Whether you are competing for the day or staying away, we have all the life hacks and useful kit you may not have realised you needed in your horsebox until now
There are so many things to think about when you are competing; your turn-out, timings, changing dress, keeping organised, keeping clean and that’s all before you’ve mounted. This is why we have found a selection of products for your horsebox that will really short circuit a lot of those tasks and greatly improve your competition day.
If you are staying away in your horsebox, the amount and type of kit you need to be comfortable and organised increases dramatically. If you don’t have a super luxurious lorry with all mod cons, then we have found some products that will make your stay away a pleasure, even if your lorry only has the bare minimum of conveniences.
Running out of phone charge is said to cause more stress to people than a job interview, so don’t worry – we have got that covered in this list. Plus we have found products to combat the cold, dark, lack of wifi and electricity.
NB: The shopping links below are provided to help you buy these items. We earn a small commission from these links.
For staying away:
Anker PowerCore 20100 power pack
Never let your phone run out of battery with this portable charger. It weighs as little as a can of soup yet can rapidly charge the iPhone 8 almost seven times over, the Galaxy S8 five times or the iPad mini on four occasions. It recharges in 10 hours and has a safety system with high-quality LG battery cells to ensure complete protection for you and your devices.
Buy now: Anker PowerCore 20100 power pack from £27.99
Asado Portable Charcoal BBQ hamper
A BBQ is probably the most popular thing to have while away at a competition, as not only you can have a tasty meal without needing electricity or gas, but it’s also a great way to socialise. This hamper has everything you need for a BBQ. It uses bamboo charcoal for environmentally friendly, smokeless and odourless cooking and comes with cool bag, a frame, 7 in 1 BBQ tool, three standard instant BBQs and two large instant BBQs. Just check with the venue they are happy for you to BBQ on site first…
Buy now: Asado Portable Charcoal BBQ hamper from £14.99
Solar Camping lantern
You would be crazy to stay away at a show without one of these as its uses are endless, from going to the shower in the dark and checking your horse at night to lighting up your outside dinner table or using it as a bedside lamp in your lorry. This one has a fashionably design and comes compete with a USB port and a crank dynamo if you completely run out of charge. The full charging time by plugging in the AC adapter is about 6 to 7 hours. The charging time via the built-in solar panel is about 6 hours in strong light or 12 hours in weak light.
Buy now: Solar Camping lantern from £18.99
Evopower EVO20i 2kW 2000w 230v Suitcase Inverter generator
Many stay away shows don’t offer hook-up and many lorries don’t have on board generators, while any type of leisure batteries will run out before a long show is over. For this reason many people buy generators and we feel this one is a great choice. It has a maximum output of 2000W, ideal for powering appliances such as televisions, laptops, air compressors and more. It is compact, lightweight and portable, with a mounted top handle for easy transportation. A LCD Display shows the voltage, frequency and hour count, plus it has an ECO mode that lowers the engine rpm to increase fuel economy and reduce noise, which will keep your neighbours happy!
Buy now: Evopower EVO20i 2kW 2000w 230v Suitcase Inverter generator from £389.99
Tuff Concepts gazebo with sides
A gazebo is a popular choice in the lorry park at a stay away shows where the parking space allows, so if you are going away and don’t already have one, then it’s worth investing in one. This example can be erected on hard or soft ground to give you outside undercover space, as well as another room to your horse box for entertaining in, eating meals or just sitting around.
Buy now: Tuff Concepts Garden gazebo with sides from £35.99
Classic Games Compendium
A lot of our time nowadays is spend on the internet, whether it is checking social media or catching up on the latest episode of The Crown. While staying away at a show the chances are that you will not have wifi, and the boredom may creep in – particularly in the evening. This is why you should invest in this game set: it contains over 100 games, with detailed instructions with all the family favourites, chess, snakes and ladders, ludo etc. You may enjoy yourself so much that you won’t notice the lack on internet connection!
Buy now: Classic Games Compendium from £19.99
Folding Dining set
Whether you are wanting to eat some meals outside, or need more table space and chairs inside, then this dining set is ideal. It consists of four folding chairs and a foldable table, durably constructed of high-density polyethylene with steel legs, which is easy to set up and store away.
Buy now: Folding Dining set from £119.99
Honeywell HZ-510E1 fan heater
Many horseboxes don’t have the luxury of heating, so this is why this portable heater is a perfect addition to your lorry that has hook up or a generator, especially when you need an extra bit of heat to dry something out. It is a domestic heavy duty heater with a metal casing, a variable thermostat, child safeguard switch, anti tilt cut out, cool touch carry handle, grippy rubber feet and designed to heat rooms up to 30m2.
