Get Prepared for Pony Club Camp with The Saddlery Shop

With schools out for the summer it is almost time for Pony Club Camp! So if you have got a little one preparing for Pony Club Camp here are our Five Top Tips exclusively from The Saddlery Shop to help you and them get organised and enjoy summer camp. 1.) We all know that preparation is the key to success so why not encourage your child to make an overall list of all the essential items they will require to take with them. This should include; clothing for riding and leisure, tack, grooming equipment and rugs and horse feed and yard equipment. 2.) Check the rule book. The Pony Club has many rules and regulations so make sure you are in the know and up to date with your knowledge! 3.) Make sure the horse or pony going to camp alongside your son or daughter is fit enough to cope with the workload. Pony Club Camp can be a busy, fun filled week for our equines but it generally involves horses and ponies working harder than they do at home. In order to maintain optimum health and performance make sure your equine is sufficiently fit before attending and that their diet compliments their workload. 4.) Before you set off check the stitching on all your leatherwork, including the stirrup leathers to ensure safety and your horse or pony's shoes. You can so easily miss out on training and riding if your horse or pony loses a shoe! 5.)Remember the aim of Pony Club Camp is to have fun! The week can bring lots of learning and new experiences but in addition new friends and an enjoyable experience for both your child and their equine! The Wickedly Wild Grooming Kit Bag is the perfect companion for your child to take to Pony Club Camp as it allows them to keep all their equine grooming equipment clean and organised. The Wickedly Wild Grooming Kit with Bag contains; sponge, curry Comb, mane comb, lead rope, hoof pick, body brush, dandy brush and in the blue a mini plastic curry comb. Helping your little equestrian keep their horses and ponies spic and span at Pony Club Camp the Wickedly Wild Grooming Kit Bag is available from The Saddlery Shop , visit the website www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk or Tel: 0844 880 6900

Fight the Flies with The Saddlery Shop!

We at The Saddlery Shop have plenty of sympathy for our horses during the summer months when the fields are riddled with pesky flies, midges and bugs. It is a regular site to see our equines tossing and flicking their heads and tails and twitching their skin to rid themselves of these pests but what can we do to help keep the flies at bay? At The Saddlery Shop we have a range of products to fight flies, including the The Gallop Combo Fly Rug which is currently on special offer! The Gallop Combo Fly Rug is a superb value for money fly rug and is currently available from The Saddlery Shop with a FREE fly mask! The breathable and washable mesh fly rug with a combined nylon lined neck cover helps to prevent rubs and the elasticated surcingles, fillet string and a large tail flap and comes in steel blue or dapple grey to help keep your horse cool on hot summer days. If the Gallop Combo Fly Rug is not your bag, fear not there are plenty to choose from at The Saddlery Shop including fly rug brands such as; Horseware, JHL, Mark Todd and Weatherbeea. In addition The Saddlery Shop offers a huge range of fly sprays, gels and roll on repellents so you can protect your horse from getting "bugged out" this summer!

Fitting Equine Hoof Boots!

Do you keep your horse barefoot or are you interested in equine hoof boots? The Saddlery Shop is the country’s leading authority on booting barefoot horses, holding the largest stocks of hoof boots and accessories in the UK! So how do you find the right boots for your horse? There are many factors that should be taken into account when fitting boots,particularly the accuracy of the measurements. Fit is easily the most important factor in selecting boots and should not be taken lightly, a bad fit can cause a variety of issues such as rubbing, boot loss, and product failure. Follow these Top Tips to have Hoof Boot Success! 1.) Measure after a fresh trim 2.) Measure to the heel buttress line, not the heel bulbs 3.) If possible, use a metric ruler since millimeters are more precise than inches. 4.) Do NOT trace for an accurate view after the event; take pictures 5.) It also may be helpful to have someone else take measurements and compare them to your measurements. For more advice or to find the answers to your hoof booting queries why not contact the team at The Saddlery Shop? Our expert team are happy to help! To find out more visit the website and enter your details into one of our Hoof Boot Enquiry Forms.

Summer Hoof Care

Hoof care throughout the year is a crucial part of care for our equines and it is particularly vital during the summer months. This is because the summer weather can cause the equine feet to dry out which can lead to problems such as cracks, heat and bruises. Also any horse which already suffers with poor feet will often fare worse during the drier months when there’s less moisture in the grass and the ground and can in severe cases cause the horse to suffer with lameness. Summer weather also often leads to the ground becoming hard and this can lead to concussive forces to the equine hoof and the limb. Various hoof supplements can assist the equine during the summer months providing much needed essential nutrients protecting and supporting the equine health and their hooves. Providing nutritious compounds with ingredients such as Choline, Lysine, Lecithin, DL- methionine, Ascorbic acid, Copper, Zinc, Biotin to name but a few, these nutrients can boost and support the health of our equines. These hoof specific ingredients alongside other nutrients allow horse's liver and the hoof corium to build and assemble a highly crosslinked hoof wall that is denser and more resistant to cracking or drying out. Including brands such as; Farriers Formula, Feedmark Hardy Hoof and Equus Health. Alongside including a hoof supplement in the diet, hoof management is vitally important. Here are some tips from The Saddlery Shop for keeping healthy hooves all summer long! 1. ) Always ensure you provide a healthy diet which is full of nutrients which help to support both hoof and general health all year round. When the grass becomes dry, bleached or overgrazed consider adding a vitamin and mineral supplement to the diet. 2.) Regularly pick your horse’s feet out and look out for any changes, e.g. cracks, heat in the horse’s feet, or an increase in the digital pulse. This is particularly important when your horse is spending a lot of time out at pasture. 3. ) Use a fly spray during warmer weather as your horse often will stomp and kick the ground, potentially damaging his hoof health and if shod, his shoes, when getting irritated by flies and midges. A huge range of fly sprays are available from The Saddlery Shop. 4. ) Include a hoof supplement in the diet which contains high quality, relevant nutrients such as the products offered by The Saddlery Shop. 5. ) Avoid applying heavy, cosmetic, topical products that do not allow the hoof to breathe such as some hoof oils and polishes. For more information about the products available from The Saddlery Shop visit the website www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk!