The Bit UK Nov/Dec 2016 | Page 16

GARY FOGGON'S TIME SAVING TIPS THIS WINTER Winter does not have to be all about dark nights and early mornings. In this issue international rider Gary Foggon of Team Black Country Saddles provides some handy hints to make good use of precious time throughout the autumn and winter • Always place a small plastic football or tennis ball in your horse’s water­ bucket to prevent water freezing which allows constant access to water. • Buy plenty of haynets and fill them all at once, this can save time on dark mornings and nights. • Invest in a set of overalls to wear over your day­to­day clothes, this saves time changing and prevents unnecessary trips home. • When turning your horse out in a morning, weather permitting, try to get your stable ready for the evening. If all the mucking out is done, water­ buckets filled and haynets sorted, you won’t then need to do this in the evening leaving you more time to concentrate on your riding. • To save time on mucking out why not deep litter your horse’s bed until you have more time at the weekend. • Work together! Try and join up with a fellow horse owner at your yard and devise a rota where you take it in turns to bring each others horses in from the field or turn them out. This will give you a little more free time. • Prepare buckets of hard feed in advance this can shave a few minutes off your daily routine. www.blackcountrysaddles.com