Rainy Day Fun With Your Horse !

We all love a good rainy day here and there ! Only thing is ,sometimes it falls on a day where we had big plans for riding. Don’t lose heart my dear horsey friends, there is still a ton of stuff you and your barn friends can do with your horses, even if you are stuck inside.

1. Give your horse a extra deep grooming, like groom them to perfection. As if they were at the horsey spa. Not the knock em’ off real quick before you saddle up grooming, I mean hard core !

2. Detangle your horses mane and tail .

3. Speaking of mane and tail, if you keep your horse’s mane pulled a rainy day is a great time to get that done. If you are a show rider, you can practice your braiding technique.

4. Once your horse is sparkling clean you should clean your brushes, whatever it is you store them in. I just let mine soak in water and a little bit of dish detergent. Then lay them out on hay bales to dry.

5. Practice taking your horse’s vital signs and record what his normal heart and respiration rate is. You could even do all the horses in the barn. That way the barn staff or owners have it for reference if they need to call a vet.

6. Practice applying standing bandages and polo wraps. This is definitely one of those things where practice makes perfect. Rainy days are a great time to practice. Plus, you just groomed your horse immaculately so his legs are squeaky clean and ready for wrapping.

7. Clean your tack ! It will last longer, be more comfortable for you to ride in. Not to mention safer if it is clean and supple.

So, those are some important , responsible horse owner things to do with your horses( and your barn friends) on a bad weather day. There has to be something more fun though , right ?! Of course there is !

1. You could give your horse a pedicure , with hoof polish or even washable kids paint. Glitter is a extra special touch !

2. Have a horse decorating contest. You can use stuff that you find lying around the barn, or ,if you pre plan you can bring things from home to use. You can do it a few ways, like see who can get the most things on their horse, or maybe have everyone do some sort of theme...the possibilities are endless here people !

3. A normal costume contest is fun , but again requires more pre planning.

4. Try to teach your horse a trick ! If you are at the barn with friends, pick a trick and see whose horse learns it the fastest.

5. Do a taste test and see what your horse’s favorite treats are… you can either make the treats yourself from a recipe, or just use typical stuff ( apples,carrots, mints ..etc )

6. Do a science experiment type thing where you determine your horses favorite color. You could also try and determine his or her favorite genre of music. I use the term “ science experiment” loosely ! I mean, we are horse people not scientists ! Do it however you would like and just have fun with it. I have suggestions of cool ways to do this if anyone is interested in more details, just leave me your email in the comments. This is great for summer camp as well as rainy days !

7. Another fun thing to do is a horsey version of the good old “ would you rather “ game. Put a horsey spin on it. You can either make up the questions as you go along or you can make them up on index cards and save them, so you can play again at another time. You can get super creative with the questions, anything from as basic to” would you rather ride a mare or a gelding” ? To something like “would you rather ride a unbroken 3 year old or jump a 4 foot jump course ?” You could even go ridiculous as “ would you rather take your horse on vacation to Disney World or to the Bahamas ? “ Get creative and ask questions relevant ( and of course age appropriate for whoever is there to play.) I have had a blast with this with all age groups, including adults !

Since we do summer camp, and do unmounted lessons when the ground conditions or weather doesn’t allow riding, I have a lot more where these ideas came from ! There are tons of fun activities just to pass the time at the barn on a rainy day. Or use them as summer camp activities or unmounted lessons. I look forward to sharing them with all of you and would love to hear any ideas you readers might have. I’m always looking to add more unmounted activities to my rainy day and summer camp bag of tricks !

So go put your muck boots on and don’t let the rain ruin your horsey time !