Member's Tips

Here are some "Tips" and "Suggestions" from our STRIDE members on various equine subjects:

Safety at the Show (Posted 02/01/2008)

By STRIDE Officers

 

At our January meeting, the membership thought it would be helpful to collect some safety tips for both competitors new to the show world and those that have been around longer but may have become a bit lax in practicing safety.  Members are encouraged to send your safety tips to me (starrynightfarm55@yahoo.com or 352-817-2347) and we will add a section to our website for these tips.

 

  • In the warm-up area, riders going in opposite direction should pass left hand to left hand.  Alternatively, call out “inside” or “outside” loudly and in sufficient time to allow the other rider to adjust to your call.
  • Try to never halt on the rail.  It is best to check behind you whenever you are planning to halt.
  • LOOK UP!  Sounds simple, but we tend to look down at our horses while we ride.  Riding in a crowded ring forces us to learn to look up.
  • If your horse is being difficult, be polite and respectful of others by leaving the warm-up ring and moving to another area to school.  Alternatively, stay to the inside of the ring allowing others to move around the rail.
  • Observe other horses in the warm-up.  If someone is being dangerous, leave and work elsewhere.  Your job is to prepare your horse, not educate others.  If you really want to be helpful, remember the person’s number and speak to them later when you both are off your horses.
  • Expect the unexpected.  Horses that never do “_____” at home always seem to do “______” at the shows.  Don’t try anything at the show that you can’t easily do at home.
  • If you are anything less than 100% positive that your horse will stand quietly while you put on your jacket or adjust tack, GET OFF (spoken from experience!!!)
  • If stabling, install a stall guard (rubber “hotdog’s are fine) in the doorway, even for a 1-day show.  This simple device keeps horses in their stall while you are going in and out to tack, clean stalls, add water, etc.
  • Put a sign on your stall with your name and cell phone number (I laminate a sign printed on PowerPoint® so it is waterproof and reusable) even for a 1-day show. 
The US Postal service sent out a message to all letter carriers to put a sheet of Bounce in their uniform pockets to keep yellow-jackets away. Use them all the time when playing baseball and soccer. I use it when I am working outside. It really works. The yellow jackets just veer around you. All this time you've just been putting Bounce in the dryer! It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them. It also repels mice. Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle. It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often. It repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season. Eliminate static electricity from your television (or computer) screen. Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling. Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce. To freshen the air in your home - Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet. Put Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner. Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew. Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing. To freshen the air in your car - Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat. Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan. Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket. Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the loose hairs. Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe t he blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling. Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth. Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper. Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight. Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away. Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. It will keep them smelling fresh.
TO CLEAN BITS SOAK THEM IN VINEGAR FOR A HALF HOUR OR LONGER. ALL THE BLACK GOO AND LIME THAT HIDES IN THE CREVICES WILL EASILY RINSE AWAY.  NO HARMFUL CHEMICALS.
Packing for a show, every thing you might forget to bring. click here