‘Tis the season to be jolly’ they say… Not always when you’re an equestrian

From the joy of mucking out on Christmas Day to painstakingly decorating your horse’s stable (while forgetting to buy a tree for the house) — here are the thoughts that go through the mind of most equestrians in December

1. You knew winter was coming but here you are again with leaky boots and holey gloves. You once again take note you will be better prepared next year as you muddle on with bright red fingers. Will you never learn?

2. You are however prepared for riding in the cold, wrapped up in multiple layers like the Michelin man. And then you find yourself frantically stripping 10 minutes after warming up as you promptly melt into a puddle under your thermal breeches.

3. You optimistically submitted your entries for your local riding club’s winter dressage league. But you are now secretly wishing you had opted for a winter holiday (preferably in the Caribbean.)

4. And when you start riding your slightly under-rehearsed dressage test on a cold Sunday morning you’re too busy trying to run through how many Christmas presents you still need to buy, that you trot right past X forgetting to halt.

5. Decorating your family Christmas tree is frankly a chore (if you remember to buy one at all). Decorating your horse’s stable door with an edible wreath on the other hand, is pure joy.

6. You scowl when your friends brightly inform you it’s going to be a white Christmas this year. All you can picture is you feeding your four-legged friend in the middle of a blizzard…

Like this? You might also enjoy reading these:

7. When the supermarket resembles a mad house on Christmas eve, as people dart around trying to get the last jar of goose fat, you wonder what all the fuss is about. After doing the mammoth (human) food shop, you’ve still got to stock up on chaff and shavings before the shops shut on Christmas Eve…

8. You secretly love going to the stables to muck out on Christmas day — the only part of the day that you can enjoy some peace and quiet.

Becky Murray

H&H senior news writer

Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.