“New Year, new you,” you think optimistically as you skip down to the yard. It’s time for a fresh start. You’re going to put all those bad habits behind you, and with the help of a few horsey New Year’s resolutions, you and your horse will be like a well-oiled winning machine in 2024. Oh yeah! Except… it’s not quite as easy as that, is it? Here are a few resolutions that you might find trickier to keep than you think…
Popular horsey New Year’s resolutions
1. Stop treating your car like a mobile tack room
You’ve skipped the straw out of your boot (how did it get in there?), removed the long-lost jodhpur boot from under the passenger seat, and tracked down the source of the strange smell — although you don’t want to go into that here. Your car is, if not immaculate then certainly as clean as it’s been in a long while – and you intend to keep that way. And so you will — until you suddenly run out of hay and have to make an emergency trip to the feed merchant to wedge in as many bales as you can, or you’re running late after a muddy ride, and lob your filthy boots and chaps into the back of the car. And so it begins….
2. Clean your tack every time you ride
Or shall we make that weekly? OK, monthly. Let’s be realistic here.
3. Try some new hacking routes
What a lovely idea! Until you get lost, find yourself having to get off 15 times to open gates, or being chased through a field by some irate llamas, and remember why, exactly, you always stick to your tried-and-trusted routes.
4. Stop blowing all your wages in online horsey emporiums
Guilty of whiling away time at work — ahem, your precious break time — browsing horsey websites? Us too. And you know how it is, without really registering what you’re doing, you’ve added a new jacket, or yet another set of brushing boots in a really funky shade of blue, to your basket. And checked out, and paid for them. Just think how much more healthy your bank balance will be when you beat this addiction! You can do it… until you see the new range of matching saddlecloths and bandages, or those gorgeous competition breeches, at your favourite online store. Nobody can resist this amount of temptation. Blame the Devil when you succumb.
5. Join a gym to improve your rider fitness
You put so much effort into keeping your horse fit, your own fitness goes by the wayside. You know you could improve your riding by getting stronger and more flexible… Only problem with that is, if you’ve only got one precious hour to exercise, what are you going to do, head to the gym — or ride? Go figure!
6. Give up wine/smoking/chocolate so you can afford a new saddle
Ha ha ha! Good luck with that!
● Will you be setting any horsey New Year resolutions for 2024? Did you manage to stick to this year’s? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to be published in a future edition of Horse & Hound magazine
You might also be interested in:
If you want to establish the best possible relationship with your trainer, here are some useful tips to help
Time to roll up your sleeves – jobs you need to do during January
8 things your trainer will never tell you, but you really need to know
Subscribe to Horse & Hound this spring for great savings
Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.
