Young Rider Update: Autumn 2019
18 Oct 2019
With the horses having a well-deserved rest, here's a brief update from our Harbro Young Rider Rosa Onslow.
It’s been a very quiet month as the horses are on their annual holiday until the middle of October.
They are out in their field for about 4 hours a day, and then in their stables for the rest. This may seem the wrong balance, but it gives them enough time to clear their heads, and it also reduces the worry of them injuring themselves in the field. So the hard work has switched from riding them to cleaning them up every day when they come in - they love their daily mud bath.
It so important to check them over properly when they come in from the field, we go over them carefully every day for scratches and nicks, treating them with antiseptic cream. One small graze or rub can quickly become infected if not cleaned immediately with saline solution or similar so just because they are having a break from riding doesn’t mean the hard work stops.
I can’t believe that they come back into work again soon. Then it’s the boring bit: 6 weeks walking on the roads before we even think about doing anything else. If the pre-season preparation is done properly, hopefully it will prevent problems further down the line. That’s the theory, anyway.
They look amazing despite their woolly coats. They love their Harbro Conditioning Cubes, seasoned with their Harbro chaff – they wolf it up – which is why they stand by their gates waiting to come in for their feeds. They are not difficult to catch.