Buy now: Honeywell HZ-510E1 fan heater from £59.99
Eco-Friendly Disposable plates
Using china plates and metal cutlery while away not only requires storage space, but also means washing up, which can prove challenging in a show environment. Also if you want to have people over in the evening, accommodating those extras requires even more cutlery. This is why these eco-friendly, biodegradable, compostable, sturdy, and microwave friendly plates made out of palm leaf are a fantastic life hack. They are strong enough to eat comfortably off and you can just throw them away afterwards. Bowls, knives, forks and cups are also available.
Buy now: Eco-Friendly Disposable plates from £11.99
Local show essentials
Copper Hexagonal Metal Hanging mirror
This handy mirror can be hung in your lorry to help you tie your tie or hung outside for that last minute check before you get on. It is made of metal with a copper finish and is a nice piece of décor as well as being useful.
Buy now: Copper Hexagonal Metal Hanging mirror from £8.97
Hemara 12″ Silent Quartz wall clock
Timings are a huge part of your competition day: what time do you need to tack up by? When are you getting on? What time do you go cross-country? The list is endless. For this reason, a large and clear clock that you can quickly glance at is always in handy. This ultra quiet, accurate, durable clock with distinct number fits the bill.
Buy now: Hemara 12″ Silent Quartz wall clock from £18.99
Kaps Perfect Shine
Quite often during competition days you are running between horses, watching others, walking courses, attending prize givings (hopefully!) and therefore your boots can get fairly dirty. This quick wipe on shoe polish gives a great shine to your boots in seconds.
Buy now: Kaps Perfect Shine from £5.49
RinseKit Portable Pressure washing kit
This washing system allow you to wash your horse off quickly and efficiently, similar to how you would at a home with a hose. This is an upgrade from using buckets and sponges, plus you can also use it as a shower for yourself if you are away overnight. It requires no batteries or pumping as its patented design features a pressure system that holds up to two gallons of hot or cold water. It fills in 30 seconds, sprays for up to four minutes, comes with a six foot hose and can be used as a seat with a storage area for soap and sponges.
Buy now: RinseKit Portable Pressure washing kit from £89.71
Whiteboard
When your nerves are high on a stressful and busy competition day things can go off plan. But by writing down timings, horses, tack and other crucial information on a white board, not only do you have an instant reminder of what needs to happen when, but so do other members of your team. These magnetic, sturdy, wipe clean boards come in a range of different sizes with pens, magnets and an eraser thrown in.
Buy now: Whiteboard from £15.49
Stubbs boot jack
Save yourself from bending down and getting your competition clothes dirty with this durable wooden boot jack.
Buy now: Stubbs boot jack from £12.26
H & L Russel Lint roller
When your life is action packed, your show schedule full and your competition days busy, finding time to clean your jacket can be the last thing on your list. This roller can take off any excess dust and horse hair in one fell swoop and leave you looking immaculate as you go into the arena. Plus it comes with six useful spare refills.
Buy now: H & L Russel Lint roller from £3.59
Esschert Design Boot rack
Space is tight in a horsebox so this boot rack will keep your footwear neatly out of the way while helping to prevent a dirty floor. It’s made from high quality wood and contains two size poles 23cm and 37cm to put your boots on.
Buy now: Esschert Design Boot rack from £27.18
Fyna-Lite Mini Mucka fork
Although designed for children, this miniature fork is ideal for a quick quick skip out of the horse area of your transport and much smaller to find a space for compared to a full sized one.
Buy now: Fyna-Lite Mini Mucka fork from £20.35
Small Drawer Tower set
Cupboard space and drawers are often scarce in the front of your horsebox, which is why these drawers are a good buy. They are 260 x 350 x 680mm, easy to clean and can be moved into any position. Plus they can be used outside to hold grooming kits, boots, tack cleaner etc.
Buy now: Small Drawer Tower set from £22.99
Fotosnow Self Adhesive hooks
Hang up your coats, bags, number bibs etc to any lorry door or smooth inside wall with these stick on hooks. They have a max weight capacity of 6kg per hook, are easy to stick on and remove, plus they are reusable, durable and waterproof — a great use of space and way to keep tidy.
Buy now: Fotosnow Self Adhesive hooks from £7.99
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