again, repeat. But somewhere amongst the busy days, remember why you started.
Take the photo.
Watch your child ride.
Spend five extra minutes grooming.
Buy the saddle pad you absolutely didn't need but definitely wanted.
Celebrate the little wins because these years go much faster than we think and Finally… Lower Your Expectations of the Laundry,there will be horse hair, there will be mud, there will be grass stains, there will probably be something suspicious in the washing machine and that's okay.
Horsey life isn't always glamorous but it's pretty special.
Whether you're a single horsey mum doing it all yourself, part of a horsey couple, or a family where everyone has caught the bug, there is no one “right” way to do it.
We're all just figuring it out as we go.
And if your child comes home covered in mud, exhausted, smiling and already talking about the next show…You've probably done a pretty good job.
- Passport
- Tack
- Saddle pad
- Grooming kit
- Boots
- Rugs
- Water
- Feed
Parent/Groom
- Coffee
- Snacks
- Charger
- More coffee
Priorities.
4. Remember That Your Child Doesn't Need a Perfect Show Day
This one is probably the hardest. As parents, we want everything to go well, we want the horse to jump every fence, the round to be perfect and our child to come out smiling.
But horses don't always read the plan, sometimes there will be a pole down, sometimes there will be a spook, sometimes the warm up won't go how you imagined.
And sometimes the best thing you can do is give your child a hug, tell them they're brilliant and remind them that one round doesn't define them.The goal isn't perfection It's creating memories they will want to look back on.
5. Find Your People
One of the best things about the horse world is the people you meet along the way. Find the parent who will hold the horse while you run for something you've forgotten,the friend who has a spare glove, the person who knows exactly which class you're meant to be in, the one who understands why you're completely calm about a horse jumping 1.10m but absolutely terrified when your child walks into the ring. Horsey friendships are special and sometimes you don't realise how important they are until you're standing beside the arena at 7am, freezing cold and drinking coffee together.
6. Don't Forget to Enjoy It
It's very easy for horse life to become a constant list of jobs, feed, groom, clean tack, travel, compete, clean everything again, repeat. But somewhere amongst the busy days, remember why you started.
Take the photo.
Watch your child ride.
Spend five extra minutes grooming.
Buy the saddle pad you absolutely didn't need but definitely wanted.
Celebrate the little wins because these years go much faster than we think and Finally… Lower Your Expectations of the Laundry,there will be horse hair, there will be mud, there will be grass stains, there will probably be something suspicious in the washing machine and that's okay.
Horsey life isn't always glamorous but it's pretty special.
Whether you're a single horsey mum doing it all yourself, part of a horsey couple, or a family where everyone has caught the bug, there is no one “right” way to do it.
We're all just figuring it out as we go.
And if your child comes home covered in mud, exhausted, smiling and already talking about the next show…You've probably done a pretty good job.
The Canter Club
S&S