Finally, after a long wet winter, it looks as though things are starting to look up weather-wise, with sunshine for much of the UK this week.

For those of us with horses, there’s surely nothing better than the heralding of spring, when we can go about our lives more easily and start enjoying riding our horses again.

Here is our list of ‘top 9 things we love about spring’ (feel free to get in touch and tell us your own!):

  1. Longer days – getting out of our warm beds at 6am to go to the yard doesn’t feel quite so horrendous when there’s sunlight creeping through the curtains and the air is feeling warmer. Likewise, lighter evenings mean more time for riding and less time spent fumbling around in the dark trying to get everything done.
  2. Mud Fever is less of a problem – lots of horses suffer with this during the water-logged winter months so what a relief when the sun starts coming out again and the ground hardens up.
  3. Show season is on the horizon (potentially) – an exciting time for show-goers and competitors as we start preparing our horses for the season. The excitement and anticipation of upcoming competition will banish any lingering winter blues. With covid chaos still affecting some events, show season is likely to feel a bit different this year, but we can still be hopeful.
  4. Grass re-growth – allowing for increased turnout and less stable time, so less money spent on bedding and hay. Great for poor-doers; not so great for laminitics.
  5. No more frozen water buckets – this one needs no further explanation!
  6. There’s more time to clean – longer days mean more time to spend organising, whether in the tack room or at the yard. The jobs we’ve been putting off over winter such as cleaning tack, tidying, washing rugs and blankets, general refreshing and replacing, are less cumbersome as we head into spring.
  7. Bright, crisp mornings for hacking – with the sun on your back and a fresh, fragrant smell in the air, the dark throes of winter are easily forgotten.
  8. Less mud – spring might mean that your horses shed more, but they are also rolling in less mud so keeping them looking clean and tidy is a much easier job.
  9. Foals! – what better sight than new life and foals are truly the cutest springtime animal!

We'd love to hear what you love about spring, so let us know! Feel free to comment below or email me directly: [email protected] and I'll add your points to our list :)https://www.viovet.co.uk/riding-tights/flp920

Written by: Hannah